Summary
For a series with just two entries,The Last of Ushas had an impressive number of remasters and remakes, and they’ve varied in quality quite a bit. While the original PS4 remaster for 2013’sThe Last of Usmade sense as it came packaged with the DLC, last year’s full-scale remake ofThe Last of Us Part 1did feel a bit odd to many fans, especially with its lack ofa Factions multiplayer mode. Thankfully, it seems as though Naughty Dog has learned from that mixed reception, and used that feedback forThe Last of Us Part 2 Remastered.
Not a full-scale remake,The Last of Us Part 2 Remasteredbrings the 2020 game to the PS5 but does so in quite a bit of style. Though the graphical difference is nearly imperceptible, the DualSense integration, developer commentary, and bevy of additional modes help to makeThe Last of Us Part 2 Remasteredfeel more than worth the asking price of a $10 upgrade for those who already own the game. But not everything on offer feels quite perfect, andThe Last of Us Part 2 Remastered’s No Return mode has a few shortcomings regarding its encounter types.
The Last of Us Part 2’s No Return Modes Don’t Stand Out Enough
The Last of Us Part 2’s No Return Modes Explained
There are a total of four encounter types inThe Last of Us Part 2 Remastered’s roguelike No Return mode. When booting upThe Last of Us Part 2 Remasteredfor the first time, players will have access to just two encounter types, Hunted and Assault. Assault feels the most like an averageLast of Uscombat encounter, putting players against several waves of enemies, and allowing them to take them down however they see fit. Hunted, on the other hand, sends continuous waves of enemies at the player until the countdown timer expires. In this mode, enemies know exactly where the player is at all times, meaning that stealth is pretty much worthless.
As players continue to progress through theirfirst few No Return runsthey’ll unlock two new encounter types. The first one of these unlocked is Holdout, which tasks players with defending an AI companion against a continuous wave of enemies until the timer runs out. The final encounter type of the bunch is Capture, where players are tasked with breaking into a safe surrounded by enemies within a time limit.
No Return’s Encounter Types Feel Too Similar
On paper, four encounter types seem more than enough forThe Last of Us Part 2 Remastered’s No Return mode. But after playing for only a few hours, the similarities of No Return’s modes really start bleeding together.Hunted and Holdoutare essentially the same game mode, albeit players are forced to stay in one area and defend their AI companion in the latter. And though Assault is technically a different mode, if players alert the enemy then it’s going to feel like a Hunted match pretty quickly, with the enemy charging the player in exactly the same way.
The Last of Ushas never had the deepest combat system in gaming, and unfortunately,The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered’s No Return mode has highlighted that in a lot of ways, with players completing these same encounters over and over again in quick succession. That being said,The Last of Us Part 2 Remastereddoes attempt to go out of its way to add variety to the mode, delivering 20 maps,10 playable characters, match modifiers, Gambits, and challenges, but while they do help to make each run feel engaging, they often don’t encourage players from just carrying out the same gameplay techniques time and time again.
