Somehow, Naughty Dog has found yet another way to get me to play The Last of Us Part II again. The developer just released a rather unexpected update to the remastered version of the game for PS5 and PC: you can now play the game in chronological order. Part II was infamous for the its big perspective shift from Ellie to Abby, but now players can go through their adventures side-by-side as they progress.
Naturally, Naughty Dog notes that the non-linear structure is crucial to the way it envisioned the game’s story and recommends anyone playing Part II for the first time do so in the original format. But there’s a lot of potential for seeing how Ellie and Abby’s experiences in Seattle in the main meat of the game impact each other, which should be fun to watch. I also like the idea of jumping back and forth more frequently through Ellie and Abby’s different play styles. But this isn’t the definitive way to play the game — when you load up a new Chronological play-through the first time, it notes that pacing may seem “off” and that tutorials for various actions may come after you’ve already had to use them.
Naughty Dog didn’t specifically say how quickly the game would intercut between Ellie and Abby’s stories. But a quick video Naughty Dog posted suggests it’ll be pretty frequent as their respective journeys through Seattle unfold. This also means you’ll be starting the game with a bunch of flashbacks and cutscenes, which will be a big change. I’m trying to think what the earliest thing that happens in the game is that’ll open this new experience — I think it’ll start the same way as the original version of the game, but I also might be forgetting something here.
The timing of this update is also interesting, as it arrives a few months after season two of HBO’s adaptation finished — and just a few days after Neil Druckmann announced he wouldn’t be working on season three. Season two stuck close to the narrative structure of its source material but it didn’t land nearly as well as season one, which could be why Druckmann is focusing on his main gig.
Naturally, there are new trophies to be had for completing Chronological Mode, and you can unlock a few skins of Joel and Tommy dressed as brothers Nathan and Sam Drake from Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End — a fun nod to Naughty Dog’s other major franchise. This comes as the studio celebrates its 40th year, and just over five years after The Last of Us Part II was originally released for the PS4.
The patch for The Last of Us Part II remastered on PS5 and PC is available now. Not surprisingly, Chronological Mode isn’t available for the original PS4 version of the game — but if you own that, you can still upgrade to the remaster for a fairly reasonable $10. At least you don’t have to pay for this latest update, right?
