Released almost four years after the original game, Sony and Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part 2: Remastered has hit the shelves, but the game is leaving a lot of people wondering whether or not it is worth the price of admission – especially if they’ve played it before.
It is hard to define the newfound beauty in the remastered game when the original was stunning. Sure, the graphics are more refined, and the game does provide that new “fresh-out-of-the-box” feeling, but in comparison, there is not a huge difference. It is expected for there to be a visually better game, due to the fact that the PlayStation 5 can handle more than its predecessors, so playing it almost feels underwhelming when looking for significant changes like that the PlayStation 4 remaster went through.
This time, The Last of Us: Part 2 feels a lot more polished, thanks to the improved rendering, but there wasn’t a huge change on that front when compared to the original. The developers almost shot themselves in the foot by creating a game that looks almost too good the first time round. Due to being a well-crafted game, The Last of Us Part 2 has always played somewhat smoothly. That, and the introduction to AI NPCs, some of which put you in a situation where you were forced to form an emotional connection with them, ensure the game deserved its 2020 title of Game of the Year.
The infected aren’t always the biggest threat.
The Last of us Part 2: Remastered – What’s new?
The game rather served as a reminder of why we fell in love with it in the first place. It is a reminder that we have to learn how to let go with Ellie. It is a reminder that Abby portrays the epitome of being the hero of her own story, whilst simultaneously being the villain in Ellie’s. Abby is the boogyman for Ellie, as Joel was to her. The game’s main strength is in its nuanced portrayal of perspectives.
The feature that may sway some fans to buy the game a second time is the addition of the roguelike Survival Mode: No Return, something the original game did not boast. In this experience, there are four game modes. With the most popular of them being Assault, where you will encounter randomly generated waves of enemies, each progressively getting harder the more rounds you play through.
The excitement comes from challenging yourself to push through the stealth and combat and relishing in the ability to collect loot and purchase guns from the locker. As well as this, you can earn supplements to upgrade, as you would have done in the campaign.
Anyone that enjoyed the combat aspects of the game will fall in love with the concept of No Return. It reflects the undertones of revenge and this cycle of violence, where you feel it plays like a loop from the campaign. The polished experience is made even better when you take into account the ability to unlock different playable characters.
It is important to bear in mind the fact that you will not be able to change the level difficulty once you start an encounter. Encounters are scored from C rank to S, which is derived from a multitude of factors tailored to your experience (level difficulty, mods, encounter types, enemy factions). This creates an ounce of self-determination as you begin play through the run. However, there needs to be an understanding that runs are on permadeath, so be prepared for that.
For a fast-paced, high intensity game, it is sometimes worth pressing pause and having the chance to calm down while playing the guitar – in the game, at least. Many of the features upon purchase must be unlocked by having played through the campaign first, Guitar Free Play is available from the start.
With the option of playing as Ellie, Joel or Gustavo (the game’s musician who can be found playing the banjo in Jackson) there are many features in this selection. There is the choice of character, but there is also the choice of guitar, FX pedals (the names of which are a nod to the game itself), locations, filters and even the camera’s angle. It creates a nice atmosphere as you can appreciate one of the games most interesting original features for as long as you like, attempting to recreate songs from the game or from your knowledge.
The Last of Us: Part 2 features a new set of characters to get to know.
Is The Last of Us: Part 2 Remastered worth the price?
As mentioned above, there is an added joy of being able to unlock characters and skins in the game. They are purchased either through completing quests or purchasing them with the points you will earn throughout the game. Initially, you are provided the default playable characters from the campaign, Ellie and Abby. Characters are not the only thing to unlock as the game provides the challenge of hunting down points to unlock different filters, game modes and concept art.
The remaster feels like a directors’ cut, especially with the addition of including three lost levels with Neil Druckmann explaining why they felt the need to abandon these levels. Bandun Idris and Pete Ellis cleverly talk you through the levels with their commentary on why the playthrough failed to meet the campaign, all the while showing you a less detailed, block-like version of the TLoU world.
While it was not a necessary inclusion, it is cool to see that die-hard fans are left with a sneak behind the curtain. We especially thought it was clever to show the children playing a clicker version of ‘Marco Polo’, which gave an insight into life during an apocalypse yet still managing to maintain that childlike innocence. It was exciting to see how much thought and care the developers put into their work.
The Last of Us Part 2: Remastered feels like a love letter to all the characters and the world. So, is the remaster worth the price of admission? This all depends, if this will be your first time playing through The Last of Us Part 2, then absolutely. This is the definitive TLouP2 experience and comes highly recommended.
However, if you are looking to buy it just for updated graphics and a fresher feel, then it’s hard to justify the hefty price tag. That is unless you’re a hardcore fan who will get hours of enjoyment from Survival Mode, if that’s the case, then by all means jump back into this incredible universe.
