The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered receives chronological story mode in free update

Naughty Dog and Nixxes has introduced a new way of playing The Last of Us Part II Remastered – chronologically! Instead of the default structure that the narrative is presented, in which the present-day storyline is interspersed with flashbacks, this new mode tells the story strictly in chronological order. The free update with this mode, which has released for The Last of Us Part II Remastered on PS5 and PC, also includes new trophies and skins for completionists out there, as well as additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

Writing on the PlayStation Blog, Naughty Dog Editorial Content Manager Jonathon Dornbush states that by playing the game chronologically, “players will gain even deeper insight into Part II’s narrative“. This new narrative framing is intended to emphasise parallels in Ellie and Abby’s journeys and how their actions impact one another, and provide greater focus into the consequences of certain narrative elements. If you play through the game in chronological order, there are two trophies up for grabs, as well as Uncharted-themed skins allowing Joel and Tommy to dress as Nathan and Sam Drake respectively.

This new mode, similar to the No Return roguelike mode, is exclusive to The Last of Us Part II Remastered on PS5 and PC. As such, players of the original PS4 version are out of luck. In the blog post, Dornbush emphasises that the developers still recommend players experience the narrative as originally intended for their first playthrough. However, for those who want to play the game again from a new perspective, experiencing the events in chronological order could be an interesting way to do it. The chronological narrative mode is currently available for The Last of Us Part II Remastered on PS5 and PC.