7 Things You Might Not Know About The Last of Us Remastered

We’ve been plowing through The Last of Us Remastered for the past 24 hours, and so far it’s been a real treat. While a lot of the game is exactly what we expected it to be—an even more gorgeous version of last year’s masterpiece—there are a few qualities about it that have surprised us.

Below we’ve listed what we think are a few things you might not know about The Last of Us Remastered so you can be prepared when it releases on Tuesday.

This list is reserved for the not-so-obvious details. If you’d like to learn more about the game and what it’s all about, be sure to check out our Everything You Need to Know guide.

1. Enabling the 30 FPS Lock Setting Increases Shadow Quality

Naughty Dog announced several weeks before release that despite The Last of Us Remastered targeting 60 frames per second, there would be a 30 FPS lock option. While at first this was interpreted as the developer admitting that the game might not have a steady framerate (and it doesn’t), it turns out that there’s another benefit to enabling it.

Also See: 30 vs 60 FPS Shadows Comparison

As covered in our article yesterday, enabling the 30 FPS lock will enable ‘higher-quality shadows in-game’. Our experience so far isn’t necessarily that the shadows are better, but that there are shadows actually missing when the option is disabled. Basically, you’re going to have a slightly better visual presentation at the expense of a 60~ FPS presentation. It’s a tough call, and thankfully you can change the option within seconds in the settings without any loading times. So what’s keeping you from testing it for yourself and seeing which you prefer?

2. This Isn’t Just a 1080p, 60 FPS Upgrade

The native 1080p resolution support has been touted as the biggest reason The Last of Us Remastered is a huge upgrade over its PS3 version, there’s a lot more that’s gone into this production than that. Here are the confirmed improvements:

Higher resolution character models
Improved shadows and lighting (whether or not you have the 30 FPS lock enabled)
Longer draw distances
Improved level of detail

If you thought the game looked great on PS3, you might be surprised. This one-year-newer version of the game is a lot better looking, and really shows why a new generation of PlayStation was needed.

3. The Director’s Commentary is Only For Cutscenes, and A ‘Making Of’ Documentary is Included

I’ve listened to commentary in video games—and films—many times over the years, and usually it’s done in a way where you can play the game while listening to some of the people who created it discuss the thought process behind designing and creating the project. In The Last of Us Remastered, the commentary is available in the gallery area, where you can re-watch cutscenes from the game after seeing them during your single-player journey. Unfortunately, this means you can’t play while listening to their discussions.

The commentary includes Director/Writer Neil Druckman, Voice Actor Troy Baker (Joel), and Voice Actress Ashley Johnson (Ellie). It’s well worth checking out if you like the game as much as we do, and it isn’t available anywhere else.

Related: The Last of Us Remastered Review

Also, Grounded: The Making of The Last of Us is included in the gallery area. You can already watch it on YouTube, so it’s not necessarily a killer feature, but it’s a welcomed touch anyway.

4. The DualShock 4’s Feature Set is Fully Utilized

There are some small details you might not notice while playing the PS4 version of The Last of Us that make it a little bit more immersive. These come in the form of DualShock 4 features, which include the following:

Touch Pad – Press to open and close Joel’s backpack
Light Bar – Color changes to reflect player health during combat after taking damage
Speaker – Plays flashlight sound effects and tape recorder audio

Also, you can choose to use L2/R2 for aim and fire (the PS3 version used L1/R1).

These might not seem like much, but we happen to particularly enjoy the speaker sound effects and touch pad integration.

5. The Grounded Difficulty Mode is Included

The Grounded difficulty was added to The Last of Us in a bundle back in April. The Last of Us Remastered will include it at launch.

Grounded does a few things to make the game a serious challenge. For one, supplies are extremely rare, making stealth kills necessary. Additionally, game hints, Listening Mode, and prompts are completely disabled. Made harder, the HUD is disabled, enemies do 300% damage, and the A.I. is more aware than in the other modes. Basically, if you love The Last of Us, or want something to brag about, Grounded is a great option that will add to the game’s longevity.

Related: The Last of Us 2 Might Happen

Grounded is available even for your first playthrough. You don’t need to finish the game to unlock it.

6. DLC Carries Over, But Multiplayer Progress is Reset

There were a variety of items, weapons, and survival skills that were purchasable in the PS3 version of The Last of Us, and if you have them on your PSN account, they’ll be unlocked with your purchase of the Remastered version.

However, all character progress has been reset. Players who made the top of the leaderboards are now back down to level one. Naughty Dog has done this to make sure the slate is wiped clean for this release.

7. There’s a Photo Mode

Photo Mode was revealed yesterday with a tutorial trailer, which can be seen above.

Photo Mode allows you to pause the game at will and adjust the camera angle and more. With it, you can take some fantastic screenshots. I’ve messed around with it a bit, and it was a great idea to include it in a game that looks as beautiful as The Last of Us Remastered. PS4 gamers have been active with posting screenshots on the internet, and this mode is going to make sure that’s no different with this game.