The Last of Us Part I is Beautiful but at $70? No thank you.
Reviewed on the PlayStation 5
Leading up to the release of the HBO adaptation, Naughty Dog wanted to give players the best possible way to re-experience their beloved title while charging $70. The Last of Us Part I enhances the visuals once more but also makes some subtle gameplay changes to make it more in line with Part II.
Whether you’ve played The Last of Us before or you’re new to the franchise, is this remake worth checking out? Let’s talk about it.
As a massive fan of The Last of Us, I’ve been through it all with this series. From the highs of when it launched on PS3 to the polarizing release of The Last of Us Part II, I still love The Last of Us. It’s in my Top 2 Favorite Games of All Time.
When The Last of Us Part I was announced, I was confused. The graphics of the PS4 remaster may look outdated for today’s standards but it still runs fine. Naughty Dog and Sony would be charging $70 for the product which really stung for general audiences. I understand the team had to go back in and rebuild the game from the ground up for PlayStation 5 but even $50 would have been more reasonable.
Still, the game was released on PS5 in Fall 2022 with high praise for the PS5 version. It had a horrid release on PC with poor optimization.
Now that I’ve played all of The Last of Us Part I, I can safely say it’s the definitive way to experience the game but isn’t necessarily worth the $70 price tag.
The story is the exact same with no changes whatsoever. Visually, this is the best The Last of Us has ever looked. The enhanced visuals, models, lighting, it’s all stellar on the PlayStation 5. It helps in making the emotional story beats hit more. In addition, transitioning between gameplay and cutscene is seamless.
Load times are nearly nonexistent as well. I played on Performance Mode to get that 60 fps experience and I was overall pleased. No stuttering or frame drops during my play sessions.
The gameplay is more or less the same as before. Explore each area for supplies as you get through waves of infected and hunters. Sneak around enemies to save supplies or start a gun fight to get it done quicker. You’ll have plenty of tools to deal with your enemies, so don’t be afraid to go wild every once in a while.
Naughty Dog didn’t add any of the crazy new features from Part II such as proning as that would break some of the level design of Part I. They did improve the enemy AI which means enemies are smarter and don’t fall over so easily.
I was dying a lot because I was unaware of the improved AI which in turn, increased the normal difficulty levels. I’ve played The Last of Us a bunch of times at this point, so to have this Part I remake trip me up was shocking.
At the end of each human encounter, if the last enemy is able to plead for their life, you’ll have to execute them to finish the encounter. This is new for The Last of Us Part I.
Personally, I don’t like this change. This reinforces the idea that “Joel isn’t a good guy” which makes the ending of the story less of a surprise to the player. I will never forget when I finished The Last of Us in 2013, sitting in front of my TV, just thinking about the ending. Like, oh my god, I just did that. I’ve been following this guy Joel the whole time and…he did that? The lesson is no one in The Last of Us’ world is good or bad. They’re just trying to survive.
To have players purposefully execute the last human enemy at the end of certain encounters was hamfisted. It’s almost like they don’t want the player to be surprised at the ending. I can see what Naughty Dog was trying to do here but it didn’t work.
Another change is the addition of animations whenever you upgrade your weapons on the workbench. While they look cool and make sense thematically, they last way too long and bring the pace of the game down. I was dreading every time I had to upgrade my guns because I had to sit through a mini cutscene for each upgrade. Like, I get it, the gun is getting improved. We can move on with it.
Same goes for picking up supplies. Does Joel have to physically pick up everything you come across? It makes the presentation look better but at the cost of the game’s pacing.
All in all, The Last of Us Part I is a solid remake. You get the best graphical experience and improved enemy AI. Even if you’ve played The Last of Us before, the gameplay experience will be different because of the new AI system.
The 60 fps experience is great and is visually stunning on the console. There are some things that make this remake inferior such as upgrading guns and forced executions. If you’re willing to spend the extra cash for The Last of Us Part I, then go for it. Otherwise, the PS4 remaster is still fine. You can bump it up to 60 frames on PS5 if you’re okay with upscaled PS4 graphics.
The Last of Us Part I vs. HBO’s The Last of Us
Watch first? Or play first?
If given the choice to play or watch The Last of Us with brand new eyes, I would play the game first. I’m a believer of consuming the original source material before diving into any adaptation within reason.
Obviously, most people didn’t read superhero comic books before diving into the movies but you get the point.
The HBO show is amazing, don’t get me wrong.
I’d even go as far to say it’s the best way to experience The Last of Us story. But because it is so amazing in fleshing out its characters, world, and overall narrative, playing the game first is easier than the other way around.
While I was playing The Last of Us Part I, I was reminded of the changes the HBO show did. Like making Joel’s character more human. Or giving Bill and Frank a complete backstory in Episode 3.
Like I said, within reason everyone should play The Last of Us first before watching the show. You’ll be able to see the differences more easily and appreciate both versions more. Not everyone enjoys video games or even has hardware to play them on. The Last of Us by HBO is the best way to enjoy The Last of Us story but we should not forget where it all started.
Should you spend $70 on The Last of Us Part I? No.
But is it the best way to experience The Last of Us game? Absolutely.
The improvements this remake introduces are amazing, making it the definitive way to enjoy the game. However, it’s still completely fine to play the PS4 remaster on your PS5. It’s cheaper, it’s on PlayStation Plus, and runs at 60 fps. The visuals are nowhere near the remake but it still looks okay.
If you want the best experience visually, then buy The Last of Us Part I. I still think it’s overpriced which is why I bought it for $40 on Black Friday.
The remaster is still fine but if you want the best graphics possible, then you have to get the remake.
Travis “tvsonic” Vuong
Business e-mail: travisvuong56@gmail.com
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