(3.5 stars)Character arcs and interpersonal conflict define “The Last of Us” as a narrative experience, in award-winning games and now as an Emmy-winning HBO prestige TV show. So what happens when you strip all that away?
“The Last of Us Part II Remastered” presents the PlayStation 4’s dark 2020 swan song with a shiny PlayStation 5 coat of paint. But the headlining feature of this rerelease is a new feature called “No Return,” which strips all the story and emotion of the series. Instead, these interesting, complicated characters are chiseled down to become post-apocalyptic action figures of sad dads and angry lesbians, all to be bashed against action figures of monsters and transphobic cultists. And yes, it’s as fun as it sounds.
In “No Return,” players can pick a host of familiar and never-before-playable characters, like series star Ellie and her girlfriend Dina respectively. Each character presents a different “class” and will take on a variety of combat scenarios throughout various locations of the series, all while receiving randomly generated powerups. Player incentives include the ability to unlock more characters. One of the ultimate rewards is to play as Joel Miller, the protagonist of the first game. It’s enticing, particularly since the second game introduced movement abilities Joel never had.
“The Last of Us Part II” remains a controversial, divisive game due to its narrative structure and plot beats. A hacker leaked details of the plot that angered many fans, sinking discourse over the game into bitter arguments, misinformation and passionate, sometimes hateful diatribes. It’s also a story beloved by many others, including myself. But “No Return” is clarifying: Remove all the story and controversy, and what’s left of “The Last of Us Part II” is an incredible, well-designed stealth action title with crispy, responsive controls that allow for beautiful and bloody gameplay.
In recent months, series developer Naughty Dog announced that it canceled plans for a highly anticipated multiplayer project for the series. The studio said focusing on such a game would’ve maimed its ability to focus on single-player narratives. You can feel the bones of that project in “No Return,” with supply boxes scattered all over locations redesigned for multiplayer, free-flowing combat. It will make you wonder what could’ve been.
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Still, “Part II Remastered” is worth a $10 upgrade for owners of the PlayStation 4 title. The visual updates in the main narrative (which is still worth the full price of admission) are small but add up over time. This month, HBO rolled out casting announcements for the TV show, so the discourse over this game’s story isn’t going to end anytime soon. At least now we can free ourselves of any prestige pretense with “No Return,” a digital action figure playset where we can act out our own revenge fantasies.
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