Sony released a 10-minute trailer for The Last of Us Part 1 on Thursday, in which the game’s directors talk about some of the improvements in the PlayStation 5 remake of Naughty Dog’s iconic game. The trailer offers plenty of opportunities to show off the improved graphics (which look just as nice as in the leaked screenshots, but it’s not like the game was ugly on the PS3 or PS4), but the most interesting are changes to the gameplay – Naughty Dog says AI for enemies and companions will be improved, there will be some additional gameplay modes, and the game’s cutscenes will include audio descriptions for accessibility.
When it was originally released in 2013, The Last of Us’ AI was nothing special. However, the remake apparently builds on The Last of Us Part 2’s more modern system of controlling NPCs, allowing them to work together better and devise more complex tactics than “running straight at the man with the shotgun”. According to Neil Druckmann, creative director of both Last of Us games, this makes for more intense battles. Your companions’ AI has apparently also been upgraded, which should hopefully prevent immersive experiences where Ellie or Henry run right in front of an enemy who then has to pretend they didn’t notice.
As for gameplay modes, the remake will apparently include a permadeath mode for those who really want to try their best to survive a zombie (er, sorry, “infected”) apocalypse. There’s also a speed mode, although the trailer offers virtually no details on that other than the game will display a timer in the top right corner.
The trailer also has some other nice touches – apparently the character animation system has gotten an overhaul, the game will have improved haptics that will supposedly make it feel like you’re petting a giraffe in that one famous scene, and Naughty Dog describes some of the things which it does with the adaptive triggers, one of the best features of the PS5. If you’re interested in the remake, I suggest you check it out.
Personally, I’m still not sure if this is all enough to get me playing the game again (I’ve already gone through it once on the PS3 and then played the PS4 remaster), but it seems like it will be worth it to pick up for people who have never experienced it, or who are looking for an excuse to do another playthrough. The Last Of Us Part 1 will be released on September 2 for PlayStation 5 and in the future for PC.