The Last of Us Part II is being remastered for the PlayStation 5, developers Naughty Dog have announced. The studio is promising a slew of technological improvements, new game modes, and other additions in an effort to make the remaster of a game that came out on the PS4 in 2020 worth playing on the PS5. The sequel to The Last of Us is notably playable on Sony’s current-gen console via backwards compatibility and had already received a PS5 update in 2021 that added 60fps support. The Last of Us Part II Remastered is coming to PS5 on January 19, 2024, Naughty Dog has confirmed.
After the remaster was leaked on PlayStation Network, Sony’s studio announced the upcoming title in a blog post on November 17, along with an announcement trailer, calling it the “definitive way to experience the game.” The biggest new addition to the remaster is a new roguelike survival mode called No Return, which allows players to take on enemies in random encounters. In addition to protagonists Joel and Ellie, No Return mode will also introduce new playable characters from the game, each with their own skills and traits to suit specific play styles. “Players will chart their own course on each run, choosing between a variety of stealth and combat encounters that pit you against a range of enemies, with unique twists that can add new, unexpected factors to each encounter,” Naughty Dog said in the blog. .
The roguelike survival mode ‘No Return’ will feature several playable characters
Photo credit: bad dog
Each roguelike run in No Return mode allows players to decide the rewards for each encounter and how to upgrade their characters. New characters and skins can be unlocked as the mode progresses.
The game also gets a visual upgrade. The Last of Us Part II Remastered gets native 4K output in Fidelity mode, 1440p upscaled to 4K in Performance mode, and an unlocked framerate option for TVs that support variable refresh rate. The remaster will also feature higher texture resolution, greater detail spacing, improved shadow quality, animation sampling speed, and more, according to Naughty Dog. The game also promises improved immersion with faster loading times and haptic feedback and support for adaptive triggers on the DualSense controller.
The upcoming remaster will also include some loose content from the original game. Players can explore a new series of unfinished ‘Lost Levels’ in playable sequences that Naughty Dog says will provide a behind-the-scenes look into the making of the game. Lost Levels will also include embedded developer commentary to provide context on the parts of the game that didn’t make the cut.
In addition, The Last of Us Part II Remastered will introduce a Guitar Free Play mode that will allow players to showcase their musical talents on a variety of unlockable instruments. The mode features several characters and a number of in-game locations, allowing players to zip wherever they want, with whoever they want. The game also features an unlockable Speedrun mode, bonus character and weapon skins, and additions to the photo mode.
Pre-orders for The Last of Us Part II Remastered begin on December 5 for both the standard edition and a new WLF edition, which includes a steelbook display case and other in-game trinkets. All existing owners of the original game on PS4 will get a $10 (approximately Rs. 833) upgrade path for the remastered version on PS5. Players can also import their PS4 saves to TLOU Part 2 Remastered.
Previous leaks had indicated that Naughty Dog was working on a remaster for The Last of Us Part II, with a developer at the studio accidentally mentioning it in a LinkedIn post in October.
Naughty Dog also released The Last of Us Part I, a complete remake of the original 2013 game, on the PS5 in September last year, with a price tag of $70 (Rs. 4,999 in India). The game was ported to PC earlier this year in March and launched with several performance and graphical issues.
