The Last Of Us Part 2 Remastered Features Cut Levels, Roguelike Mode, And Accessibility Settings

The launch of The Last Of Us Part II Remastered is just a few days away, but developer Naughty Dog is giving players a taste of what's to come via a new trailer that puts all of the remaster's unique features on full display.

"This remaster runs natively on the PlayStation 5 console, taking full advantage of the powerful hardware, and the revolutionary DualSense wireless controller," game director Matthew Gallant (who previously directed The Last Of Us Part I) says in the trailer. Gallant calls the remaster "the best way to experience Ellie and Abby's incredible story."

But high-quality graphics are far from the only thing players have to look forward to. The Last Of Us Part II Remastered also includes "lost levels"--parts of the game that were previously left on the cutting room floor but will be playable for the first time once the remastered version of the game launches.

"We've pulled back the curtain on the game-making process, presenting the levels in their raw and unfinished state," Gallant says of the lost levels.

The unfinished levels also include developer commentary, giving players a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the game and explaining why certain levels were cut to begin with. The remastered game also features "hours of new cinematic commentary" from some of the game's voice actors, like Troy Baker (Joel), Ashley Johnson (Ellie), Laura Bailey (Abby), and Shannon Woodward (Dina). Additionally, The Last Of Us creator and Naughty Dog president Neil Druckmann will be providing commentary alongside co-writer Halley Gross, giving players a look into the creative process behind the game's production.

The Last Of Us Part II Remastered also features an expanded version of the guitar minigame from the campaign via a new mode called Guitar Free Play, which allows players to swap between locations from the game and the characters themselves. Fans of the minigame can now play guitar as Ellie, Joel, and Gustavo, the latter of which is modeled after and voiced by Gustavo Santaolalla, who composed the music for both games in the franchise. Players can also unlock new instruments, like Gustavo's banjo.

The remaster also makes use of the PlayStation 5's DualSense controller's haptic feedback and adaptive triggers for a more immersive experience. "You'll feel the tension in the bow as you draw back an arrow," Gallant says of the game's improved controller feedback. Additionally, The Last Of Us Part II Remastered features accessibility settings that were only introduced to the franchise in The Last Of Us Part I Remastered, including cinematic audio descriptions and speech-to-vibrations, a setting that plays spoken dialogue though the DualSense controller via vibrations.

Lastly, the remaster will feature No Return, a new single-player roguelike survival mode. No Return allows players to choose from 10 playable characters (some of whom were never playable in the game's original release, like Jesse, Dina's ex-boyfriend. According to the features trailer, each character has a different playstyle and starts off with a unique equipment loadout. The remaster also includes a speedrun mode that times players' progress, along with a plethora of new character and weapon skins for players to choose from.

The Last Of Us Part II Remastered is available for preorder now, and will launch for PlayStation 5 consoles on Friday, January 19.