The 10 BIGGEST Changes in The Last of Us On PS5
Graphical Upgrade
Alright, let’s get the most obvious one out of the way first; the original release of The Last of Us and its subsequent remaster still hold up today, but you can’t deny how much the remake vastly improves on the original. From substantially improved lighting and water effects to the way the world now feels like mother nature reclaiming the Earth, everything just FEELS more lived in, more alive, and more deadly. Fires and explosions in particular benefit from these improvements as well as characters’ clothes now interacting with the terrain, and the detail in the weapons and collectibles is night and day compared to the game’s original release back in 2013. The game might not even be a decade old but the advancements of Naughty Dog’s engine and the substantial power of the PS5 make this the definitive way to play one of the greatest games of all time.
Photo Mode
Photo modes have become a standard feature in modern video games but it was only available in the remastered release of The Last of Us and considering the feature was still in its relative infancy, the options were limited at best. As Photo Mode has gained popularity, publishers are putting a lot more effort into giving would-be shutterbugs all the options of real photo editing software in their favorite games. With numerous color shading tools, stickers and even a postcard layout option available, the post-post apocalypse can truly be a thing of beauty for those dedicated enough.
Character Models
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Even though The Last of Us and its sequel were only a console generation apart, the graphical leap between the two titles was noticeable. With the Remake, Naughty Dog manages to improve their own tech once again and taps into all the subtleties and nuances of the actors’ original performances to help bring these beloved characters to life. With reworked facial models and even improvements to the characters’ movements, everything has been reworked and improved upon. From small facial twitches to Joel even spitting when he’s upset, the emotions this cast brought to their performances are that much more impactful. Beyond the main cast, the infected have received upgrades as well, making the various stages of infection all the more horrific as they hunt you down.
Environmental Immersion
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Along with the obvious graphical improvements to the characters, all of the game’s environments have received massive upgrades as well. Vegetation and fauna have reclaimed the world and, in some cases, have become completely overgrown, taking possession of many of the buildings and roads that litter the empty landscapes. Many indoor environments have been completely overhauled, making them appear much more lived in like their real-world counterparts. With increased detail comes increased interactivity. Once static backdrops can now be fully interacted with, and some environments can be completely torn to shreds by gunfire or explosions such as the burning farmhouse at the start of the game or much of the Pittsburg level when the pair are being pursued by the armored Humvee.
It’s The Little Things
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Sometimes the smallest changes can be the most meaningful. While many were hoping for Part II’s combat and dodge mechanics to be implemented in Part 1, sadly that’s not the case, but that doesn’t mean that some of the sequel’s improvements haven’t made the jump to the remake. The Last of Us Part II allowed players to see the improvements they were making to their weapons as it was happening instead of the game simply telling us they were there, and Part 1 now uses the same system adding an additional layer to the game’s immersion. Another small but meaningful change comes in the many documents Joel acquires during their journey. Now instead of players having to go into Joel’s backpack to read the slip of paper they just picked up, the note is immediately in front of the player for them to read or put away.
Trophies
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It’s no secret that the trophies for the original Last of Us made unlocking those precious little pings more difficult that most other titles on the market at the time, and that’s not even mentioning the near herculean task of unlocking the game’s coveted Platinum trophy. With a surprising amount of trophies tied to not only difficulty but also The Last of Us’ multiplayer mode, Factions, many trophies were never an option for many players despite how engaging the multiplayer offering was. With no multiplayer available in the re-release, and no trophies tied to the game’s difficulty, more people than ever before will be closer than they’ve ever been to achieving that 100% completion and finally unlocking that sweet, sweet Platinum.
Accessibility Options
Naughty Dog has been the industry leader when it comes to accessibility in their games. While many features are becoming standards amongst not only Sony’s first party developers but third party as well, Naughty Dog set the bar with The Last of Us Part II and brought everything they implemented with that title and took things a step further with Part I. Players can customize nearly every aspect of their playthrough from controller reconfiguration to various visual filters that allow everyone from color blind players to those legally blind to be able to complete one of gaming’s most beloved stories with no hindrances preventing them from doing so.
Enemy AI
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One of the main talking points leading up to release was the improved enemy AI. Naughty Dog had reworked the enemies as well as the friendlies to react more realistically and call out their searches more often while logically scanning the environment for would-be hiding places as well as companion AI being much more aware of the oncoming threat and staying out of sight. Most of the time anyways. While Naughty Dog stopped short of enemies calling out fallen comrades' names to force you to carry the weight of your actions, the new AI system is far more defensive than they were in the title’s original release. Even the infected feel more aggressive and threatening as they actively seek out your position. The game’s new “Permadeath” option also adds additional weight and consideration to every encounter.
Dualsense Features
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The PS5’s Dualsense controller has been a game changer, literally, and playing The Last of Us Part 1 with the controller’s haptic feedback puts you in control of every combat encounter more than ever. Feeling the tension as you pull back on the bow or the kickback of your shotgun never gets old and the sensation of feeling Joel’s heavy footsteps or the light rain bouncing all over the controller makes the experience feel new despite our already numerous playthroughs. Naughty Dog utilizes the controller's haptics to indicate incoming attacks during combat and a new feature called “Speech to Vibrations” that uses the controller’s vibration to “feel” the characters emotions so you can literally hold the many conversations between the characters in the palm of your hands. Now we just need an update for The Last of Us Part II to give us the ultimate experience across both chapters.
Cheats!
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Whatever happened to cheats in video games? A reward for all of your hard work completing a game or a way to essentially break the game and just cause absolute chaos? Those days might be mostly behind us but with The Last of Us Part 1, Naughty Dog is at least doing their part to let us be naughty in games once again. After completing an initial playthrough, players can unlock specific rewards such as concept art or in-game models and various outfit options for Joel and Ellie. However there are also numerous unlocks that are just for fun. Besides the numerous filters you can apply during your replay, you can also unlock infinite crafting and ammo, mirror mode, speedrunner challenge, one shot kills, and even bullet time which slows down your attacks to really appreciate the new gore tech Naughty Dog developed that makes the infected splatter so satisfyingly.
