The Last of Us Part II Remastered: is the full-price PS5 upgrade worth it?

The Last of Us Part II is one of the best games of all time. The crushing revenge story impressed with its emotional storytelling, brutal gameplay and breathtaking presentation on release in 2020. With this remaster, the game breaks free from the shackles of outdated PS4 hardware and flexes its muscles on the PS5 – at least in theory.

Unlike many other PS4-to-PS5 ports, The Last of Us Part II: Remastered isn’t a free upgrade. In addition to minimal improvements to graphics and performance, development studio Naughty Dog justifies the surcharge with new content and a roguelike mode. But is it worth it?

The masterpiece is still impressive

For my test, I first start in story mode. I can freely transfer my game saves, trophies and New Game Plus mode from the PS4 version without any problems. The game grabs me again after just a few seconds. Cutscenes look incredible and impress with natural dialogue and outstanding acting. Naughty Dog is simply in a different league. And yes, that one damn scene still hurts like it did four years ago.

Even outside of cutscenes, the game keeps me glued to the controller. Naughty Dog perfected its action-packed stealth gameplay in Part II. Searching for resources across levels and killing nasty clickers with homemade weapons is heaps of fun. Fights against human enemies still feel disgustingly brutal. Epic.

I’m also falling in love with the game’s graphics all over again. In-game animations look better than some cutscenes from other games. The levels feel incredibly real with their dense vegetation, dilapidated buildings and countless interactive objects. This visual splendour is rounded off by small details. Abby’s plait dangles back and forth while running, characters leave realistic footprints in the snow. Simply magical.

Minimally better graphics, significantly better performance

But does the game really look better in the remastered version than on the PS4? All the points I mention above also apply to the original version. In addition, Naughty Dog already provided the PS4 edition with a PS5 patch around a year after its release. That version ran in 1080p at 60 frames per second. So why this native PS5 version?

According to Naughty Dog, the PS5 upgrade offers higher-resolution textures, more detail further away, nicer shadows and smoother animations. I don’t notice much of this in practice, spotting any differences would require a magnifying glass. Sure, the graphics are absolutely stunning. But that was already the case on the PS4.

The difference in performance, on the other hand, is much clearer. I can choose between Fidelity and Performance mode. The former runs in 4K at 30 frames and the latter in 1440p at 60 frames per second. In both modes, the differences in image quality and sharpness compared to the PS4 version are clearly visible.

If you have a TV that supports VRR, you can deactivate the frame rate limit in both modes. Fidelity mode will usually run at over 30 fps and Performance mode should get above 60 fps – a real game changer that massively enhances 4K mode in particular. It feels just as smooth as normal 60 fps mode without the frame rate limit.

Nothing else has changed in the main game. At its core, it’s still the same as the original PS4 version. The graphical and technical updates are altogether too small to justify an upgrade price of 10 francs or euros. Naughty Dog also seems to be aware of this. As such, the developer has added new content to the remastered version. It packs quite the punch.

New roguelike mode is the highlight

The biggest innovation is the No Return game mode. In this separate roguelike mode, I slaughter my way through a total of six random levels. A terrifying boss awaits me at the end of each run. If I die in a level, I lose all my upgrades and weapons and have to start all over again.

No Return ignores the story of The Last of Us Part II and lets me experience the action-packed stealth gameplay without plot context. The explicit depictions of violence, so oppressive and unpleasant in the main game, degenerate into a fun, albeit insubstantial, spectacle. Any philosophical ponderings on love, hate and revenge that The Last of Us Part II triggered in me will be soundly ignored for No Return. Only one motto here: brain off, aim for the head.

I can choose between a total of ten unlockable characters per run. In addition to Ellie and Abby, I also have other characters from The Last of Us universe at my disposal. A balm for my traumatised fan soul – I can also play as Joel.

Each character has unique abilities and specialises in different weapons. Abby’s playstyle appealed to me the most. This tank in human form excels in close combat and heals herself by throwing punches.

Levels, rules and enemies are randomly selected each round. Sometimes I have to wipe out every murderous cult member in Assault Mode, other times I have to survive an onslaught of fungi zombies for a certain amount of time in Hunted Mode. All the while unlocking new, more complex modes.

Every mode is extremely stressful. I’m constantly on the lookout for resources to help me last a few seconds longer. Many levels I only survive by the skin of my teeth. My pulse is constantly high, my hands are sweaty and my eyes are constantly on the ticking clock. No Return isn’t for the faint of heart!

I return to my safe room between levels. That’s where I can buy new weapons, improve my skills or install weapon mods. The more confidently I master a level, the more upgrade points I get. Some additional missions in the levels promise even more upgrade points or rarer weapons. These mini-missions always involve a certain amount of risk and force me to step out of my comfort zone and test new gameplay mechanics.

The star of No Return’s show, however, are the crazy mods active in some levels. These turn the gameplay completely on its head and are extremely fun. In my test, thanks to mods, I fought against invisible enemies, survived devastating Molotov rains and set enemies on fire with punches. Yep, you read that right. But it gets even better. With the Custom Run option, I can design my own runs and activate up to six mods at the same time for maximum chaos.

To unlock all the levels, mods and characters in No Return, you can expect to spend over ten hours playing. With daily challenges and global leaderboards, you also have a reason to play even longer. After around seven hours, I got my fill of the bloodthirsty spectacle and tried the other additional content instead.

A fascinating look behind the scenes

Another highlight in the Remaster is the Lost Levels. These give me the opportunity to test three game environments that didn’t make it into the final release. They’re usually rough drafts. Animations and textures are missing, or the characters are mute. The three short game sections are introduced by game director Neil Druckmann. He explains why and when the content was cut. The levels themselves also contain statements from level designers and developers, revealing in detail how the game mechanics would’ve worked in the finished version.

I get even more behind-the-scenes revelations in new audio commentaries. During cutscenes, Neil Druckmann, Ashley Johnson (Ellie), Troy Baker (Joel) and Laura Bailey (Abby), among others, tell me what it was like on set. I find out how kissing scenes work in a motion-capture suit, what last-minute changes were made to the script and what dialogue the actors and scriptwriters argued about.

Both the lost levels and audio commentaries are a great way to see behind the curtain of a big AAA video game production. As far as I’m concerned, there could’ve been a few more level examples.

What else is new?

The remaster is rounded off with a few nice gimmicks, such as Guitar Free Play mode. In it, I can play the guitar mini-game from the main game with different instruments, effects and characters.

Competitive fans will enjoy Speedrun mode. I use it to play the whole game or individual sections with a timer, my pace recorded in global leaderboards. New skins also bring a breath of fresh air to the main game. These range from normal items of clothing, such as T-shirts with game logos, to crazy outfits like a space suit.

Verdict: a successful, if technically unnecessary remaster

So, is The Last of Us Part II: Remastered worth the extra 10 francs or Euros? Yes. But not because of the graphical upgrades – those do too little. The only things worth mentioning here are the new performance options, which look great, especially on VRR-capable TVs.

The new roguelike mode No Return is much more exciting. It gives the sophisticated action-stealth gameplay the stage it deserves and makes gameplay fun despite the lack of a story. The new audio commentaries and cut levels are a real goldmine of exciting background information for passionate The Last of Us fans.

If you’ve never played The Last of Us Part II, you should definitely pick up the remaster. It’s the best version of one of the best games of all time. If you already own the PS4 version, the upgrade is worthwhile if you find the additional game modes and content exciting. Or if you really want to play the game in the best possible quality.

The Last of Us Part II: Remastered will be available for PS5 on 19 January. The game was provided to me by Sony for testing purposes.

Header image: Naughty Dog