- Hashem Habibian
- 2023-03-28
- 6:47 pm
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Naughty Dog
Release: Sep 02, 2022
Reviewed on: PS5
After bringing God of War and Uncharted Collection to PC, it was time for the PC players to be able to play The Last of Us for the first time. That said, The Last of Us Part II storyline is so tied to the first game that the journey couldn’t begin there and a remake was needed. Sony and Playstation made a smart move to remake Part 1 as we were getting close to the The Last of Us series on HBO. The Last of Us Part 1 is now out on PS5 and soon will be available for PC, but does it live to the expectations?
There are few people who have not experienced The Last of Us after 10 years, so talking about the magnificent story of the game would be a repetition. The story of the The Last of Us: Part 1 has a lot to say. Remaking the visuals of the game leads to better storytelling than the previous versions. Emotions like anger, happiness, sadness and surprise penetrated the characters faces which is not comparable to the previous versions. This visual progression does not stop there. While wandering in the game environment, the details of the clickers, subsidiary characters and the ambience of the game have increased which allows you to feel the apocalyptic world deeply. We also can see the visual improvements in Part II but we cannot deny that compared to the PS3 version or the PS4 Remastered, this is a huge leap for the remake version. Overall, Part 1 has been able to present a complete and flawless story by maintaining the integrity of the masterpiece story of the original version and adding visual appeal.
The Last of Us Part 1 has also been rebuilt gameplay wise. The user interface of the remake is also the same as the Part II which is absolutely flawless. The details of the upgrading table have been added to the remake version and it is the same as the second game. The NPCs AI have conspicuous improvements too. Ellie acts smarter during the combat and makes her presence more helpful. Enemies are also the subject of this AI improvement and act more intelligent than previous versions. Regarding the design of the missions, not only did the remake not happen but also, the flaws of some missions, especially the puzzles, remain. For example, if you want to help Ellie to cross a path full of water by bringing a wooden board, you have to put it in a specific place which allows Ellie to cross.
In another example, due to Joel’s power, some platforms can be easily crossed without any additional help or tools, but you are only able to cross these obstacles in a certain way which is not logical. One point which is commendable in the gameplay and should be applauded for Naughty Dog is that they paid heed to the The Last of Us Part 1 for those who have vision or hearing problems. Naughty Dog has made a great effort to use all its possibilities in terms of user interface, sound design, and visuals to create a world that can be touched by everyone, even these people. The combat design of the game is completely adjustable from the point of view of sound design and visuals, making the game simple and enjoyable for those who suffer from vision or hearing problems.
Graphics wise, The Last of Us Part 1 helps storytelling and also plays a significant role in improving the gameplay. The transitions from cutscene to gameplay are so well made that sometimes you don’t notice them. In close combat, the animation of hand shots doubles the violence and fear of the game. If you shoot the enemies of the game from a close distance (especially with a shotgun), their bodies disintegrate in such detail that it is as if the moment of violence is combined with anxiety and fear and you can feel it very well, just like what we saw in the second part of the game.
It should be noted that the lighting in the game is another thing that has been improved in the remake, which has made the details of objects be better displayed, both in the dark and the bright environments. All these things and the visual reconstruction make your interaction with the game environment surprisingly more realistic than before. Although I didn’t see any frame drops in the game, I rarely encountered any bugs; they also didn’t affect my gaming experience at all. For example, during a fight scene with a sniper, a bullet hit the wall in front of me, causing a piece of brick to disintegrate and remain in the air.
The remake can be played in both Performance and Graphics mode: 1440p/60fps or 4K/30fps depending on how you like. Finally, the improved graphic and sound design of the game is one of the most important achievements of Part 1, which not only contributes to the storytelling but also to the gameplay.
The core of the game should remain intact, so the Part 1 title music is provided to you without any deficiency compared to the original version of the game. However, in the sound design section,we see a lot of alterations in this part of the game, from the breaking of objects to the disintegration of corpses, the sound of gunshots and explosions, and everything that has an impact on your gameplay experience has been recreated. and thanks to the 3D sound design of the game, like the, we see more dynamic battles like we did in Part II.
The biggest issue which cannot be neglected is the pricing. For a game which every step has been repeated and already has a remastered version, 70$is not a fair price tag for the owners of its previous versions and Sony could have given a certain discount to the owners of the original or remastered version of the game.
Finally, The Last of Us Part 1 is a great remake for PC for those who have not experienced this masterpiece yet. Newcomers can play Part 1 as a great start with their new gen PS5 console and experience the brilliant Part II later which we expect to be released on PC sometime in the future. On the other hand, this remake is a great opportunity for those who already own a PS5 because they can relive the memories of one of the best video game stories that has ever been told.
