The Last of Us Part II Remastered review: Bleak return to the end of the world

Moreover, it spawned the critically acclaimed HBO series, which followed almost beat for beat the plot and characterisation of its PlayStation muse – surely a testament to the authenticity of Joel and Ellie’s story in the first game. Given the attention around this hot property ahead of a second season slated for transmission next year, no one should be surprised that Sony has chosen for financial reasons to remaster The Last of Us Part II for PS5.

But as with the two rebuilds of The Last of Us, first on PS4 and then on PS5, a nagging voice wonders whether this redux was really necessary either.

The Last of Us Part II (TLOU2) in its PS4 incarnation was pretty damn perfect to start with – at least in the sense that it was an astounding feat of artistry, acting and storytelling. Sony and Naughty Dog spent more than $200m to craft a fantastic simulacrum of a ruined society leading a hard-scrabble existence in the wake of a pandemic that turned millions into demented “infected”. This meticulously rendered world was mere set-dressing for a gut-wrenching human drama that pits Ellie against new antagonist Abby. It unflinchingly asked what depravities we’re capable of in the name of revenge.

So does it really need a few more pixels, polygons or frames-per-second now that the PS5 can represent Ellie’s savage crusade in finer detail? Indeed, what of our complicity as the player in all this murder and blood lust, given that it’s now even more luridly explicit?

No one bats an eyelid at the graphic, even gratuitous violence of TV series such as The Walking Dead, which like The Last of Us examines humanity amid a zombie outbreak. But for me there’s something more deliberately provocative about this pitiless odyssey – the trail of dead encompassing animals, a pregnant woman and a stream of hapless rabble soldiers. Ellie and Abby can bypass confrontation with some effort but they (and you) are never allowed the agency to choose a non-lethal attack. They don’t need to kill all their enemies – some of whom are effectively blameless – but they do anyway.

That moralising aside, the remaster adds subtle polish to what was already a tour de force – from the facial performances to the voice acting to the gobsmacking vistas. Maybe my memory deceives me but the cut-scenes seem amended to clarify the underlying motives of the characters, while a few visual effects enhance the game’s sheen. Oddly, for all its technical prowess, Naughty Dog still has not conquered the problem of AI allies running around in full view of enemies without triggering their attention.

Unlike 2022’s Last of Us remaster, this edition brings some meaningfully new extras to the original TLOU2. The principal addition is a survival mode called No Return in which you run the gauntlet of several remixed maps on the way to a boss fight. You start with a basic pistol and earn currency throughout for new upgrades, weapons and abilities.

Each brief encounter typically lasts about five minutes with a series of enemy waves but incorporates a rotating goal such as defend, assault or survive. It’s exhilarating and challenging – particularly because death ends a run, stripping you of all gains. Completing maps unlocks other characters and abilities while later runs introduce radical mods such as invisible enemies and melee attacks causing burns.

Meanwhile, a few playable deleted segments from the game storyline provide merely curiosity value. Of more potential interest is the upcoming making-of documentary, which has yet to be released and was never originally finished due to the intervention of the pandemic. It could be fascinating or indeed could be a throwaway diversion. My bet’s on the former.

The Last of Us Part II is a landmark videogame despite its troubling attitude to violence. It constructs a nihilist vision that weaves a compelling story while offering little redemptive hope for the human race. It gets under your skin, not always in a good way, and cannot be forgotten.

The remaster changes none of that and therefore, in its own way, is inessential.