REVIEW – A year and a half after the first remastered version of The Last of Us exploded onto the scene, PlayStation and Naughty Dog are back with The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered. Optimized for PS5, this version boasts gorgeous visuals, exclusive behind-the-scenes secrets, and a stunning Rogue Lite mode. But is it worth the price?

(For the purposes of this review, we will only focus on the remastered version’s updates over the original game. If you want to know more about the base game and its single-player campaign, check out our previous analysis).

Ellie and Joel’s adventure continues after The Last of Us Part 1, and now they’re returning to PS5 in 4K in The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, which will be released on January 19, 2024. This version takes the PlayStation 4 classic to the next level with an Ultra HD fidelity mode (30-40 FPS), a host of behind-the-scenes features (audio commentaries, lost levels), extra goodies (free-to-play guitars, new skins) and the highlight: ‘No Return’, a rogue-lite adventure with ten playable characters. So everything a gamer could want is here, at a great price. If you already own a physical or digital copy of The Last of Us Part 2, you can upgrade for €10, while new customers will have to pay €49.99. And importantly, you can transfer your PS4 backups to the updated version.

The fateful road of no return

The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered has a lot going for it. Before we dive into the world of extra content and technical goodies, let’s take a look at the game’s famous Rogue Lite mode. Continuing the TPS crafting mechanic of the second episode, No Return takes us through six levels of random battles, each ending with a prominent boss enemy. Each victory earns you rewards that you can use to upgrade your characters’ equipment and abilities. However, if you fail the mission, you can start over.

In this mode, you can choose from ten different characters from the single-player adventure, including Ellie, Dina, Abby, Joel, Tommy, Lev and Mel. Each character has unique traits and starting weapons. For example, Dina is a master craftswoman, Jesse has mastered the silencer, Tommy starts with a unique sniper rifle but can’t dodge bullets, Abby’s health regenerates after winning battles, and Mel becomes faster after surgery. Each character choice encourages a completely different play style.

They are all here, but they are appearing one at a time

Note that not all characters are available immediately. For the first few games, only Ellie and Abby are available – to get the others, you have to fight a certain number of battles with each character. And that’s not the only thing that’s gradually unlocked in No Returns. In fact, the PlayStation’s rogue-lite mode relies on a brilliantly constructed progression system (especially in the first few hours) that never leaves the player alone, even in the event of an unexpected death!

In addition to the cast, the No Return rules will be expanded during the races, including new “modes” for random encounters… After “Rushes” (the goal is to destroy three waves of infected or specific faction enemies) and “Prey” (to survive a certain amount of time against constant attacks), “Defense” and “Capture” will be added. In the former, the player must survive a long wave of enemies while making sure an AI-controlled ally does not fall victim. In the latter, several villains guard a chest containing valuable resources. This treasure will be permanently sealed after a certain amount of time. So you have to be quick and smart to defeat the enemies (a condition for victory) and, ideally, steal the loot.

And that’s nothing! After a few games, you’ll have access to modifiers, bonuses and penalties that change the rules of a fight (increase damage when health is low, increase enemy speed, increase speed after stealth, block long weapons) and challenges to complete during a fight (dodge 5 melee attacks, knock down 3 enemies lying down, deliver 3 head shots), which, if successful, will reward you with extra resources. These resources are then spent at your base, which you return to after each victory. Here is a table of the rules for the other stages. You must follow them if you want to stay alive.

All in all, No Return is full of good ideas and encourages you to make the most of a gameplay that has lost none of its relevance. In fact, the experience of The Last of Us Part 2 takes on an even more exciting dimension in this mode, where death is much more punishing than in the main adventure. For example, during a nail-biting battle for revenge, the DualSense rumble mode at its highest setting will almost make your heart pound! What’s more, completing a full game of No Return will unlock new bosses (there are five in total). So the ultimate goal is to unlock them all, but the journey doesn’t end there… No Return features a further seven difficulty levels, including a fully customizable one, as well as a daily session to compare scores between players around the world, and a number of bonus suits to win. All in all, the experience can easily keep you occupied for 10-15 hours. We didn’t even notice the time flying by. This is definitely a great addition to Part 2.

