After The Last of Us Part II Remastered leaked earlier this morning, Naughty Dog has now officially announced the game and what new features players can expect when it launches on PS5 on January 19, 2024.
The official announcement was made via a PlayStation blog post, with Naughty Dog’s Jonathon Dornbush detailing what separates the remaster from the original 2020 release.
“The Last of Us Part II Remastered is designed to let you dig deeper into both its development and mechanics,” writes Dornbush.
Given the leap in hardware of the PS5, Part II Remastered will have enhanced visuals, including native 4K output in Fidelity Mode, 1440p upscaled to 4K in Performance Mode, an Unlocked Framerate option for TVs that support VRR, increased texture resolution, increased Level-of-Detail distances, improved shadow quality, animation sampling rate, and more.
On the gameplay side, this remaster also includes a brand-new mode called “No Return”. This mode is described as a roguelike survival mode aimed at providing the combat experience of The Last of Us Part II in a fresh and randomised manner. This mode allows players to play as characters that have never been available before, as well as placing the player in a variety of stealth-focused and combat-focused encounters up against an array of enemies that players will be familiar with. However, there will be twists to keep players on their toes. This mode also features a leaderboard, so you can compare your performance to other players.
If you enjoyed the guitar section of The Last of Us Part II then you will enjoy the new “Guitar Free Play” mode, which is more than just a mode to play the guitar. You can play using a host of instruments, characters, and even audio FX pedals.
Adding even more to this are the “Lost Levels”, which are newly playable sections that were previously cut from the game. While they are not feature-complete by any means, these are a great way for players to get a look into what The Last of Us Part II was like in its early stages, and how differently things may have played out. These levels will also feature development commentary to explain and contextualise what players are experiencing.
The Lost Levels aren’t the only part of the game to receive the developer commentary treatment, however, as the entire game’s cutscenes now feature commentary from director Neil Druckmann, narrative lead Halley Gross, and actors Troy Baker, Ashley Johnson, and Laura Bailey.
The best part is if you own the original game on PS4 then the upgrade will only cost you US$10 (more than likely A$14.95 if previous upgrade prices are an indicator) and you will be able to import your save files from that version too.
Are you excited for this remaster? Let us know in the comments or on social media.
