PlayStation and Developer Naughty Dog have confirmed the existence of The Last of Us Part II Remastered. In a post on their website, the company revealed a ton of information about the upcoming release of the 2020 PS5 game, along with an announcement trailer. The sequel was originally released on PS4 in 2020 and was praised for its graphics, performance, and plenty of accessibility features on last-generation hardware.
However, the remastered version of the award-winning sequel is even more impressive. It has all the anticipated visuals and upgrades, including 4K resolution, a new roguelike mode, and an unlocked frame rate option for TVs with variable refresh rates.
Whether you have already played and platinumed The Last of Us Part 2 on a PS4 console or just jumped into Part 1 on PlayStation 5 and want to continue it, The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered offers numerous reasons for both new and returning players to revisit the story. The captivating campaign is back with technological advancements, exciting behind-the-scenes features, and new modes that will enhance your understanding of Part 2 Remastered creation.
The key features of The Last of Us Part II PS5 include:
- Graphical and performance enhancements
- Exclusive survival mode
- Lost levels
- New outfits
- DualSense Wireless Controller Integration
- Guitar free play
In this comprehensive guide, we discuss each of these features in detail and many more elements you need to know about this solid game.
About The Last of Us Part 2
The Last of Us Part II is an action-adventure game with some survival horror elements. Part II, a direct sequel to developer Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us, sets up five years after the final scene of that game in which the star characters, Ellie and Joel, live in the large survivor community of Jackson, Wyoming.
The Last of Us Part II aims to enhance the main gameplay loop while keeping the main focus of the game on the story. Its story is superb and even transcendent. Even though it is not an open-world game, it still features larger environments and open-world elements. The Part II title features 26 total trophies with 25 gameplay-based trophies that lead to a platinum trophy.
Furthermore, The Last of Us Part 2 features various unexpected options and game tweaks, which contribute to pushing towards a notable transformation in accessible gaming. On both micro and macro levels, players can modify the HUD aspect, quality, and rarity of scavenged supplies or alter the game to better suit players with different levels of motor function or sight ability.
Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II has become a landmark achievement in the gaming industry. Only a few works have created such discourse among industry and fans with its striking graphics, captivating gameplay, and powerful story. Each character in the main cast is a fully functioning human being, and if viewers pay close attention to every detail, they will feel like they have known each character for years.
The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered Release Date
We are excited to announce that you will not have to wait long for this fantastic experience. The Last of Us Part II Remastered will launch on PlayStation 5 on January 19, 2024. Pre-orders are available for the game’s Standard Edition and WLF Edition.
The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered WLF Edition
The Last of Us Part II Remastered WLF Edition will include the following:
- SteelBook case
- Four enamel pins
- Clothing patch
- Physical versions of 47 trading cards, which include eight holographic cards
How to Upgrade to The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered
Upgrading to The Last of Us Part 2 is a relatively simple process. There is excellent news for existing PS4 Part 2 owners. They can upgrade to the Part 2 Remastered version on PlayStation 5 for $10 at launch. However, Sony has not yet disclosed the pricing of the game’s standalone version.
The PS4 version is currently available for $39.99 on the United States PlayStation Store. So, buying this PS4 version now and upgrading it to PS5 at launch will cost a total of $49.99.
This upgrade is similar to what Sony has previously done for games like Ghost of Tsushima, which debuted on PlayStation 4 a month after The Last of Us II release in 2020 and also had a Director’s Cut release on PlayStation 5 in 2021 with additional content.
Players can import their saves from The Last of Us Part II PS4 game to the Remastered version, just like they can with Ghost of Tsushima as well as Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered version. Importing PlayStation 4 saves will unlock players’ existing PS4 trophies in the upgraded version. Players who already have finished the game to 100% can get an instant Platinum trophy.
Sony emphasizes that although the Remastered upgrade is available to owners of the physical version, this edition will only work with PlayStation 5 with a physical disc drive because players will need to insert the physical disc each time they want to play the Remastered version.
The Last of Us Part II Remastered Upgrades
According to Sony’s announcement, “Remastered” features a variety of enhanced A/V aspects. These features include 4K Fidelity mode, 1440p upscaled to 4K Performance mode, and an unlocked framerate option. The new release has also improved shadow quality and animation sampling rate, along with sharp texture resolution and more detail at further distances. Thanks to these enhancements, the game will look better regardless of your chosen mode.
