Is The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered Worth Playing?

The remastered edition of the original The Last of Us game was a bit of a head-scratcher in itself given that the game was not even that old, but it was a few generations back so made sense in the greater scheme of things. The sequel, however, only came out a few four years back, so a remaster is an interesting decision, to say the least.

The reason is that the game itself, despite originally being a Playstation 4 title, is an incredibly good-looking and mechanically sound experience. So much so that it still outperforms many titles on the market today. There’s no doubt that The Last of Us: Part II is an absolutely incredible game, so debating its quality is pointless at this stage, but the question remains whether it’s worthy of a remaster.

Either way, there is one. Naughty Dog’s intent must surely be to attract those fringe gamers who (somehow) missed the initial release, giving them a spiffier, shinier carrot at the end of the stick to finally make the purchase and dive into their harrowing third-person action-horror game; and admittedly, the touch-ups are appreciatiated.

The remastered edition runs in 4K in Fidelity Mode, and 140p upscaled to 4K in Performance Mode, so you get some pretty slick visuals and an interrupted framerate in both modes. It really is impressive to see an already-stellar-looking game running at such high-framerates, and the addition of a few smaller graphical enhancements (albeit minor) to make the game pop on modern TVs.

Now bring on the PS5, the game also adds a few implementations of the DualSense controller’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers to allow every weapon to feel a little different with varying resistance on the trigger when a shot is fired. Some environmental elements, like snow effects, have also been incorporated into the vibrations, which is a nice touch.

Aside from the visual and feedback bells and whistles, the biggest addition that may entice returning fans is the inclusion of the ‘No Return’ mode. This is essentially a rogue-like horde mode which generates different scenarios in some of the game’s most iconic locations, often including a boss battle to finish the segment. It’s a great way to test your skills and tinker with the clever AI of the game, and there are some gameplay modifiers which you can play around with.

It’s a hard one to recommend outright because there isn’t that much differentiating the remaster addition from the original (there are also so many games out there). Is it a better experience in total? Yes, but it’s not an integral must-play if you’ve played the original. If you’re a die-hard fan or haven’t played The Last of Us: Part II yet, though, you’ve now got the ultimate avenue to do so.

The Last of Us: Part II Remastered is available on PS5.