As far as games are concerned, there’s been fewer talking points  this year bigger than trying to define what The Last of Us Part I actually is.

What we do know is it’s the third release for a game not even ten years old. The first time, on PS4, was clearly called a remaster. Now Sony are suggesting this time it’s a remake.

Whatever your thoughts or feelings on it are, one can’t deny TLOU is one of the all time great games. From its cleverly crafted cinematic approach, to its compelling cast with free-flow conversations. The terrifying monsters that inhabit this post-apocalyptic world and the brutality that ravages it.

And while this release has proven to be divisive, it’s quite possible the biggest talking point of all is one people aren’t actually talking about – the game’s approach to accessibility. More specifically, the level of options that invite more players than ever to enjoy The Last of Us.

Sony, much like Microsoft, are leading the way in opening up their games to more players. From Microsoft’s Adaptive Controller and Forza Horizon’s impressive approaches to Sony’s slew of game-changing options on releases like Spider-Man and God of War: Ragnarok.

Naughty Dog and The Last of Us have always been at the forefront of that conversation, with The Last of Us: Part II infamously going above and beyond. With Part I, Naughty Dog have offered those same level of options but taken things even further with in-depth menus that let you customise the game in so many ways.

So many, in fact, we’ll be producing some essential Accessibility options to be aware of in a separate piece.

And there’s never been a better time with the HBO Series likely to introduce a whole new audience to the franchise, people who may have never been able to play the game on PS3 all those years ago.

Of course, there’s difficulty and subtitling as standard, but for instance with the DualSense Controller, you can now add Speech to Vibrations, which has all the dialogue spoken through the controller but with low-hum vibrations, so you can feel how the line is delivered.

You can magnify the HUD Scale, darken the background, remove flashing, add a full colour blind mode. There’s even a whole menu dedicated to motion sickness so you can adjust the shaking of the camera and depth of field.

Even I was overwhelmed looking at all of this and I’m incredibly fortunate not to need any of it. But it made me realise just how challenging playing games must have been for some people over the years. How much I’ve taken for granted that I can just install whatever the latest release might be and dive right in.

The Last of Us Part I is a standard bearer in so many ways. From an accessibility point of view, by the time you’re done tweaking the options, so many more people can now play this game, get through its story, and finally get invested in this world. And when you consider the prestige The Last of Us brings, how people value this franchise, where it’s positioned among the greatest games of all time, most of those other games aren’t anywhere near as approachable.

For the first time, people who’ve been played out of games for one reason or another, can actually experience one of the greatest of all-time in a way that’s comfortable for them, looking and playing better than it ever has. And we should all be celebrating that.

Product preservation has been a big challenge for older games. Many titles we grew up loving are challenging to play nowadays unless you still own the original cartridges and hardware. To the point where, eventually, many of the games we call the greatest will be lost to time and generations of people will question how or why. They can’t try it for themselves, nor do they don’t look high quality and the mechanics feel dated. Further still, they may not be able to play using that old technology because it’s difficult for them.

That’s why it’s important the game remains in-tact and doesn’t get the Final Fantasy 7 Remake treatment. People should be able to play the original vision without large portions of content being removed or changed. It’s the same as the film industry when classic films from the 70s are still getting 4K releases. As an industry, games have naturally shied away from doing this, most likely due to cost and resources as Sony claim this remake took three years of work!

Who knows, maybe in ten years we’ll get that game so many people wanted with Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey mo-capped over Joel and Ellie instead and everything is changed to suit the TV series.

It’s just important to be aware that this isn’t that game. This is a faithful remake, the same game you played on PS3, from beginning to end. Yes, there’s some subtle, directorial tweaks here and there. You’ll find new pictures and text scrawled on the walls, you’ll see renewed facial expressions on characters to express emotion and pain. There’s some fun Easter Eggs hidden that tell us more about the characters and maybe even hint at future games. You’ll even see the veins in Joel’s arm bulging as he moves items around.

But if you played The Last of Us before, you’ll be very familiar with this release coming in. And that’s the thing many people have got hung up on. It’s a £70 release for the same game, that actually has less content in it with the multiplayer component completely stripped out. I get that’s difficult for people to come to terms with, but it does also cheapen what’s been accomplished here a little bit.

From a design and implementation point of view, this is the standard by which remakes should be judged. In Fidelity, the visual quality for a game several generations old, is outstanding. You don’t quite appreciate how good this game can look in 4K until you see it for yourself. From Joel’s shirt looking less washed out and radiating green, to the faces enemies make as you sneak up and choke them from behind.

The controls have also been modernised so they feel like a more natural fit on current hardware than the PS3 controller, from the use of Adaptive Triggers to increase resistance to the improved gunplay and cover system which feels identical to what players experienced in The Last of Us Part 2.

Even the AI has been overhauled, making your enemies smarter and less scattered when trying to gnaw you into next week.

I understand people’s concerns coming in and I share them, to a point. I would have liked the option for multiplayer here as it’s a mode I spent a lot of time with the first time around. I would have enjoyed a standalone Director’s Cut mode where there might be a scene or two left on the cutting room that gets added in to give us more time with these wonderful characters. And I probably wouldn’t have charged full price for a game that had a re-release not so long ago.

What we get instead is a Speedrun mode so you can set your best times and compete with others to see how you compare, also opening up this game to a new community and giving them tools needed to make the best of it. The frame rate has now been uncapped, meaning you can play this game as it was originally intended, smoother than ever. PS5 Activity cards mean you can dive right in where you left off and the transitions from cutscenes to gameplay are more natural and keep action fluid.

For those who never played The Last of Us, whether you never had a PlayStation, it didn’t appeal to you, or maybe you were worried you couldn’t play it because of its complexity, there’s never been a better time or place than on PlayStation 5. For me, despite the above concerns, this standard of remake has completely blown my mind. You can see the amount of work, the care, attention to detail and passion for this franchise, radiating out of every shot.

Without question, there is a real desire to ensure The Last of Us is not lost to time and so it continues to find smart ways to evolve and feel naturally at home on the latest hardware. You can see the pain etched on Joel’s face when he sees flashes of his daughter in Ellie, and the anger and rage they both feel when in the throws of battle. From the deepened reflections in the water, to the bright radiating light that blinds you after spending so longer in the dark and murky underground. The Last of Us Part 1 is magical at times, and it’s been a real pleasure playing the story through one more time.

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Verdict

A remake that opens up the possibilities to more players and communities than ever before, The Last of Us Part 1 has never looked or played better, despite the game now being several generations old. It feels natural and completely at home on PlayStation 5 despite the stripped-out multiplayer and the eye-watering price-tag. All that considered, there’s never been a better time or place to enter the world of The Last of Us in a version that’s definitive and ensures the franchise continues to evolve and won’t be lost to time. 

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Pros

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The Last of Us Part 1 is out now on PlayStation 5. Coming soon to PC.

Code Kindly Provided by PlayStation