It’s a classic. Since I played it back then, that’s how I define the second installment of a game that marked a before and after in the video game industry. Because of its rawness, its storyline and well-developed characters, as well as graphics that pushed the limits of the PS4.
Its second part did not disappoint anyone, despite the review bombing from some players who did not understand that the story had to move forward. Its visual section and its plot left us breathless, although not so much its mechanics
With this background, what I thought when the remaster was announced -while we wait for a new game from Naughty Dog- was: what could this remaster offer us? Now we have the answer: a new game mode, the ability to see -and play- discarded scenes, and some improvements in the visual and gameplay mechanics. But it still retains the best part, which is reliving a tough and relentless adventure.
The Last of Us II better than ever on Ps5
If you have played The Last of Us on the PS4 or PS4, you will remember that its technical aspect was incredible, pushing the previous generation to its limits. The question that arises is, what does the PS5 add? The creators have said that it is the best version of the game, especially if you haven’t played it before, and I couldn’t agree more thanks to two fundamental additions: the sound treatment thanks to the new 3D technologies and the ability to feel certain aspects of the game thanks to the Dual Sense.
The 3D Sound technology on the PS5 primarily offers immersion, and in a game like The Last of Us II, it creates tension in certain moments that leaves you breathless. In the early stages of the game, you can perfectly hear the icy wind and the rumble of the windows. Of course, nothing compares to the infected or the sound occlusion when using the listening mechanic, which allows us to focus our attention on the threats like never before.
On the other hand, we have the Dual Sense, which, like in other Sony PS5 games, allows you to feel many aspects of the game: how the horses ride, the violence of the fights, or the reloading of the weapons. A special mention goes to the bow, which, together with the Dual Sense, offers a very realistic sensation of how it feels to draw a bow when using the adaptive triggers.
And although what I’m telling you are the technical novelties, there is an aspect that still doesn’t go unnoticed in this game: the journey of the protagonists. It is a harsh journey, merciless and wrapped in a spiral of violence where you want to look away, but you can’t stop doing it, thinking that there may be some hope for them.
It is obvious that the argument has not changed, but after playing it for the second time, I have to say that even knowing the journey, it is no less demanding for the player emotionally due to its rawness and harshness, confirming once again – if it hadn’t already – that Naughty Dog wanted to tell a very different story from what we are used to in video games. In The Last of Us II there are no heroes or villains, only victims of their past and their own actions.
Enriching the experience
Two novelties await us in The Last of Us Part II: The Lost Levels and the new roguelike mode called No Return. Both have impressed me, but for different reasons.
Firstly, there are The Lost Levels. Several additional levels that, for different reasons, didn’t end up in the game. These levels are small fragments that help to better understand the motivations of the main characters and what Naughty Dog intended with this game.
And why didn’t they include it, if we mentioned that it helps us understand the protagonists better? The creators give several reasons and I won’t reveal them to you, but it stands out that Naughty Dog with these Lost Levels has inaugurated the feature of “deleted scenes” from Blu-ray movies, but in video games. And it’s not just that we can play, but we also have an intro from the creator explaining what the scene is, what they intended with it, and why it didn’t end up in the game.
And there is even a bigger detail, and that is that we can play the level, yes, but from time to time we will see a “conversation bubble” which is nothing more than the level designer’s comment, explaining all the intricacies of that scene. A real delight for the game fan.
No Return: a mode you can’t miss
As the latest addition to this remastered version, we have the new “No Return” mode. A roguelike mode that adapts the mechanics of this peculiar gameplay system to The Last of Us universe. It’s impossible not to think of God of War: Ragnarok and its Valhalla roguelike mode, but there are several differences that make this No Return Mode a perfect addition to The Last of Us II.
If Valhalla from God of War Ragnarok was pure adrenaline, in The Last of Us it’s basically pure tension. That is to say, what has always characterized each of the levels of The Last of Us.
The mechanics are not very different from any other Rogue Like in terms of the level we face: a series of waves from different factions. We will have to defeat them to pass the level, but unlike other games of the same style, here it is not pure action, but we can choose stealth or shoot them or run away and hide.
What sets it apart from other Roguelikes is that after finishing each stage (with multiple waves) we will have the opportunity to buy and upgrade weapons or increase some of the stats that appeared in the game.
But there is more news and this is one of the most important of this game. While from the beginning you will have the opportunity to play with the two main protagonists in this mode, you can also unlock more characters, more abilities, weapons and yes, also outfits.
Obviously, the game recommends that you have finished the story mode, as there are obvious character spoilers.
The best edition without a doubt is this one of PS5
We discover the tremendous story that lies in The Last of Us Part 2. A game that was already rated as a true masterpiece both in terms of graphics and story, although with evident continuity in gameplay. The PS5 version enhances that aspect even more, adding some innovative features – who would have thought we would see deleted scenes commented on in a video game – and adapting popular game modes like the roguelike with No Return
Whether you have already played the game on PS4 or want to experience it for the first time, now is the perfect time to revisit a game that will put you in emotionally challenging situations and where you will witness once again the descent into hell of its protagonists and how there are no heroes or villains, but rather people with difficult scars to heal.
