A contentious release for many, with Naughty Dog remaking a PlayStation 3 classic that always has an impressive PS4 Pro version that runs beautifully on PS5... so what's actually different with The Last of Us Part 1? What we're actually looking at here is a comprehensive revamp of the game's visuals and immersiveness with many intriguing changes, upgrades, revamps and improvements. John Linneman has the full story in an expansive 50-minute edit.
- Naughty has remade every inch of the games assets
- Both DLCs including
- fedelity mode native 4k 30fps
- Performance 1440p 60fps (every shot counted was 1440p)
- Visual settings identical in both modes
- Using 120fps on PS5 can offer 40fps mode in fedelity
- Using VRR in performance mode can result in higher then 60fps
- Cutscenes are realtime on PS5(not pre rendered video like on PS3+PS4)
- New character models have sub surface scatering, along with everything else being far more detailed and more natural, less stylised
- Indoor Indirect lighting much improved
- Improved shadws with getting more diffuse at the end of the shadow, not on par with RT shadows.
- Folded up carpets on the ground will react to players footsteps
- Froxel alligned volumetric lighting used far more generously
- Fire emits light on PS5, without the trickery used in PS4 version
- Lights effect the general volumetric lighting of the scene
- Opening escape scene crowd has modified behaviour, they don't photobomb the camera
- Increased volumetric fog
- Water has been overhauled, it uses geometric ripples and foam, along with high res hand placed cube maps, much improved over the original game.
- SSR also used on water
- Some kind of light scattering is simulated when shining your flashlight on the water.
- Indirect lighting while being pre calculated is still very effective and a big improvement of the remaster.
- The PS4 remaster does have one advantage, when Joel walks under water particles are generating simulating a splash, this is missing on the PS5 version
- The ingame character model in photo mode show more detail then TLOU2, however the higher resolution could be the reason.
- The work done on part 1 is derived from the upgrades TLOU2 brought. They feel similar, cutscenes are comparable quality.
- Weapons and clothing are very similar, some changes to the weapon models and texturing
Gameplay
- Core movement is the same
- Shooting is now more inline with TLOU2
- Things like deph of field and motion blur are included in the gunplay for the remake
- Joel does not have the agility of ellie and abby from TLOU2
- John says that going prone is not included because the layout and core architecture remains unchanged
- The clown like behaviour of the A.i in the remake is no more, enemy behave a lot smarter and not so weird.
Audio
Audio has been taken from the original game, sounds similar with a 5.1/7.1 setup, However using headphones provide superior positional audio thanks to PS5s Tempest hardware.