Sony and Naughty Dog have shared a new trailer for The Last of Us Remake ahead of the game’s PS5 launch on September 2, 2022. If, by some miracle, you’ve yet to play through the original, you may want to avoid the following video if you’re keen to dodge spoilers.
Officially titled “The Last of Us: Part I” this new release sees the talented team at Naughty Dog rebuild their harrowing post-apocalyptic survival action game nearly a decade after its debut. Leveraging the power of Sony’s PS5 – and the studio’s ever-growing technical prowess – has allowed them to better realise their original vision for The Last of Us.
Side by side with footage of the original PS3 game – and even the remastered version on PS4 Pro – the differences are clear to see. Every inch of this PlayStation classic has been enhanced for a new generation, from lighting and effects to hyper-detailed environments and facial animations. This latter improvement is particularly impressive, Naughty Dog having gone back to its original performance capture archive, using modern tech to add a lifelike touch to characters, especially during cutscenes.
When The Last of Us Remake was announced, there was some confusion as to how gameplay would change compared to previous iterations. It’s since been confirmed that this aspect of the game hasn’t been overhauled in the way some fans had expected, with no jumping or going prone.
The real gameplay improvements are much more subtle, namely the evolved enemy and companion AI. NPCs are smarter with hunters actively attempting to flush out Joel and Ellie, or perform flanking manoeuvres. To counter this, your AI-controlled buddies will work even harder to avoid detection while still holding their own in a fight. Naughty Dog has continued to lean into its suite of accessibility features too, this being the first PlayStation games with audio description.
So why go back and mess with such an all-time great? Being such a commercial and critical success, this series has become a flagship for the PlayStation brand. Not only is there an incredible-looking HBO television series in the works, Sony and Naughty Dog are building their biggest multiplayer game to date, expanding the TLOU universe even further. With The Last of Us Part I, they’re providing an ideal entry point to the series for those who’ve yet to experience this prestige, post-apocalyptic adventure.