Almost a year and a half after the first The Last of Us remake, PlayStation and Naughty Dog are back again with The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered. An exclusive “Plus Plus” version for PS5, with improved graphics, behind-the-scenes and an interesting rogue-lite mode. So, what does it cost?
Introduction:
This test only focuses on the additions of The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered compared to the original version! If you want to know our opinion on the base game and its single-player campaign, refer to our test of the time. This article was created with code sent by the publisher.
After The Last of Us Part 1, Ellie and Joël return to us with The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered in 4K on PS5 – available from January 19, 2024. As you may have understood, this is an improved version of the PlayStation. 4 masterpieces. On the program, fidelity mode with Ultra HD resolution (30-40 frames per second); a whole bunch of behind-the-scenes (audio commentary, lost levels); Bonuses here and there (free play guitar, some new Skins); And above all “No Return”, a rogue-lite adventure with ten playable characters. So there is food and drink, all at low prices. 10€ if you already own the physical edition | Digital version of The Last of Us Part 2. For others, you have to pay €49.99! FYI, it is possible to import PS4 saves on the remaster.
Leave a day, without returning
The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered therefore puts forward a few arguments in its favour. Before discussing everything related to bonuses and techniques, let’s first focus on the famous rogue-lite mode. Specifically, sans retort takes gameplay TPS-Craft From the second episode to the letter and the offers Six stages of random battles with always a boss at the end. Of course, after each victory, you get resources to improve your hero (pocket money to buy equipment, supplements – pills – to unlock upgrade and crafting items, spare parts to refine your weapons). But if you fail, you’re back to square one.
To bring it all to life, The Last of Us 2 Remastered mod allows you to play 10 characters from the single-player adventure (Ellie, Deanna, Abby, Joel, Tommy, Lev, and Mel). Each has its own characteristics Start the arsenal. Dina, for example, is a pro at crafting, immediately starting the game with the ability to craft explosive traps and stun grenades. Jesse, for his part, has the recipe for a silencer for his handgun, while Tommy goes straight in with his personal sniper rifle (but, on the other hand, is unable to dodge). To complete the picture: Abby regains health after melee elimination, and Mel gets a speed boost after healing. In short, choosing one hero over another will encourage you to play differently.
Let us also point out that the entire cast is not available from the start. For the first parts, only Ellie and Abby are present – to unlock the rest, you have to succeed in a certain number of battles with each character. And this isn’t the only aspect of Sans Retort that’s slowly being unlocked. indeed, PlayStation’s Rogue-Lite mode relies on great speed of progression (especially during the first hours) that never leaves the player sidelined even in the event of an unexpected death! Aside from casting, with the advent of other “modes” for random encounters, the sans retort rules are expanded as each run progresses… Then attack (Eliminate three waves of infected | enemies of a certain group) and hunting (surviving for a certain moment to face a continuous attack), Protection And capture Make their entrance. In the first case, the player must stay alive against a long wave of opponents and ensure that the AI-controlled ally is not fooled. In the second case, many villains guard chests containing precious resources. The treasure in question is closed for good after the time limit. So you have to be clever and quick to get rid of the opponents (a win condition) and ideally, steal the loot.
And yet, you haven’t seen everything! After a few games, you will be entitled changes, bonus | Penalties that change the rules of combat (damage bonus if low health, increased speed of bad guys, increased speed in a stealth elimination state, long weapons blocked). There is also Paris – Challenges to complete during encounters (survive 5 melee attacks, kill 3 enemies while sleeping, make 3 headshots) and which, if completed, reward you with additional resources. Resources that must then be spent in your base, where you return after each victory. There, outside the workbench and weapons cache, you’ll have access to a table where the rules for the other stages are listed. Something to watch out for if you want to stay alive.
Overall, “Sans Retor” pushes a lot of good ideas and forces us to use all the possibilities of gameplay that isn’t a bit outdated. Additionally: The sensations of The Last of Us Part 2 take on a more visceral dimension here, in a situation where death is more punishing than the main adventure. For example, we found ourselves with our hearts racing when we managed to beat a boss at the last minute. Additionally, if you complete the full game in No Return, you’ll be entitled to a new final enemy (there are five in total). So the “ultimate” goal is to unlock them all, but the adventure doesn’t stop there… To complete the picture, Sans Retour offers seven difficulty modes, one of which is fully customizable, but also a daily session to compare your scores. is Players from around the world and a whole bunch of bonus outfits to win. With all this in mind, the experience can easily keep you busy for 10 to 15 hours. For our part, we have not seen time pass. This is definitely a super nice addition to part 2.
