The Last of Us Part II: Remastered Review

The Last of Us Part II Remastered arrived on the PlayStation 5 on 1/19/24 and a lot of gamers are curious as to whether the visual upgrade from the PlayStation 4 version of the game that launched 6/19/20 has the value for the price. While we can have a conversation on whether three years is too soon to be remastering games and if this is some sort of cash grab, I’d rather focus on the details and let you decide if this is a purchase you would like to make.

First, the game takes place five years after Joel and Ellie’s trek across the United States. They endured and survived a post-pandemic America coming into conflicts with raiders and infected alike. They have settled in Jackson, Wyoming amongst a community of survivors. The storyline will have many twists and turns as Ellie sets out on another quest.

Since this version of the game is built for the PlayStation 5 it contains features not possible in the PlayStation 4 version: Visual performance upgrades that include native 4K output in Fidelity mode, 1440p upscaled to 4K in Performance Mode, and an Unlocked Framerate option via VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) with TVs that support it. The game also features increased texture resolution, level of detail distances, improved shadow quality, animation sampling rate, and more. While some of these changes may be hard to notice without a keen eye and a visual comparison, the game is stunning and gorgeous. The PS5 SSD will also allow for faster load times, whether you’re starting up the game or coming back from a game over, you spend more time playing the game than waiting. On the accessibility features side, which is already incredible, Descriptive speech and audio to vibrations has been added.

Beyond that, there are also new things added to the game. A robust developer commentary that allows the team to shed light on the game development and narrative choices made while designing the game. A rather exciting feature is the Lost Levels: which allows you to play three new levels that are early development versions: Sewers, Jackson Party, and Boar Hunt. While these are unfinished levels that are in an early development state, it is interesting to get a glimpse of what was cut from the game and experience it. A rare thing we usually only see from movies in their special features. Guitar Freeplay is a new mode allowing you to play the in-game guitar freely as any character in any of the various locations provided. There are new instruments you can swap out in Guitar Freeplay as well.

The photo mode now includes dynamic lighting, frame forward, gaze direction, along with new frame and logo options. You can also dress Ellie and Abby in new clothes and adorn their weapons with cosmetic features which are unlockable via points you earn as you play the game.

A feature I found really useful was importing my PS4 save file from when I played The Last of Us Part II in 2020. Instantly trophies were popping and points I unlocked for cosmetics by completing the game started rolling in. It was a nice quality of life feature that didn’t require me to replay the game to immediately dive in and enjoy all the unlocks for time previously invested.

The game also includes full DualSense wireless controller support providing more immersion from haptic feedback and the adaptive triggers so each weapon feels its weight and a trigger pull changes from a bow, to shotgun, to a pistol.

You’re probably wondering about the price, if you already own The Last of Us Part II on PS4 you can simply upgrade to the PS5 version for $10. If you own a disc copy, the disc must be inserted into the console to play the game, this acts as a registration key. If this Remaster is your first purchase you can own it for $49.99.

Lastly, I want to talk about the most exciting addition to The Last of Us Part II: Remastered, No Return. This roguelike survival mode aptly titled No Return is a set of randomized encounters featuring different enemy factions in memorable locations from The Last of Us Part II. You choose your path in the Hideout by selecting each encounter on a branching corkboard of photos. The game will advise you about the faction you’re going against, the location, the objectives, and if you have an AI controlled ally by your side. If you die in this mode, you lose your gear: weapons, items, upgrades, and you start all over at the beginning. You do however unlock characters and outfits to adorn them with through continued play of this mode. You can expect that by playing as Ellie and surviving encounters you can unlock Dina, Jesse, Tommy, and Joel. While playing as Abby and completing challenges you can unlock Lev, Yara, Mel, and Manny.
Each character has unique traits which gives you an advantage based on the character you pick. I’ll share some of the traits so you have an idea of what decisions you’ll have to make when choosing a character.
Ellie has traits that allow her to get 50% more supplements, a molotov recipe, and two upgrade branches from the start. Dina has traits that have her ready to place traps. Jesse gets 30% more currency and unique items at the trading post. Tommy starts with his iconic Sniper Rifle but cannot dodge. Joel begins with his custom revolver, he’s sturdier against melee, can’t dodge, and also has a shiv recipe/upgrade branch. Abby can heal on melee kills and begins with a melee upgrade recipe and the brawler upgrade branch. Choosing your character based on their traits and starting inventory can be key to a successful run.

After each encounter you will return to the hideout to purchase weapons, items, skills, and upgrade your gear using the resources you’ve gathered. You receive coins after each encounter to spend in the locker on weapons and gear upgrades. Weapon parts are also rewarded so you can modify your weapons and craft items as needed. You will also receive supplements and manuals to upgrade and unlock skill trees for your character. This allows you to build your character the way you want each run, but because everything is so randomized, you must adapt, endure, and survive. Keep in mind if you die, you’re back to zero.

Each encounter will be one of these four challenges: Assault, Capture, Holdout, and Hunted. You will fight off waves of enemies in assault. Capture will have you attempting to break into a safe full of valuable resources that enemies will guard, you can attempt this in stealth or other means. Holdout has you team up with an AI controlled ally while enemies surround you. Hunted has you face off against infinite enemy reinforcements until the timer runs out. It is also important to know that different factions can be faced in these modes. The corkboard also notifies you whether you are starting the encounter with the enemies in search mode or combat so you can plan accordingly. Keep in mind just because an encounter starts in combat doesn’t mean you can’t break line of sight, hide, and control the encounter from stealth. You can use the environment against patrolling enemies by setting traps, holding off choke points, or using distractions to flank the enemy.

Each run ends with a boss encounter, of which there are six possible bosses to face off against. Once you’ve defeated each boss, future runs will randomize which boss you will face.
Randomized mods will be applied to encounters, they can either be helpful to you or potentially very challenging. Things like enemies having more/less health, invisible enemies, enemies that explode on death, thick fog obscuring your vision, and more! In addition to mods there are also Gambits, which offer the opportunity to complete a challenge to unlock additional resources. This could be achieving a certain amount of headshots, kills from stealth, or dodging a specific number of melee attacks. You will have to decide if the gamble is worth taking for a reward that could make your run easier.

Below I have a video of a livestream I did with my first impressions and multiple runs of the No Return Mode for The Last of Us Part II: Remastered for Playstation 5. I hope you found this review and video helpful and enjoy the game if you decide to pick it up!
Here’s my affiliate link if you’d like to purchase the game through Amazon I get a small cut. Here.

Let me know what you think in the comments below!