The Last of Us Part 1 - A somewhat strange remake
Mind you, perplexity aside, I fully understand the project itself: The Last of Us has become, in the space of a couple of years, the flagship franchise of PlayStation, the one that fully embodies the style and modus operandi of PlayStation Studios. It is therefore not surprising to see it reappear with a remake that aims to shorten the technological gap with Part 2 (here our review), still incredibly unsurpassed in at least a dozen aspects.
Having said that, let's try. Let's think together about what we saw last night and try to understand what they could have improved in this remake and what, instead, we believe has remained quite unchanged.
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Staying on the subject for a moment, thus continuing to chat about the cut-scenes, it is interesting to learn that these scenes are no longer "simple films", but sequences completely in real-time. This means that we will no longer have a very short black cut that anticipates the start of a filmed sequence, and that the gameplay and cutscenes will be linked, exactly as seen in Part 2 and Uncharted 4 (here our review of the PS5 version). A very smart choice, especially considering that movies, and always, in operations of this type represent a real nightmare, due to the impossibility of restoring the video file at very high quality. | ); } All this, however, raises a doubt to my little head: did they redo the performance capture sessions from scratch? Honestly, I don't think so. In Naughty Dog I think they are smart enough to consider The Last of Us's acting performances incredible, including the dubbing in Italian, and try to remake those sequences, despite the presence of the same actors originally used, I don't think it's an idea. winning. And to convince me the most are my memories: once I read that the introductory sequence of The Last of Us, the first twist, required dozens of tests, and I doubt they are ready to throw away all that work. Rather, I believe in adding some unpublished narrative portions, even if I would not put my hand in the fire at all. Wanting to be as realistic as possible, in fact, I can't help but think that the story will be revived 1: 1, and that it will therefore be the gameplay and the technical sector that will keep the operation going. Quite plausible, however, are some retcons, such as the doctor's face in one of the final sequences, which I am more than certain will be modified to adapt it to the model appeared in Part 2.
In essence, therefore, I believe that the Most of the work was done by the animators and programmers who, using the performance capture of the original work, sewed on completely new models inherited from Part 2, the animations that we already appreciated in 2013. This, however much it's about the cutscenes; about the gameplay, we'll see.
Joel
What about the gameplay?
To begin with, I hope that all the exploratory sequences - especially those with a puzzle to solve inside - have been expanded by looking at the excellent work done in Part 2, which proposes plausible environmental puzzles in context told, decreasing the frequency of phases in which to move the shift bin. In short, a greater variety, remaining faithful to the possibilities that such a context can offer, would be more than welcome. On the other hand, I have greater doubts regarding the more action and stealth phases. The idea that I got is that, if you expect 1: 1 the news that appeared in Part 2, you will be quite burned. It must be understood that many of the playful introductions seen in Ellie's adventure are tailored to her slim physicality. In short and simple words, I find the idea of seeing Joel crawling under cars or passing quickly through very narrow passages rather distant. However, I do not find the idea of inheriting the possibility of hiding in tall grass at all absurd, considering that in the trailer the greater density of foliage and blades of grass already appears more than noticeable.
A rather dangerous situation Having said that, let's not forget that in the world of video games every choice, introduction, and so on, involves substantial changes to the design of the game. An example? Should they add the ability to jump freely and not just when suggested by the game, the level design should be revised to accommodate this introduction. In a nutshell, in the face of the changes that the gameplay and artificial intelligence will undergo, let's expect a more astute and, in general, revised level design.
In short, it seems that on September 2nd we will again be interested in the tragic lives of Joel and Ellie, this time without the latter spinning freely among the enemies without being seen, hopefully, and also on PC. I am more than ready and I can't wait to find out more, what about you? As strongly pushed by Sony and the desire to make money, are you interested in The Last of Us Part 1?