Interactive behind the scenes
We continue with the second big part of this “remastered”: behind the scenes of development, with the first three “lost levels”. These are incomplete levels cut from the final game by Naughty Dog and returned with audio commentary. Thus we get “Jackson’s Party,” an episode that initially precedes Dina and Eli’s famous kiss; “The Sewer”, one of Ally’s ventures into the depths of Seattle that was removed due to pacing; Finally, “The Hunt”, a sequence where the heroine chases a wild boar and which (basically) was supposed to be an elliptical introduction after the events of Seattle. For each level, you can do things at your own pace, take time to walk around and listen to the developers’ messages one by one! Allow about half an hour to see everything. It’s certainly not huge, but it’s impossible not to salute Naughty Dog’s initiative on this one. This lost level offers a unique perspective on the pharaonic development of The Last of Us Part 2. And on the reasons that forced the developers to choose this or that design.
To go further, the software also offers audio comments for “all”. Cut scenes The main campaign. That’s a lot. Just for Jackson’s cutscenes (in other words, introductions), which represent more than 40 minutes of testimony… At the microphone, we find Neil Druckmann, co-creator of The Last of Us and co-president of Naughty Dog. , as well as Ashley Johnson, Troy Baker, Laura Bailey and Shannon Woodward, interpreters for Ellie, Joel, Abby and Deanna. Hailey Gross, co-writer of the title, is also there. Fans can only rejoice – especially since it is now possible to watch all the cutscenes one by one without going through the game’s stages. Sure, if you want to enjoy Naughty Dog jokes without repeating 25 hours of gameplay, it’s possible. Note that the commentaries are only available in English with French subtitles.
Free Guitars, Skins, Other Remaster Bonuses:
The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered still has a few bonuses in stock… and first of all, a free-play guitar mode – which takes the campaign’s musical interface to the letter. From now on, you can change the string instrument (acoustic or electric guitar, banjo), the setting or even the character! For the rest, there is a speedrun mode and solo skins for Ellie and Abby. The heroine – for example – can go into battle with her astronaut outfit.
The technical boost that shows
Finally, the technique is impossible to miss (after all, it’s still a remaster). For its official arrival on PS5, The Last of Us Part 2 offers a fidelity mode that will push the resolution to native 4K. So does it change anything? Although yes. In Ultra HD, Naughty Dog’s graphical tour de force shines even more, with slightly gritty decorations and textures… all especially felt where the vegetation is dense, such as Abby’s flashbacks with her father, in the middle of the adventure. In short, we are indeed in the presence of the final version of The Last of Us Part 2, a title that, even three and a half years after its release, has almost nothing to envy to current triple-A titles. Note that in Fidelity, the software runs at thirty frames per second. On screens equipped with “VRR”: it will be possible to get a few FPS when the scenery is not too busy. Also, the PS5 version offers a performance mode – at sixty frames per second. In this configuration, we find the rendering of PS4 games on the new generation, through backward compatibility. As a reminder, if you launch the original software on the latest PlayStation, you will benefit from a framerate boost! Finally, between the two software, we also note shorter loading times on the PS5 as well as full support for Dual Sense. In short, the job was done.
conclusion
Strong points
- Solo still amazing
- A graphic boost that shows
- Rogue-lite mode, a real plus
- Backstage, what you need, there you go
- Lost levels, great idea
- Only €10 if you own the PS4 title
weak points
- A free guitar mod, clearly a gadget
- Somewhat disappointing framerate in Fidelity
In short, we want all remasters to be like The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered. Here, Naughty Dog cleverly expands the content of the PS4 masterpiece, including – already – everything behind the scenes (lost levels, audio comments) and above all, a roguelite mode that really surprised us. It’s just the perfect excuse to dive back into the universe and the visceral action of Part 2, with the lifespan now extended from 10am to 3pm. Even the small graphics boost in 4K native has its effect – albeit a slightly disappointing 30 FPS (even with VRR). Finally, a remaster that doesn’t make fun of us.
Readers’ opinions
Give your opinion on the game!
