The Last of Us Leaning into Non-Story Game Modes is a Boon

Highlights

• The Last of Us is known for its strong focus on narrative and character relationships, breaking new ground in storytelling for video games.
• The moment-to-moment combat in The Last of Us is intense and engaging, and plays a big part in enticing fans to replay the game.
• The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered offers a variety of extra modes, focusing on gameplay rather than the main story, indicating Naughty Dog’s understanding of the importance of gameplay alongside the story.

One of the biggest points of praise for The Last of Us as a franchise, and the thing that really put the first game on the map back in 2013, was its strong focus on narrative and character relationships. While video games had been getting increasingly cinematic for a long time before its release, The Last of Us broke new ground with its storytelling, at least in the video game world. While The Last of Us Part 2‘s story is still a tad controversial, it’s almost equally as groundbreaking when it comes to how that story is actually told using the medium of video games.

The story isn’t the only great aspect of The Last of Us. Though it may not offer the tightest shooting or most satisfying melee mechanics in gaming, The Last of Us‘ moment-to-moment combat is some of the most intense and engaging of its genre, and it plays a big part in enticing fans to give the game another playthrough. It seems as though Naughty Dog has noticed just how important The Last of Us‘ combat is, with The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered making a bold decision to lean into less story-focused modes, a decision that’s likely for the best.

The Last of Us Should Lean Even More Into Non-Story Modes

The Last of Us’ Permadeath Mode Is a Big Highlight

Though the lack of a Factions multiplayer mode was sorely missed in The Last of Us Part 2, the sequel still had plenty of additional content to encourage fans to give the main story another go, with one of the most popular being its brutally difficult Permadeath mode. Functioning exactly how it sounds, The Last of Us Part 2′s Permadeath mode tasks players with completing huge portions of the game without dying once. A nightmare for many, the Permadeath mode quickly became a favorite of streamers and die-hard fans looking to Platinum the game.

With it gaining quite a bit of popularity after The Last of Us Part 2‘s release, Naughty Dog decided to add a Permadeath mode to The Last of Us Part 1 remake, along with a handful of other game modes and modifiers such as a Speedrun mode. But while these extra challenges were a fun addition, they weren’t too substantial, and fans have come to expect more for remasters and remakes.

Thankfully, Naughty Dog seems to have taken that feedback on board this time, as The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered is set to release with a slew of extra modes, most of which don’t really focus on the series’ overarching story. Though Last of Us Part 2‘s Lost Levels give fans an intimate look at some cut missions from the original game, the other game modes coming with the remaster all put the gameplay front and center of the experience, with the No Return mode being the biggest addition.

The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered‘s No Return sees players engage in a round-based roguelike mode, where they’ll face off against a variety of factions, enemy types, and bosses. Much more than just a tacked-on mode, No Return apparently contains skill trees for each playable character, some of whom are playable for the very first time in the series. The Last of Us Part 2‘s No Return mode sounds like it’ll be worth the $10 upgrade on its own, and it’s hopefully a big sign that Naughty Dog understands just how important gameplay is, along with the story.