Publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment and developer Naughty Dog have released a free update for The Last of Us Part II Remastered today that lets players experience the story chronologically, the companies announced.
Here are the details:
Available for players as part of a downloadable update today, we’ve introduced a new way to play the story of The Last of Us Part II like never before—chronologically.
Those who have already played will know its story is told non-linearly, as Ellie and Abby’s motivations, realizations, and emotional stakes unfold across myriad flashbacks and present-day storylines. While this structure is very intentional and core to how our studio wanted Part II‘s themes and narrative beats to impact players, we always wondered what it would be like to experience this story chronologically. And now finally, we can answer that question.
Through the new Chronological mode, we believe players will gain even deeper insight into Part II‘s narrative. Players will be able to see how Ellie being gifted a guitar flows so neatly into her learning to play, for example, while the journey through Seattle will showcase the fascinating parallels between Ellie and Abby’s crisscrossing journeys. You’ll see just how close they come into running into each other, how their actions impact each other, and more.
It was no small feat to bring The Last of Us Part II‘s story chronologically together, given that Part II‘s story is so meticulously put together. We’re grateful to the developers both at Naughty Dog and our partners at Nixxes to make the Chronological mode as smooth as possible. And while we of course recommend players still new to the game to play through Part II‘s story as was originally developed, the team’s hard work has paid off with a fascinating new way to enjoy this chapter.
And we also wanted to reward players for jumping into this new, transformative approach to our story. In addition to new trophies tied to completing the narrative experience in chronological order, doing so will also unlock two new, perhaps surprisingly familiar skins…
Yes, that’s right, play as Joel dressed as Nathan Drake and Tommy as Sam Drake in No Return. Particularly as we celebrate Naughty Dog’s 40th anniversary this year, we love getting the chance to spotlight and share in the history of our studio that we love as much as we know you do. These skins will be unlocked for completing the narrative in Chronological, and will be usable in No Return, Part II Remastered‘s thrilling roguelike survival mode.
A new update for The Last of Us Part II Remastered is available today on both PlayStation 5 (via Patch 2.1.0) and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store (via Patch 1.5), bringing with it the Chronological mode, as well as a host of additional bug fixes and performance improvements.
We here at Naughty Dog are so grateful for all the love and support we’ve seen from The Last of Us fans these last few months. From the launch of The Last of Us Part II Remastered on PC, to The Last of Us Complete on PlayStation 5, to seeing your weekly reactions to season 2 of the television series, it’s been such a pleasure to celebrate this moment with you.
The Last of Us Part II Remastered is available now for PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store.