It appears that one of the features originally planned for Naughty Dog‘s game was preserved, and a modder now aims to restore it.

The Last of Us Part II was originally released five and a half years ago, yet players are still uncovering new details hidden within the game. According to a modder known as Speclizer, Naughty Dog had implemented a feature called “Hold Up” during development, which was ultimately removed from the final release. This mechanic would have allowed Ellie to sneak up behind enemies, force them to raise their hands, and then control where they moved, as well as whether they faced Ellie or turned away from her. Eventually, enemies would have attempted to draw their weapon and fight back.

Because Naughty Dog left the unused animations and scripts inside the game files, Speclizer is now working on restoring the feature to The Last of Us Part II, a task that requires considerable effort. The mod will only be available on the PC version of the game, as the PlayStation 5 release cannot be modded. Initially, access to the feature will be limited to Speclizer’s Patreon supporters.

With a Tier 2 subscription priced at €12.50 per month, supporters gain access to all of Speclizer’s tools and mods. The modder has previously released the Project Fedra and Endure Survival game modes for The Last of Us Part I.

Project Fedra offers a new gameplay experience in which players take on the role of a FEDRA soldier tasked with maintaining order and completing critical missions. These missions reward players with food stamps, the currency of the quarantine zone, which can be exchanged for weapons and equipment. Endure Survival, meanwhile, is a more traditional wave-based horde mode featuring a shop system that allows players to purchase gear from Bill’s shop between rounds.

All in all, the mod looks particularly interesting, and it is encouraging to see that the developers left the door open for restoring cut content.

Source: WCCFTech, Patreon