Recent reports seem to suggest that Naughty Dog is far deeper into the development of The Last of Us Remake than expected. The original came out in 2013 for the PS3, followed by a remaster for the PS4 in 2014. The Last of Us Remastered is also playable on the PS5 via backward compatibility, and while it still feels like a modern game visually and mechanics-wise, a remake does make a lot of sense.
The Last of Us was already an incredible game on its own, and many would want the remake to be true to the original experience. However, this is a good opportunity to tweak some of the minor issues and add quality of life changes. Changes that would not only appeal to newcomers, but also make it worthwhile for the long-time fans.
Improve Ellie and Enemy AI in The Last of Us Remake
Although players play as Joel for the majority of the journey, Ellie is at the heart and soul of it all. While Ellie is an incredibly well-written and believable character in the game, her in-game AI is quite intrusive, especially during combat encounters. In stealth, Ellie would often come into the enemy's line of sight though never to be discovered. It was very immersion-breaking in a game brimming with nail-biting encounters. In comparison, the AI companions in The Last of Us 2 are relatively smart, and often helpful during combat encounters, something that The Last of Us Remake should adapt.
The enemy AI in The Last of Us 2 was pretty smart as well. They would often call themselves by their names and react to their companion's death, adding a bit of personality to these characters and increasing the stakes of every death on the player's hands. They would also often ambush Ellie from all directions and would work consistently to take her out. The Last of Us had intelligent enemy AI, though it pales in comparison to The Last of Us 2. It would be interesting if Naughty Dog takes a note out of the sequel to give enemies more personalities, and make them more reactive in the upcoming remake.
Optional Areas and Enemy Placements in The Last of Us Remake
The Last of Us was a fairly linear adventure like the Uncharted games. However, with Uncharted 4, and Uncharted: Lost Legacy, the company tried to shake things up a bit by creating open-ended segments and optional encounters that broadened the game's scope. The Last of Us 2 was built upon that concept and shoved players into a massive, freely explorable sandbox early on in the journey. There were collectibles to find, easter eggs to discover, and key narrative moments tucked away in here, which were all optional.
The Last of Us Remake is reportedly being built on a brand new game engine for the PS5. Ideally, a remake could utilize the power of this new tech to add a few new optional areas and encounters in the game that wouldn't necessarily disrupt the flow of the main narrative. The University is one such open-ended area in The Last of Us where a few optional encounters would be more than welcome, without making the game feel alienating to the long-term fans.
The Last of Us is a survival horror game, and as one would expect, offers a few memorable jump-scare moments. However, jump scares are hardly the same the second time around in any horror game. The Last of Us Remake could tweak enemy placements a little from the original to make certain encounters fresh for the fans of the original. It could take a page out of Resident Evil Village and Resident Evil 7 that randomizes enemy placements at the highest difficulty setting.
Permadeath and Accessibility Options in The Last of Us Remake
The Last of Us and The Last of Us 2 are pretty challenging games on their own, but the latter took it to a different level by adding a permadeath mode. The Last of Us 2 is a 25 hour long game, and adding permadeath drastically increases the stakes. Players could, however, set permadeath to per act or per chapter, but it's still a fun and challenging experience that requires players to master the layout of every in-game location. The Last of Us introduced the grounded difficulty option, but never added a permadeath mode. A remake could very well change that.
As much as challenging The Last of Us 2 gets with permadeath enabled, the game also offers a jarring amount of accessibility options to players. The Last of Us 2 is undoubtedly one of the most accessible video games ever made, with over 60 options for visual, hearing, and motor impairments. Plenty of The Last of Us 2 fans who haven't played the first game might be interested in hopping onto the alleged remake, which could benefit from these accessibility features, if not more.
Abby's Father in The Last of Us Remake
Abby's father is a notable figure in The Last of Us 2, and is central to the narrative that kicks off Ellie's journey to the cycle of violence in the game. However, in The Last of Us, he's just a forgettable NPC that Joel brutally murders at the end. It could be that Jerry Anderson's character didn't exist until Naughty Dog started working on the sequel. That could explain the difference in his facial model in both games. Many players would be jumping into The Last of Us Remake knowing Jerry's inevitable fate, and Naughty Dog could go out of the way to make his death seem as important as his role in the sequel's story.
Loading Time Improvements in The Last of Us Remake
While this wasn't a game-breaking issue, The Last of Us had a painstakingly long loading time on the PS3 and the PS4. A subsequent patch did reduce the loading time on the PS4 Pro, but was still significantly longer than most other titles. The Last of Us Remastered on PS5 via backward compatibility takes over thirteen seconds, which isn't much, though it's relatively longer compared to what some of the next-gen titles take. The last of Us Remake would hopefully take full advantage of the ultra-fast SSD of the PS5 to make loading instant.
With the PS5 upgrade of The last of Us 2 now out, and the upcoming TV adaptation of The Last of Us, fans already have a lot on their plate. As such, The Last of Us Remake needs to be more just than just a visual overhaul of one of the all-time greats to make a mark.
The Last of Us Remake is rumored to be in development.