One of my biggest criticisms of HBO’s adaptation of The Last Of Us Part II, which is being adapted into multiple seasons of TV, is the way the show bungled the chronology. One Season 2 scene in particular was plucked from the very end of the video game and inserted in the penultimate episode of the second season, long before it takes place in the game. Elsewhere, we learn much earlier what Abby’s motivations are, whereas gamers were blindsided by her actions in the game, and didn’t learn what fueled her revenge until much later.
It appears that Naughty Dog wants a piece of this action. Sony revealed today that a new update for The Last Of Us Part II will allow players to blast their way through the game in chronological order. The free update takes the non-linearity of the game and untangles it so that players can play as Ellie and Abby chronologically. In the original game, you play as Ellie first and then the clock jumps back and you play as Abby. It’s a really clever storytelling structure that forces you to examine a whole different side of the coin.
In the Chronological Update, all of this is removed. You jump back and forth between missions, playing as both characters as they hurtle towards one another.
“Through the new Chronological mode, we believe players will gain even deeper insight into Part II’s narrative,” Naughty Dog informs us on the PlayStation Blog. “Players will be able to see how Ellie being gifted a guitar flows so neatly into her learning to play, for example, while the journey through Seattle will showcase the fascinating parallels between Ellie and Abby’s crisscrossing journeys. You’ll see just how close they come into running into each other, how their actions impact each other, and more.
“It was no small feat to bring The Last of Us Part II’s story chronologically together, given that Part II’s story is so meticulously put together. We’re grateful to the developers both at Naughty Dog and our partners at Nixxes to make the Chronological mode as smooth as possible. And while we of course recommend players still new to the game to play through Part II’s story as was originally developed, the team’s hard work has paid off with a fascinating new way to enjoy this chapter.”
While this is a pretty fascinating idea, and I’m certainly curious to see how (or whether) it works, it’s hard not to shake your head at this point. This game and the original have both been released and re-released so many times at this point, a new update like this can start to feel like part of a running joke. The Last Of Us Complete released just a few months ago (with a physical Collector’s Edition coming out this week). It’s hard to see any new release – even a free update – without thinking about how much this franchise has been squeezed for every last penny.
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Along with the update, which is out now on PS5 and PC, the game is getting new bug fixes and performance updates and two very familiar skins for brothers Joel and Tommy:
Yep, these are Nathan Drake and Sam Drake skins from Uncharted to celebrate Naughty Dog’s 40th anniversary this year. I sure wish a new Uncharted game was in the works. C’est la vie.