Furthermore, The Last of Us Part II PS5 Remastered will also use PS5’s powerful hardware to enable faster loading times than the original PS4 version. The haptic feedback and adaptive triggers of the DualSense controller have also been modified for enhanced combat immersion and in-game insights. These features provide unique dynamics and feedback depending on the used weapon or the terrain.
Two New Modes in The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered
The Last of Us Part 2 PS5 Remastered will have 2 new modes. These include the brand-new “No Return” mode and the unlockable “Speedrun Mode.” The Speedrun Mode was launched in 2022- The Last of Us Part 1 remake.
No Return: Roguelike Survival Mode
The most fascinating addition to the Remastered version will be the roguelike survival mode: No Return. No Return is an entirely new addition to the series. In No Return, players plan to run for supplies and rewards and try to survive in randomized encounters with enemies. There are numerous playable characters included in No Return mode, some of which have never been playable in the franchise. As of right now, there are seven characters confirmed in No Return, though it’s possible that more characters will be added or unlocked after launch.
These characters include:
- Ellie
- Dina
- Tommy
- Jesse
- Abby Anderson
- Mel
- Lev
Every character has unique traits that can be tailored to various playstyles. For example, Abby has a melee upgrade recipe and heals on melee hits, while Dina comes with trap and stun bomb recipes from the start and an upgrade in her skill tree to create twice the amount of bombs. This variety will help players test out mechanics they might not often use in addition to investing in their favorite playstyles.
Moreover, each character and mode has its own challenge track that must be completed to unlock new playable characters, new skins, and gameplay twists like Buddies, Gambits, and more.
Despite the fact that runs are randomized, players can also take on custom runs that allow them to turn on and off different factors that influence the mode’s gameplay. Additionally, if you are feeling competitive, there will be a fresh Daily Run available every day to prove your abilities against everyone else. Each player will get one chance to use the same character in the same randomized run. With the help of a leaderboard that shows your runtime and score, you can see how you perform against other Remastered players.
Speedrun Mode
In the Part 1 game, Speedrun Mode was unlocked after completing the game on normal difficulty. So, it may be unlocked in the same manner in Part II Remastered. This makes sense because the goal of Speedrun Mode is to beat the game as fast as possible, with a timer showing in the screen corner to track this. Hence, this mode requires some understanding of the game.
Guitar Free Play Mode in The Last of Us Part II PS5 Remastered
In The Last of Us Part 2 story, there are certain parts where Ellie can play the guitar that is gifted by Joel and other characters in the game. When a player picks the guitar in the game, they must play a specific song through a mini-game in which they have to follow along with the song and select the right notes when they highlight on the screen. After correctly playing the song, players will have more freedom to practice with the guitar.
Even though there are scripted scenes like Ellie performing an acoustic cover of Aha’s Take On Me to Dina, those with more musical skill found how to use this mechanic to play other songs, which led to it becoming a well-liked part of the game. Considering its popularity, developer Naughty Dog introduced a new Guitar Free Play mode in the game’s Part 2. This mode comes with multiple unlockable guitars and uses audio FX pedals to adjust performance.
Moreover, the mode gives the option to play various characters in multiple in-game locations to change the mood and atmosphere depending on the genre of the song.
The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered Gives a Peek into Game’s Development
In addition to these new modes, the TLOU2 Remastered edition will include a lot of new content. This version features “Lost Levels,” which are three playable levels that were removed early in the development process: Sewers, Jackson Party, and Boar Hunt. These are not fully finished levels but are early-development versions that let players explore the game world.
Another exciting detail is that these levels include hours of embedded developer commentary to discuss each level’s aspects and provide a deeper context. Moreover, there’s a recently recorded Director’s commentary available from narrative lead Halley Gross, director Neil Druckmann, and actors Ashley Johnson, Troy Baker, and Laura Bailey, who play Ellie, Joel, and Abby in the game.
Wrapping Up
There you have it- The Last of Us Part II Remastered review. Thanks to a leak courtesy of the PS Store and Naughty Dog’s follow-up, the Remastered edition of the sequel got more solid. It has all the impressive visual and performance upgrades an avid gamer would expect. The Remastered version is designed to allow players to delve deeper into its development and mechanics. The most notable upgrades include a brand-new “No Return” mode, a roguelike survival mode, which is created to let players test their skills in randomized encounters.
However, it’s important to note that there is no mention of a Windows PC version of Remastered in the trailer. Although Sony has been moving a lot of its first-party games to PC these years, it usually takes more than a year for those ports to arrive.
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