The Last of Us originally came out in 2013 for the PS3 console. Despite being a new IP from Naughty Dog, the game was universally loved for its excellent story and gripping gameplay sequences.
Less than a year later, Naughty Dog released The Last of Us Remastered for the then-new PS4 console. Well, 2022 is coming and The Last of Us has been re-released. Now you can play the remake of The Last of Us Part 1 exclusively for the PlayStation 5 console.
Unlike the aforementioned The Last of Us Remastered, The Last of Us Part 1 was built from the ground up to fully utilize the awesome power of PlayStation 5. The game’s graphics look much better than what the PS4 and PS3 versions offered nearly a decade ago.
While The Last of Us Remastered looked pretty good in 2014, it lacked expressive facial animations. Ellie’s face looked a little stiff in the original game, but her face now comes alive when you play the remake.
Tess is another character that has had a complete makeover. Some people noticed that Tess looked too young for her age in the original game, but in the remake she has aged and looks much more realistic.
People will also notice that all the pre-rendered cutscenes now use the actual game engine, thanks to the power of the PS5. Everything just looks better when you can play the game on a new and decent 4K television.
Speaking of 4K, there are two different graphics modes you can set. One mode favors visual fidelity, running the game in full 4K at 30 fps. This setting is recommended if you want the game to look as good as possible.
The other setting prefers in-game performance. The game will still run in 4K, but you can play the game at 60 fps. This was my favorite style of play, mainly because the gameplay looked and played smoothly at 60 fps compared to the slower 30 fps output.
In terms of gameplay, Naughty Dog has added a lot of new accessibility options to make the game easier for casual players. One of the most useful new features is a navigation marker. When you press the L3 button, a marker will appear on the screen telling you exactly where to go. This is very useful during some segments where the environment is very dark.
If you’re too impatient to solve the game’s puzzles, you have the option to skip them altogether. The puzzles were never too hard to solve, but it’s a nice feature for those who want to focus more on the game’s combat.
As for combat, a new slow-motion feature has been added to make targeting bad guys much easier than before. This feature was very useful for taking headshots of both human and infected enemies in the game. There are a lot of other accessibility options available to players, although I didn’t have time to work them all out.
However, some gameplay features of The Last of Us Part II have not been carried over. In the sequel, both adult Ellie and Abbie were able to come forward. Unfortunately, you can’t come out with Joel or Ellie in this remake. They can only crouch like they could in the original release.
Joel also doesn’t have an unlimited blade that he can use as well. In this remake, he still has to rely on making shivs. The only bad thing about shivs is that you can only use them once. If you run out of shivs, you won’t be able to unlock a locked door or kill clickers easily.
In terms of content, The Last of Us Part 1 does not add new levels or anything like that. You pretty much experience only the original game plus the Left Behind DLC. There are also no references to the sequel if you also kill a certain character towards the end of the game…
However, you’ll be able to unlock some cool stuff once you complete the main campaign on any difficulty. You can unlock special skins for Joel and Ellie, including clothing and gear with other PlayStation game heroes!
There are also artworks and even a cool two-hour behind-the-scenes documentary that you can watch as well. I don’t remember the other releases of The Last of Us coming with these extras, so this is a nice extra to add.
While The Last of Us Part 1 is an excellent remake, the only thing that can keep people from buying the game is the insane price. If like most of our readers you live in New Zealand, this remake has a suggested retail price of $139.99. Some retailers could sell the game for a bit cheaper, but digital PS5 owners will have to pay full price at launch.
Another thing that might disappoint some people is that the multiplayer mode from the original game isn’t included in this remake either. Essentially, you’re paying full price for a single player campaign that has already over 20 million players worldwide.
While The Last of Us Part 1 is still a great game, some people may still think it’s an overpriced and unnecessary remake. If you’ve never played the game before and have a PS5, I’d say this is a must-buy. If you’ve played the game several times before, it’s best to wait for a sale.
verdict: 8.0/10
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