The Last of Us Part 1was the latest in a long history of Naughty Dog and PlayStation leaks, having been unofficially announced a while before it was legitimately revealed at Summer Game Fest last month. This certainly dampened the official announcement’s luster, but not the excitement of what had been shown for the game, which Naughty Dog has billed as a remake. In it, Naughty Dog alleges thatthe originalThe Last of Usexperience is rebuilt from the ground up, with modernized gameplay, enhanced graphical fidelity, and other improvements on PS5.
The Last of UsPart 1’s cinematic announcement trailer offered these promises alongside the words of Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann, who explained that the remake’s fidelity has improved thanks to rebuilt facial animations that are more in tune with Naughty Dog’s original vision. For many fans, the excitement of returning toThe Last of Usis enough of a sell. However,some fans have consideredThe Last of Us’ price to be unreasonablebased upon their idea of what a remake should constitute, and whetherThe Last of Us Part 1does enough to earn its classification as a remake.
RELATED:Last of Us 1 Director Bruce Straley Reveals New Studio Wildflower Interactive
Fans Debate Whether The Last of Us Part 1 is a ‘Cash Grab’
The idea ofThe Last of Us Part 1being labeled a “cash grab” originated from fans who expressed how skeptical they are about how much the game is actually being improved, and whether those changes are enough merit to make it worthy of its price tag. Before any gameplay had leaked—and a lot unfortunately had leaked following the initial discourse—fans decided thatThe Last of Us Part 1’s visualswere hardly reason enough to rationalize the game’s cost.
This is obviously entirely subjective from fan-to-fan, and a lot of individuals will likely have their own personal reasons why they are not content with paying over a certain amount for something.The Last of Us’ visuals are arguably still agreeable and may not have needed a facelift, and perhaps this is where most fans’ discontent comes from, asthey are uncertainThe Last of Usneeds a remake in the first place.
The Last of Us Part 1being a “cash grab,” then, seemingly stems from the belief that remakingThe Last of Usis superfluous. It has been suggested thatThe Last of Usmaking the leap to its third PlayStation generation is an opportunity for Naughty Dog to exploit the game for all it is worth, while counterarguments claim that it is a fantastic way for new audiences to be exposed to it in a definitive way.
Along the way, Naughty Dog offered only obscure explanations for what will change and what will not inThe Last of Us Part 1. Leaks that followedfinally showed fans what gameplay looks like inThe Last of Us Part 1, and many fans were disappointed to see no discernible differences or improvements.
RELATED:The Last of Us Fan Finds Sealed Copy of PS3 Survival Edition in Their Closet
The Lack of Discernible Gameplay Improvements in The Last of Us Part 1 Concerns Fans
These leaks portrayed brief combat sequences where Joel has animations that are identical to those from the original game, and a screenshot leaked also depicted the controller button layout, where there was no sign of a prone crawl or dodge mechanic. This immediately indicated to fans thatThe Last of Us Part 1would not be adopting combat fromThe Last of Us 2, as fans may have previously assumed.
Rather, Druckmann had hinted at improved combat and AI during Summer Game Fest, and when host Geoff Keighley mentioned being excited to seeThe Last of Us 2’s gameplayinThe Last of UsPart 1, Druckmann neither confirmed nor denied whether that would be apparent. He instead alluded to new “animation systems and AI systems,” but did not state explicitly whether fans should expect the combat and gameplay fromThe Last of Us 2to be implemented intoThe Last of Us Part 1.
Nonetheless, this has stirred controversy once more with fans who fail to see how this game is worth its price, particularly after having seen that gameplay is more akin to the original than they had hoped. Some fans argue thatThe Last of Us Part 1is more aptly a remaster than a remake as a result of all that has been shared at this point, but whether it aligns more closely with a remaster or a remake should not take away from how much work the developers have put into it.
Fans Should Temper Expectations Now, But Still Be Excited for What The Last of Us Part 1 Does Offer
It may have helped for Naughty Dog to expressly declare how similar its gameplay would be to the original in order to manage expectations accordingly, but to its defense, it was also never explicitly stated that gameplay would evolve in the way fans were hoping. Instead, fans are officially receivingenhanced accessibility features inThe Last of Us Part 1that will undoubtedly be a boon for many players, as well as new AI systems and other improvements.
Some of these improvements are likely to come fromThe Last of Us 2as well, even if the dodge and prone mechanics are not a part of it. Perhaps the decision to leave these mechanics out ofThe Last of Us Part 1’s gameplay came from wanting to preserve how the original game controls and plays, but that has not been stated one way or the other. In what seems like either a response to leaks or a premeditated and planned decision,Naughty Dog recently released a Features and Gameplay Trailerthat officially set expectations for what players can look forward to.
It is difficult to be fully sure how much will have been improved until fans play it and see for themselves throughout the entire experience, such as the workbench changes that have been made that are evidently taken fromThe Last of Us 2. Still, the controversy is sure to continue well into its release window, but it is ultimately up to fans whether they believe it is worth its price point or not.
The Last of Us Part 1releases September 2 for PS5.
MORE:The First Three Uncharted Games Deserve Makeovers on Par with The Last of Us Part 1
