The Last of Us Part II Remastered Review

Controversial as it may have been in some circles, there’s no denying The Last of Us Part II is among the finest games ever put out by Naughty Dog. Ellie and Abby’s story may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but no one can deny that the second entry in the series greatly enhances its predecessor’s formula, bringing it to extreme heights.

These extreme heights have possibly become even higher in The Last of Us Part II Remastered. While the base game hasn’t changed at all, it’s the No Return roguelite mode that shows how amazing the gameplay of the second entry in the series is, with mechanics that set it above most survival horror games on the market.

As mentioned above, The Last of Us Part II Remastered doesn’t introduce any change to the main campaign. As such, players will take control of Ellie and Abby as they attempt to stay ahead of the factions vying for control of Seattle, the Washington Liberation Front, and the Seraphites. The game’s narrative focuses on survival and the choices made to see one more day, and it gets rather bleak at times, possibly the bleakest we have seen to date in a major triple AAA game. This direction did not sit too well with some when the game launched on PlayStation 4, and I expect it will remain just as controversial as it ever was with the release of the remaster.

Despite the campaign being the same as in the original, The Last of Us Part II Remastered expands it somewhat with three Lost Levels, which were cut from the final release. These three levels are rather short and don’t take too long to complete, but they provide a very interesting look at what could have been. The introduction to these levels by Neil Druckmann and the added commentary provide more insights, making these stages a great addition for die-hard fans of the series. The lack of Lost Levels for Abby, however, makes this collection of cut content feel a little incomplete, although it is entirely possible that there wasn’t any usable content to begin with.

The real star of the show in The Last of Us Part II Remastered is the No Return Mode, a roguelite mode where players can control multiple playable characters with unique playstyles and run a gauntlet of stages based on locations from the main game ending with a boss encounter. As mentioned above, the game’s mechanics truly shine in this mode, unburdened by the bleak narrative that turned many off.

At the start of each No Return run, players start with only the most basic equipment, which differs depending on the controlled character. By completing stages, the player earns different currencies that can be used to purchase and upgrade weapons and unlock skills, which are included in three different trees that are progressively unlocked as the run proceeds. Depending on the items offered, and the available currency, it is possible to create a variety of builds that focus on stealth, melee, survivability, stealth, and so on.

While it is true that No Return Mode doesn’t feature any new location, the combat scenarios are quite varied for the most part. Each stage comes with different enemy and encounter types, as well as mods that introduce some twists that can make them easier or harder, depending on the mod itself. With plenty of content available to unlock, the mode is extremely fun to play, forcing players to come up with strategies on the fly that can also be implemented in the main campaign. It is also fairly accessible, thanks to the multiple difficulty levels and the fact that no content is locked behind any difficulty.

The final changes introduced to the original by The Last of Us Part II Remastered are cosmetic. The visuals have been touched up, with reduced grass pop-in, improved shadow and texture quality, and more. Most of these changes, however, are minor compared to the 4K resolution support offered by Fidelity Mode, an increase in resolution that comes with a frame rate reduction from the 60 frames per second of Performance Mode to 30. In both display modes, performance is extremely smooth, so both are viable options, depending on personal preference.

Being offered for a very low price for owners of the PlayStation 4 release, The Last of Us Part II Remastered is a more than worthy purchase for both returning fans and newcomers. The bleak story may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the gameplay is as tight as it ever was, making for a great survival horror experience.

Review code provided by the publisher.

The Last of Us Part II Remastered

The Last of Us Part II Remastered

The Last of Us Part II Remastered is, without a doubt, the best way to enjoy Naughty Dog’s excellent survival horror game, thanks to addition of the surprisingly fun No Return roguelike mode, the cut Lost Levels, developer commentary and two display modes for a proper 4K resolution experience. The main campaign’s bleak story remains as controversial as it was when the original game launched on PlayStation 4, but underneath it is one of the finest survival horror games ever made.

Buy for $49.99 from Amazon

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