They are all here, but they are appearing one at a time

Note that not all characters are available immediately. For the first few games, only Ellie and Abby are available – to get the others, you have to fight a certain number of battles with each character. And that’s not the only thing that’s gradually unlocked in No Returns. In fact, the PlayStation’s rogue-lite mode relies on a brilliantly constructed progression system (especially in the first few hours) that never leaves the player alone, even in the event of an unexpected death!

In addition to the cast, the No Return rules will be expanded during the races, including new “modes” for random encounters… After “Rushes” (the goal is to destroy three waves of infected or specific faction enemies) and “Prey” (to survive a certain amount of time against constant attacks), “Defense” and “Capture” will be added. In the former, the player must survive a long wave of enemies while making sure an AI-controlled ally does not fall victim. In the latter, several villains guard a chest containing valuable resources. This treasure will be permanently sealed after a certain amount of time. So you have to be quick and smart to defeat the enemies (a condition for victory) and, ideally, steal the loot.

And that’s nothing! After a few games, you’ll have access to modifiers, bonuses and penalties that change the rules of a fight (increase damage when health is low, increase enemy speed, increase speed after stealth, block long weapons) and challenges to complete during a fight (dodge 5 melee attacks, knock down 3 enemies lying down, deliver 3 head shots), which, if successful, will reward you with extra resources. These resources are then spent at your base, which you return to after each victory. Here is a table of the rules for the other stages. You must follow them if you want to stay alive.

All in all, No Return is full of good ideas and encourages you to make the most of a gameplay that has lost none of its relevance. In fact, the experience of The Last of Us Part 2 takes on an even more exciting dimension in this mode, where death is much more punishing than in the main adventure. For example, during a nail-biting battle for revenge, the DualSense rumble mode at its highest setting will almost make your heart pound! What’s more, completing a full game of No Return will unlock new bosses (there are five in total). So the ultimate goal is to unlock them all, but the journey doesn’t end there… No Return features a further seven difficulty levels, including a fully customizable one, as well as a daily session to compare scores between players around the world, and a number of bonus suits to win. All in all, the experience can easily keep you occupied for 10-15 hours. We didn’t even notice the time flying by. This is definitely a great addition to Part 2.

You will see the difference!

Finally, it’s impossible not to mention the technical details (this is a remaster, after all). At the official launch of the PS5, The Last of Us Part 2 received a fidelity mode that runs the game at native 4K resolution. Does this change anything? Yes, it does. In Ultra HD, Naughty Dog’s graphical bravado shines even brighter, with sharper landscapes and textures… This is especially noticeable when the vegetation is dense, such as Abby’s flashback with her father in the middle of the adventure.

And that’s nothing! If you turn on unlimited framerate and your PlayStation 5 has VRR turned on, or you have a gamer “TV” or monitor that can take advantage of it, you can still play the game at 120fps in this already amazing graphical quality, I couldn’t believe my eyes when the 120fps counter appeared on the TV screen! All this with quality mode turned on for me!

Of course, if you don’t have a TV that can take advantage of this, the game will (supposedly…) run at thirty frames per second in quality mode. The PS5 version also has a performance mode – sixty frames per second on older 60Hz TVs.

The Last of Us will not be the last!

We want every remaster to be like The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered. Here, Naughty Dog has wisely expanded the content of their PS4 masterpiece – with behind-the-scenes details (Lost Tracks, audio commentaries) and, most importantly, a Rogue Lite mode that really captivated us. It really is the perfect excuse to dive back into the horror and action of Part 2, with an extended playtime of 10-15 hours. All in all, a remaster that didn’t take things lightly.

-Gergely Herpai (BadSector)-

Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Developer: Naughty Dog

Style: Action-adventure, survival horror

Release: January 19, 2024.