In 2013, Naughty Dog debuted a compelling showcase of character research and tense survival thrills set in a near-future America that was torn apart by a nationwide incident years ago. We were introduced to Joel and Ellie. The pair were brought together by an event bigger than both of them. Their bond grew on risky cross-country treks that avoided flashy setpieces for tense action, making it easy to be emotionally invested.
It was also a technical marvel. The studio continues to push model animation, art direction, and cinematic storytelling to new heights and refine the craft that vividly shaped the adventures of Nathan Drake. A worthy work of multiple teams to pull us into this world, this story.
Now, Naughty Dog brings nearly a decade more of technical achievements and knowledge, pouring them into PlayStation 5 technology to rebuild the modern classic from the ground up. This new remake aims to recreate The Last of Us in a way that resembles and honors memories of the PlayStation 3 original.
So what’s the difference between The Last of Us Part I and the PlayStation 4 remasters that came before it, and what’s the definitive way to experience the first entry in the series? Answers to these questions comes from the many pieces of a complex puzzle assembled to reconstruct the title.
The creators behind The Last Of Us Part I share some insight into the technical accomplishments behind the remake and what players can expect on September 2nd.
“For me, it’s the sum of the improvements that makes this a remake and not a remaster,” explains Sean Escaig, original lead cinematic animator and Creative Director of Part I, Naughty Dog. , environments, art direction and more on better hardware. From art direction to lighting, [lighting] Technology to the character design itself. We’ve applied everything we’ve learned from the original over a decade ago and made use of that new technology to create something that stays true to the original but is reimagined in an updated way. ”
Players will experience the sum of creativity, skill, and technical achievement from all departments at every stage of their journey.
“We made the world more grounded. Every environment and space comes to life,” Escayg explains. “Light streaming through the trees, moss swirling as you walk down a flooded street, bugs stirring in the bushes, cars wobbling under their weight when they hit the ground. They lock you into this immersion, and they also make combat feel more visceral: if you hide behind an abandoned vehicle, that car will turn, moan, and the glass will crack when you’re under fire. Seeing it shatter and shake the chassis adds to the experience.”
Combat and audio enhancements
Speaking of combat, combat in the original game always emphasized that no two playthroughs should be the same. The Last of Us Part I takes that principle even further thanks to the PS5’s hardware.
“A lot of the changes in the combat system can be broadly described as adopting what we had to hack together. [in the original]said lead programmer John Bellomy. “The original game had pre-scripted sequences that played out in a very specific way.” Bellomy gives examples of enemy hunting and flanking behavior.
“We are entering The Last of Us Part I,” continues Bellomy. Thanks to pair search and new survey behaviors, terrain analysis with pathfinding, and visibility surveys, you get more dynamic encounters, so things like hiding and ambush work in more situations. These ultimately make the game more interesting for players. It doesn’t play at the same time every time. It puts you in new and exciting situations that even we at Naughty Dog may not be able to explain. ”
Another limit that has been exceeded using the new hardware is the number of active enemy AIs present in a given situation. Lead designer Christian Wohlwend explains that one of his most significant limitations on the original PS3 was his NPC limit of eight. At the time, to avoid this, Naughty Dog had to toggle the attention of these NPCs on and off. However, PS5 allows up to 128 active NPCs, so this limitation is no longer an issue.
The Last of Us Part I not only employs more advanced technology under the hood, but also advances combat in other meaningful ways. “The evolution of our proximity system is tremendous,” he says Wohlwend. “That’s why we were able to use all of the new development tools from Last of Us Part II in this remake. It’s a lot more flexible, easier to improve and prevent bugs, better everything there.” To do.”
The Last of Us Part I aims to make players more immersed in combat than ever before by utilizing the DualSense controller’s haptic feedback to emulate sensations (such as the feel of rain) and implementing 3D audio. increase.
“3D audio started in a limited way on PS4,” explains audio director Neil Uchitel. “With PS5, Sony created the Tempest engine, which takes whatever audio you get from the game and uses some very complex tricks to render it in a way that gives the world more spatialization. So it definitely feels like you’re moving through the world more and has more accurate height information added.If something is coming above you, it’s above you. feels like it’s coming from
This innovation is noticeable early on in the game’s opening sequence. As you try to escape the place Joel once called home, you hear the raging magnitude of the fire, the precise screams of panic in the streets, and the infected scratching and scratching all around you. But in Naughty Dog he also uses 3D audio for slow, less intense moments. Dialogue as you explore the depths of the world, Ellie’s voice coming from a specific direction, the quiet rustle of the ubiquitous leaves.
More realistic and faithful animation
The Last of Us Part I’s redone animation is the final piece to complete the puzzle, adding a subtle but beneficial element to enhance the storytelling.
Escayg cites examples of Ellie and Joel leaving her at Tommy’s and having tear ducts welling up when they argued about skin flushing during an emotional scene.
Art Director Erick Pangilinan said: “Because you’re increasing the fidelity of your expression. You’re doing more subtle gestures that feel more natural.”
Also, animation improvements are not limited to characters. The world has improved visual fidelity and detail with new lighting and animation techniques.
Art Director Sebastian Gromann said: “Foliage was very limited on the PS3, but with the power of the PS5, we were able to use much more complex shaders, more complex models, and the fidelity and volume of the foliage to bring back the natural feel of the city. I can do it.”
“We have made significant improvements so that we can place more polygons in our characters and environments,” adds Pangilinan. “Besides what’s in front of us, we were able to put more detail in the more distant environments like mountains and buildings, so we were able to create more depth, which wasn’t possible with his GPU on the PS3. .”
He says the advantage of hindsight and better technology has led to a breathtaking amount of additional detail, from visible to tactile. A more emotional story and a more immersive gameplay experience. Naughty Dog is dedicated to a body of work that the team is proud of what they’ve accomplished, and the game will experience the first part of Joel and Ellie’s story, as his director Matthew Gallant concludes. is the definitive way to PS5, those introduced in the upcoming TV series, and anyone else.
The Last of Us Part I launches on PS5 on September 2nd.
