Naughty Dog announced that The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered is coming to PlayStation 5 on January 19th next year. The remastered version of the blockbuster sequel brings upgraded graphics and a bunch of technological improvements with it. The remastered edition is also said to bring new modes to the game.
The name for the new mode was revealed in the announcement blog post as No Return, and it was said to be a roguelike survival mode. Nothing else was revealed about those new modes coming to the game, but now, thanks to a former Naughty Dog employee, the gaming community can get a glimpse of what to expect from the upcoming remastered edition’s brand-new mode.
Roguelike Survival Mode in The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, Speculated to Have 12 Levels
Naughty Dog described the roguelike survival mode, No Return, as a fresh experience in combat that’s designed to “let players prove their mettle in randomized encounters.” It will not be a multiplayer mode, as some of the gamers expected. Naughty Dog did try to bring a multiplayer mode spinoff title based on the Factions mode from The Last of Us, which didn’t materialize.
As for the survival mode in the remastered version of the sequel, some more details have been discovered.
Originally discovered by a content creator who’s known by his social accounts named Joanastic, who posted a screengrab on X, a former Naughty Dog employee’s updated LinkedIn profile has revealed quite a lot about the No Return survival mode.
The former Naughty Dog employee, named Colin Freeman, briefly listed out his accomplishments while working for the team developing the No Return survival mode. Freeman listed that he had created, implemented, and tested AI dialog regions in-engine across 12 No Return roguelike level layouts in the remastered game. This was a huge reveal in itself about the potential number of levels that players will get in the survival mode.
On a Reddit discussion about the same, fans have been working on guessing the levels as well, with one fan hoping for a Hillcrest level and another Redditor listing out the arcade, subway, downtown, and the flooded building as other possible levels.
Continuing about the 12 different levels, Freeman also mentioned testing and modifying extraneous audio regions and adjusting PAT tags on surfaces and objects in all the levels. Finally, Freeman mentioned having adjusted lighting levels to fit visual filter aesthetics. The remastered version promises to be a graphical upgrade to give gamers native 4K output in Fidelity Mode and an upscaled 4K output in Performance Mode.
More Remastered Edition Details Shared by Naughty Dog
The survival mode in the remastered version is what gamers are mostly looking forward to. The official page on the PlayStation website added more details, including the names of the other playable characters in the survival mode.
Apart from the main characters, the names listed included Tommy, Dina, Lev, Jesse, and Mel, and it was stated that there might still be other playable characters as well. The characters will be unlocked as players progress through the game. Every survival mode run is also said to culminate in “tense boss battles,” as players will also be able to compete against others via a global leaderboard as part of a Daily Run.
As for the other new additions coming to the remastered version, there will be a new Guitar Free Play mode with new instruments, including a new speed-run mode where players can post their best times. There’s also a WLF Edition that will come with a steelbook case containing the full game and all the additional digital content for PlayStation 5.
Along with that, players will get 47 Society of Champions trading cards, which include 8 limited-edition holographic cards, and finally a set of four enamel pins and a Washington Liberation Front patch.
PlayStation gamers who already own the original The Last of Us Part 2 will have the option to upgrade to the remastered edition for just $10. The upgrade will include all the new features for PlayStation 5, the new modes, and the new unlockable outfits. Some gamers feel the $10 upgrade should have been free, while most others feel the survival mode should make it worth the upgrade. There will be more official details revealed closer to the launch date next year.
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