Look, let’s be real. When Naughty Dog announced The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered for the PS5, the internet basically had a collective meltdown. Half the people were screaming about "remaster culture" being out of control, while the other half were just ready to get hurt by the story all over again in 4K.
It’s a weird situation. The original game only came out in 2020. Usually, we wait a decade for a remaster. But here we are.
If you’ve spent any time in the post-outbreak version of Seattle, you know it's a brutal, exhausting, and somehow beautiful mess. This PS5 version isn't just a resolution bump; it's Naughty Dog’s attempt to turn a controversial masterpiece into the definitive version of Ellie and Abby’s cycle of violence.
But does it actually matter for the average player? Or is it just a $10 tax for people who want to see the pores on Joel’s face more clearly?
The Performance Gap and Why Your TV Matters
The big selling point is, obviously, the tech. On the PS4 Pro, the game looked incredible. On the PS5, The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered pushes things into that "uncanny valley" territory where you start forgetting you're playing a game.
You get two main modes: Fidelity and Performance. Fidelity runs at a native 4K. It’s crisp. It’s sharp. It also runs at 30 frames per second. If you have a TV that supports Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), the game can actually unlock that framerate, often hovering in the 40s or 50s. It feels smoother than the old version, but it’s not quite that butter-smooth 60fps most of us crave now.
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Then there’s Performance mode. This is where most people should stay. It targets 60fps by upscaling from 1440p to 4K. Honestly? In the heat of a fight with a Shambler, you aren't going to notice the slightly lower internal resolution. What you will notice is how much easier it is to dodge a machete-swinging Seraphite when the game is moving at a fluid 60 frames.
The haptic feedback on the DualSense controller is the secret MVP here.
Seriously. When Ellie draws her bow, the triggers actually resist. It feels heavy. When it rains—and it rains a lot in Seattle—you can feel the pitter-patter in your palms. It’s a gimmick, sure, but it’s a gimmick that works for immersion.
No Return is the Roguelike We Didn't Know We Needed
The biggest addition to The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered isn't the graphics. It's No Return.
This is a survival roguelike mode that basically strips away the 20-hour emotional trauma and leaves you with the core combat mechanics. And let’s be honest: the combat in this game is arguably the best in the third-person stealth genre.
You start a run, pick a character, and go through a series of randomized encounters. Some are "Assault" (just kill everyone), while others are "Hunted" (stay alive until the timer runs out). Between rounds, you go back to a hideout, spend your scraps on weapon upgrades, and pray you get a decent recipe for a Molotov cocktail.
What makes No Return interesting is the character roster. You can play as:
- Ellie: The balanced choice. Good for stealth and crafting.
- Abby: A powerhouse. She heals when she lands melee kills, which changes the flow of combat entirely.
- Lev: Fast, quiet, and deadly with a bow.
- Manny: Has extra health and starts with a semi-auto rifle, making him a tank.
- Mel and Yara: Support-style characters with unique twists on healing and companionship.
The difficulty spikes are no joke. If you die, the run is over. Gone. All those upgrades? Dust. It forces you to use the environment in ways the main story doesn't. You'll find yourself laying trap mines in hallways you’d normally just sprint through. It turns the game into a high-stakes chess match where the pieces are made of glass and gunpowder.
The Lost Levels: A Glimpse Behind the Curtain
We need to talk about the "Lost Levels" because there’s a lot of misconception about what these actually are. These are not fully polished, deleted chapters that were cut for time. They are unfinished sequences that Naughty Dog included with developer commentary to show why they didn't make the final cut.
There are three main ones:
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- Jackson Party: An extended look at the festival in the beginning. It has some "mini-games" that feel a bit clunky, but it adds flavor to the town.
- Seattle Sewers: A creepy, atmospheric bit of exploration that feels like classic TLOU.
- The Boar Hunt: A sequence that was supposed to happen late in the game. It’s emotionally heavy and provides a bridge for Ellie’s deteriorating mental state.
These levels aren't "fun" in the traditional sense. They are educational. Hearing Neil Druckmann or the lead designers explain that a certain room was cut because it messed up the pacing is fascinating for anyone interested in game design. If you just want to play a finished game, you might find these disappointing. But if you love the "Making Of" documentaries, this is gold.
Addressing the "Remaster" Controversy
There’s a valid argument that this game didn't need a remaster. The PS4 version already got a 60fps patch for the PS5.
So, why buy this?
Well, if you already own the PS4 version, the $10 upgrade path is a steal for No Return alone. If you're coming in fresh? $50 for one of the most awarded games in history, now with a roguelike mode, better graphics, and faster load times, is a fair deal.
The load times are actually one of the most underrated improvements. On the PS4, you could literally go make a sandwich while the game loaded into the main menu. On the PS5 version of The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, it’s nearly instantaneous. SSDs are magic.
The story remains as polarizing as it was in 2020. It's a game about the consequences of revenge, and it doesn't give you a "hero" moment. It wants you to feel bad. It wants you to question why you're killing these people who have names and families. The remaster doesn't change the narrative beats—Joel's fate is still the same, the ending is still bittersweet—but the fidelity makes the facial expressions even more devastating. You can see the regret in a character's eyes in a way that just wasn't possible on last-gen hardware.
Guitar Free Play and Niche Additions
For the musicians out there, the Guitar Free Play mode has been expanded. You can now play as Gustavo Santaolalla himself (the composer of the game's haunting score). There are new instruments like the banjo and various pedals to change the sound.
Is it a reason to buy the game? No. Is it a cool thing to mess around with for an hour? Definitely.
They also added new skins for Ellie and Abby. Some are cool, like the "Savage Starlight" outfits, while others are just simple shirts. Again, it's a "nice to have" feature rather than a "must have."
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Practical Steps for New and Returning Players
If you’re deciding whether to jump back in, here’s how to handle it:
For Returning Players:
Check your library first. If you own the digital PS4 version, you just pay the $10 in the PlayStation Store. If you have the disc, you have to put the disc in every time you want to play the digital Remastered version. Don't buy the full $50 version by mistake. Start with No Return on "Moderate" difficulty to get a feel for the new characters before trying "Grounded" runs.
For First-Time Players:
Go into the settings immediately and look at the accessibility options. Naughty Dog is the industry leader here. You can turn on high-contrast modes, adjust motion sickness settings, or even have the game read text aloud. Don't feel like you have to play on "Hard" to get the experience; the story is the star here.
Technical Optimization:
If your TV supports it, turn on VRR in the PS5 system settings. In the game menu, choose "Fidelity" but keep the framerate "Unlocked." This gives you the best of both worlds: 4K visuals with a framerate that sits comfortably above 30fps without the screen tearing you'd see on an older display.
The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered isn't a reinvention of the wheel. It's a polish on a very bleak, very sharp wheel. Whether you're here for the technical showcase or the brutal combat of No Return, it stands as the definitive way to experience one of gaming's most divisive and technically impressive journeys.
The game is finished. The story is told. Now it's just a matter of how much detail you want to see in the aftermath.