The Last of Us: Part I feels like how you remember Naughty Dog’s critically acclaimed survival horror from 2013. In many ways, this PS5 re-release blurs the line between remake and remaster, overhauling the original in nearly every area and never messing with what was good about it. This means that not all improvements will be immediately apparent to the casual observer, but compared side by side to the PS3 edition and its PS4 remaster, this is arguably the best of the modern classic. version.
According to the California studio, the 15-hour campaign and its heartwarming Left Behind expansion have been rebuilt from the ground up, but it’s important to contextualize what this means. The level design is the same, except for some minor changes. Some interiors have been redesigned, collections have been rearranged, and more logic has been added to the world building, but by and large, this is an indistinguishable adventure – down to the placement of enemies and the number of their ranks. to.
However, this does not mean that Naughty Dog is lying. The gameplay is much better than the original release, as many of his motion matching techniques introduced in The Last of Us 2 are integrated here. The main character, Joel, transitions seamlessly between animations instead of stopping and starting like in the original, which means he has more freedom overall. Throwing bottles, sprinting for melee attacks, and popping shots looks perfect. .
Despite this, combat does not reach the same heights as its successor. Rather than redesign the Gauntlet, the developers decided to keep combat encounters the same. This means that the dodge and prone mechanics that made skirmishes so pulsating in the sequel are missing. The Last of Us 2 remains the pinnacle of third-person shooters as far as we are concerned.
These same constraints apply to level design, and ten years later it feels limiting.The game certainly has its free moments, but the sequel is a much bigger undertaking overall, allowing you to explore off-the-beaten-path paths.The Last of Us: Part I’s narrowed scope It feels dated by comparison, with piles of rubble and conveniently placed fences inexplicably locking you in a set path. No The way games are designed today.
But artificial intelligence is at least much smarter. You’ll no longer run into immersion-breaking scenarios like Ellie running right in the enemy’s line of sight. many bright overall. Aggressors will work together to communicate, summon your position, and attempt to find flank positions – even if the difficulty is low. There is also something that catches your eye.
The same goes for the unusual art direction overhaul. Thanks to Naughty Dog, the game is less harsh than its muddy and spooky predecessor, and some locations like the Houses of Parliament are positively unrecognizable. The sheer amount of detail invested in every frame is astounding, comfortably putting the remake into one of the best-looking PS5 titles ever. You have a clear idea of how your assets are structured, which means the environment itself has its own story.
A special mention should also be made to the sound, which leverages the PS5’s nifty Tempest chip to create the best 3D audio ever. While Sony’s First His Party releases tend to have tremendous mixing overall, The Last of Us 2 was a watershed moment in sound design for the platform holder, and this remake matches. High-quality cans allow you to pinpoint an enemy’s location purely from footsteps. I also really found that I didn’t have to resort to the title’s Detective Vision-style listen mode as much as I did in previous versions.
Not to mention the dramatically reworked animation. Cutscenes now run in real-time on his PS5 and are not pre-rendered like the original. This means the transition between gameplay and cinematics isn’t too abrupt, and more importantly, the character models are consistent throughout. Many of the most important scenes, like the heartbreaking prologue, have an intensity that wasn’t present in the original.
Don’t miss Naughty Dog’s commitment to DualSense. The developers have created unique textures for almost every scenario in the game. So Nail he can feel the rattling of debris as he creates a bomb, or the patter of rain as he makes his way through a drizzly Boston suburb. It’s the best use of the pad’s innovative features since Astro’s Playroom, enhancing the overall immersion of both sedatives. When moments of high intensity.
In fact, developers have also found ways to use Pad’s unique features to innovate on award-winning accessibility. Certain additional features allow you to ‘feel’ your speech through haptic feedback. This, combined with subtitles, allows visually impaired players to physically understand how dialogue is delivered. All in-game cinematics also have full audio commentary, bringing the costumes’ commitment to accessibility to an unprecedented level.
And for returning players, there’s plenty of bonus content to unlock and explore. There’s an artwork gallery for both the original release and its remake, plus a wealth of new skins for Joel and Ellie. Many of them are inspired by popular PlayStation properties. For those looking for replay value, there’s a new speedrun mode integrated into the PS5’s activity card, which also lets you sort your records and best times by chapter.
That said, the original’s unexpectedly popular multiplayer mode has been removed, and this isn’t a cheap proposition overall. Even with all the improvements above, £69.99/$69.99 was a tough one to swallow at launch, and while it’s clear that a lot of work went into this remake, it justifies the eye I’m still not convinced it does. – Price point for watering release date. Undoubtedly, however, the campaign stands up to modern scrutiny.
Conclusion
It’s not always easy to appreciate The Last of Us: Part I’s impressive improvements without a reference to the original.this is many However, it’s a better game than the original with stronger art direction, smoother gameplay, and more emotional cinematics. Naughty Dog did it justice by improving on it in almost every way, but it remains the game we remember from 2013. At a more competitive price point, it’s essential. A true classic.