After rumors hinting at its existence bounced around, it’s starting to look more like we’re getting The Last of Us Part II Remastered.
[UPDATE: Since publishing this story, Naughty Dog announced on social media that a The Last of Us Part II remaster will launch on PlayStation 5. Players who own the game on PS4 can upgrade to this new version for $10.
[Our original story follows]
Reports of a native PS5 version of The Last of Us Part II were going around, and now, PS Deals has caught a listing for The Last of Us Part II Remastered. These details were soon followed by Insider Gaming, which posted a report saying the PS5 remaster would arrive on January 19, 2024. A trailer was also included, which also showed that date.
As of this writing, The Last of Us Part II Remastered hasn’t been officially confirmed by Naughty Dog or Sony.
The cycle repeats
According to the listing from PS Deals, this PS5 version of the The Last of Us Part II will get graphical improvements, including 4K at Fidelity Mode. Improved loading times and full DualSense controller integration is also in the cards.
What’s really interesting in this leak is “No Return,” a roguelike survival mode where the player will reportedly be able to pick from several characters within the TLOU universe to play as. They’ll attempt to survive through different environments, eventually culminating in boss battles. And apparently, we’ll see never-before-playable The Last of Us characters here too. Sounds like a Naughty Dog take on Resident Evil‘s Mercenaries, to me.
The Deals listing also reports a Lost Levels feature, showing three early-development versions of levels not seen in the original game, a free-play mode for the guitar with additional unlockable instruments, and a Speedrun mode. Of course, more unlockable cosmetics will be featured as well.
Again, no official word’s out yet, but it looks pretty certain we’re getting one of these. I’m pretty ambivalent to the prospect of playing (and paying for) The Last of Us Part II again, as a 2024 remaster for a 2020 game feels steeper than the last time. A roguelike mode has me intrigued, but we’ll see if that’s enough to sway interest.