The Last of Us Part II getting remastered with new roguelike mode

Naughty Dog announced today that The Last of Us Part II Remastered is coming to PlayStation 5. The updated game will bring with it some new features, including a new roguelike mode when it arrives early next year.

That The Last of Us Part II  is getting a remaster on PlayStation 5 should come as no surprise. Not only was it one of Sony’s last big titles to not get the cross-generational treatment, the franchise as a whole has returned to the cultural spotlight thanks to the excellent live-action adaptation on HBO.

What’s interesting are the new features and modes that Sony and Naughty Dog are adding to the game.

Previous remasters from Naughty Dog focused mostly on updating the graphics of the old game for more powerful systems. Any additional content was mostly focused on providing more context, either through developer commentary or side stories.

With The Last of Us Part II Remastered, however, the team are adding a totally brand new roguelike mode called “No Return.” This new mode challenges players to pick a character with whom they’ll then try to survive in “randomized encounters.” Details of what exactly Naughty Dog means by the latter have yet to be revealed.

Should the player survive, they’ll then get to level up and enhance their character’s abilities and unlock cosmetics. In addition, players will also be competing on a global daily challenge leaderboard.

Of course, The Last of Us Part II Remastered isn’t ignoring the usual remaster trappings. The updated game will give players the choice of a 4K “Fidelity” mode or a 1440p-upscaled-to-4K “Performance” mode that runs at 60fps. In addition, the game will also feature support for variable refresh rates, improved LoD settings, sharper textures, smoother animation rates, as well as DualSense adaptive trigger support. (Read: PlayStation 5 gets VRR support)

All this is on top of the usual behind-the-scenes features, which provide commentary from various people who worked on the game, including developers and voice actors.

Finally, The Last of Us Part II Remastered will also come with several new “lost levels” that will allow players to play through areas that were cut from the original PlayStation 4 release of the game.

The Last of Us II Part Remastered is set to launch on PlayStation 5 on January 19, 2024. For those interested, pre-orders for the game open on December 5, 2023. For those who already own the original on PS4, Sony is offering upgrades to the digital version of the remaster for $10 (around Php 500).

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