Less than 10 years to have the remake of a game that still defends itself very well in its PS4 version. Less than 10 years old which, however, seemed a century after the experience lived in The Last of Us Part 2, a game that has really moved gamers in a way that hasn't happened for some time. We are not talking about out of the ordinary game mechanics, nor about genre hybridization, but about a set of things capable of making the title almost ethereal, perfect - despite some mistakes - and above all touching. Ten years is a short time to create a remake, but it can be a long time when it is necessary to offer the origins of the experience to old and new users. Let's talk about The Last of Us Part 1, remake of the first chapter coming September 2 on PS5, and we do it in ours review.
The origins
The Last of Us takes the wording "Part 1" almost as a sort of "adaptation": thanks to the release of the second part, N has decided to rename this remake so as to make everything more connected: on the other hand everything that happens in The Last of Us Part 2 is a direct consequence of the first chapter, and it becomes almost necessary to think of the two games as one thing.
The game will be sold at a price of € 80,99, a figure that could scare those who already have the original or remastered version, but which aligns with titles like Demon's Souls, which more or less share many similarities with this game. In fact, we are talking about a 1:1 remake, a game taken and adapted thanks to the original material: in the world of cinema it happens more and more often, thanks to the use of cameras of a much higher quality than the means of reproduction. For this it is possible to buy today a version of The Matrix in 4K with a superlative quality and a really high definition, without having to fall into the upscale.
Same thing happens with The Last of Us Part 1: the game has been remade from scratch in regards to polygons, AI, gameplay and so on, taking the performances of the original actors and remodeling them with new technologies. The result will be a mixture of déjà vu and amazement: if for example the opening scene will show the same cinematic cut, but with a much better visual quality, other parts have seen a sort of readjustment, contextualized to the plot or to the gameplay itself.
Taking one opening scene, seeing the barn burn during the first few minutes of the game will now be completely different from what we saw in the original version, offering not only greater detail, but also a better play of light, with consequences on the environment and general lighting. Even more rudeness then regarding violence and blood, since after the arrival of The Last of Us Part 2 it was necessary readjust some scenes of the first to insert, where it was missing, that violence And that realism which made gamers jump several times in the second chapter.
Readjust the interpretation
Ashley Johnson e Troy Baker, respectively Ellie e Joel, they did not go back to work on their interpretations: Naughty Dog took the originals and used them to create the new scenes. The result is a much better use of facial animations, capable of showing more pathos within the various scenes, something that the slightly more "cartoon" style of the original masked a little.
Another thing that may go unnoticed to an inexperienced eye concerns the cutscene same: if in the original game in fact these were pre-rendered, in the remake they are rendered in real time. If all this could be almost useless for the purposes of the final experience, on the other hand this has allowed us to make it this time more fluid i passages from cutscene to gameplay, and without interruptions, which allows for greater immersion.
Finally, there is no lack of those improvements that were talked about so much, starting with Enemy AI - which as in the second chapter will scream and call your position - to get to the environment, now more destructible. Even the models of the various characters and enemies have been improved, always removing that little more "cartoon" halo that was in the original, but above all by adapting everything to the plot and details of the second chapter. Even Jackson has been modified to make it more like that of The Last of Us Part 2: in fact, the church will not fail to peek out from the panorama you will see, an iconic place that players who have already lived the experience of the sequel will remember.
Speaking of implementations instead, Naughty Dog has perfectly integrated the Dualense, complete with adaptive triggers, as well as some additional details taken directly from the second chapter: do not expect the stealth of The Last of Us Part 2, but interesting additions (which do not alter the gameplay too much) are there and will be enjoyable both by those who have finished the game at the time, both by those who have never experienced the adventures of Joel and Ellie.
In short, realism and quality at least as regards the technique of the game: The Last of Us Part 1 it is in effect an improvement of the first title, with a series of technical touches - whether they are purely aesthetic or related to the gameplay - capable of making the game more usable, better and certainly closer to the second chapter. However, we challenge all players to observe the details included in this remake: if for example we had the opportunity to discover Tommy's attachment to his shotgun, it will not be strange to see the same shotgun appear in this remake (but obviously with a different viewfinder, because as we know in the second chapter Tommy himself claims to have taken a new viewfinder).
A matter of remake
Whereas the word remake of its own has many similar connotations, let's go step by step and clarify the main aspect of The Last of Us Part 1: the game does not aim to reimagine the history of the title, especially considering that it could have made the purists of the game turn up their noses. The goal of N, which undoubtedly reveals itself once you have tried the experience, is to re-propose the original adventure with a new, more modern look, as if to scream the fact that perhaps, having had the means of today, the same software house would have marked the I play this way.
It is not the first renewal operation that PlayStation proposes: we have already experienced something similar with the remake of Demon's Souls, where the software house has left the plot and adventure intact, improving only the gameplay and the technical side. Certainly where they could, the guys at Naughty Dog have fixed something, but it is mainly small details that make the experience more immersive and the fans happier to recognize this or that particular.
However, no fear for the detractors of similar operations: although it may seem strange, there are many people who at the time did not play the original, and who could now experience the experience for the first time with a graphics it's a more appropriate gameplay (almost to envy those who really did not play the game in 2013). Regardless, if you remain convinced of your idea, you can sleep peacefully: the remastered PS4 is still available, both physically and digitally, it still costs little or nothing and is also playable on PlayStation 5.
Review- The Last of Us Part 1 (Tested on PS5) 9.2 Final grade
An aesthetic remake that inserts coherence and technical details within an iconic game: the birth of The Last of Us, lived however with better technical means, offers a renewed world, a plethora of details that in the original had been left to the oblivion is a generally improved adventure in many respects. Speaking of a technical remake, the storyline remains unchanged, but playing this The Last of Us Part 1 will refresh your memories, replacing the still great PS3 / PS4 graphics with something bolder, beautiful and realistic. If you have never played the first title, don't miss the chance.
