The Last of Us Part II Remastered Trailer Shows Off New Survival Mode

When Naughty Dog announced that it was working on The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered for PlayStation 5, many players were wondering if it would be worth picking up. After all, the original game was released just a few short years ago, and a simple graphical update didn't seem like enough of a reason to revisit something so soon. However, the team quelled some concerns by announcing that they would also be adding new modes to the base game to give players even more to do. One of the most exciting modes is the No Return Mode, which turns The Last of Us Part 2's gameplay into a roguelike survival mode. Today, the team dropped a brand-new trailer showing off exactly what players can expect from this wild, new mode.

The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered No Return Mode

As you can see in the trailer above, this is largely the moment-to-moment gameplay that fans are used to. From that perspective, No Return isn't breaking too much new ground, but it's what the mode does with the combat that makes it intriguing. Before jumping into the mode, you'll need to select which character you want to use. Some of these characters will be locked by story progress, but you'll probably want to play through the base game anyway before hopping in. Here is a full list of characters known to be available in TLOU2's No Return Mode:

• Ellie
• Dina
• Jesse
• Tommy
• Joel
• Abby
• Lev
• Yara
• Mel
• Manny

Naughty Dog might add more characters before launch, but each character comes with their own set of traits to differentiate them from each other. For example, Jesse gets access to the Silencer and Pipe Bomb Recipe, making him a character you'll want to carefully use all your resources to get the most out of. Meanwhile, Manny has more health than other characters but can't craft Health Kits.

Of course, as you progress, you'll be able to upgrade your weapons to give you a better chance to survive the horrors of No Return Mode. Once you have your kit ready to go, you'll jump into a randomized series of levels. These all have randomly generated mods to keep things fresh (including one that seems to turn your enemies invisible), and it looks like you'll be fighting at least one boss character from the main story. Somewhat surprisingly, the Ratking shows up several times during the trailer, suggesting that it will be the main boss of the mode, though Naughty Dog could add more monsters to the mix over the next few months if it wants to keep players in the mode for an extended time.

Either way, fans don't have to wait much longer to check out the new No Return Mode and everything else coming to The Last of Part 2 Remastered. Naughty Dog's latest is due out on PlayStation 5 on January 19, 2024.