Four Big Changes In The Last Of Us Part I

The Last of Us Part I, depending on the way you view it, is either a remake from scratch or an extremely complex remaster. The game offers many new enhancements to the standard base game. Part I was not my favorite, but here’s what you should expect. 

Accessibility options

Naughty dog’s complete accessibility suite is included in The Last of Us Part I. That’s something that deserves praise. These include fully configurable controls, visual aids and options to ease motion sickness. They also help you navigate levels. There are options for deaf/hard-of-hearing options, combat accessibility, as well as options that allow you to customize your game. Each level has dozens upon dozens of toggleable and slider options that let players customize their game experience to suit them best. 

It looks amazing

Part I is unquestionably more beautiful than The Last of Us. Part I is not even in competition. The visuals have been the subject of much debate, and many people are saying that they can’t tell any difference. I have no idea if the people around me are being deceitful or lying, but Part I now looks just like any other Triple-A PS5 Game and not even like a PlayStation 3 Game. As I said in my feature though, this boost in fidelity highlights other parts where The Last of Us is showing its age. 

It is still a surprise to see levels and environments that have been etched into my memories over the past nine year looking more amazing than they ever were. I love the bright, lush green of nature’s reclaiming of cities, towns, and buildings. And so do the cutscenes and character models. The PlayStation 3’s awkward stiffness is almost gone. Faces are more expressive, scenes seem more naturalistic, and most scenes feel more real. 

Intelligent AI is a threat to our intelligence

Overall, I had mixed feelings about combat, but the smarter A.I. is one of the places where Part I shines. Improved A.I. is at its best when flanking and surrounding you, forcing you to think – and subsequently act – quickly. Nearly every fight I was in saw at least one enemy throw a wrench into my plans. This forced me to adapt quickly. This often led to tense moments and alleviated some of the lesser parts of combat – such as the simple cat-and-mouse stealth or stop ‘n’ pop cover shooting. 

Don’t Be Left Behind

Okay, look. While this DLC isn’t new, as it came with the 2014 Remaster package, let me briefly shout Out Left Behind. First released as a small DLC now packaged here with Part I – with all the extra enhancements – this two-hour, Ellie-focused chapter is one of the highlights of the entire package. With Ellie and her blossoming love with her friend Riley at the center, I found the short chapter affecting and moving – far more than I did the 10-or-more hours trekking around as Joel. The performance of Ashley Johnson, actor, has stood the test of time and remains the highlight in both the original and re-release. 

I will also include Part I while I am at it Grounded: The Making of The Last of UsA nearly 2-hour documentary that goes behind the scenes of making the original game. Even though it’s an official PlayStation movie and almost certainly doesn’t get into a lot of the real nitty-gritty of the game’s development, it’s still quite good and shows a lot of footage of in-development levels, characters, and motion capture sessions.