The Last Of Us Part 2 Remastered Review: "Among Gaming's Best-Told Stories"

Just three-and-a-half years after Naughty Dog's magnum opus was first released, brings it to the PlayStation 5 with a host of improvements and new content. Nothing about this latest release is revolutionary, but that doesn't stop from maintaining its position among gaming's best-told stories. The meticulously crafted adventure is still emotionally exhausting, and its gameplay remains engaging if at times subdued. is the definitive version of the sequel that reviewed with a perfect score, and will be sure to please longtime fans hoping to revisit Ellie and Abby's story.

[Warning: This review contains spoilers for The Last of Us Part 2.]Naughty Dog's third-person shooter survival-horror game primarily takes place roughly five years after its predecessor, though flashbacks throughout serve to tell a narrative that spans most of the intervening time. now follows in the footsteps of, having originally released near the end of its own console generation, and now receiving a release for Sony's latest hardware. With also receiving a PS5 remake in 2022, the entire saga is now playable on a current-gen machine. The necessity for such releases is up for debate, but presents the perfect opportunity to replay a masterpiece.

remains an incredible achievement in interactive storytelling, and it’s arguably even better upon a second playthrough and after having revisited the first game. Some distance from first experiencing helps replay it with greater context for the entire saga. A first playthrough, when was originally released in 2020, was skewed by a disdain for Abby. Disdain is a valid response to witnessing her brutal murder of a complex, but sympathetic character like Joel; as Joel begins to tell Tommy in ’s opening seconds, “”

But playing the PS5 remake of the original, , and seeing HBO’s adaption primed another run through what is one of gaming’s most agonizing tales. hinges on hope, and even if that hope for Ellie’s immunity resulting in a cure is dashed by Joel’s