3 details you missed in The Last of Us Part II Remastered

In 2020, The Last of Us Part II took PlayStation fans on a dark and grueling ride during the final months of the PS4. PlayStation later released The Last of Us Part II Remastered for the PS5. That visually upgraded version, which came to PC in April 2025, revealed some details that might have been harder to notice in the PS4 version of the game. More importantly, The Last of Us Part II Remastered also includes commentary from Naughty Dog and some of the actors who worked on the game. Much of that commentary is available to listen to via YouTube, but the best way to hear all of it is in the game itself. That commentary also revealed details about the game that were always present, but are now clear with the added insight. Some of these details could even inform your enjoyment of The Last of Us TV show.

3 Abby's fear of heights is noticeable much earlier

While it gets mentioned directly in the story, it's revealed far earlier

Something present in both versions of The Last of Part II but more obvious in the higher fidelity version is Abby's fear of heights. If you haven't played yet, or haven't played since the original release, you may not know that Abby is canonically afraid of heights. This is said directly while exploring skyscrapers in Seattle as Abby, but you can figure this out for yourself as soon as you have control of Abby. As shown in this YouTube video, if you stand near a ledge overlooking a large drop, the screen will start to change. It will start to sway and pulse in what seems like a visualization of Vertigo, and the camera appears to start zooming in on the heights. Abby also starts to breathe heavily, clearly panicking over the height. This effect feels a bit more visceral in the remaster, and since Abby never calls out that she's afraid of heights until later, you might still not notice.

2 The WLF's reading regime includes a direct inspiration

A crisp 4K look at what Abby's been reading

During the early parts of Abby's section of The Last of Us Part II Remastered, you spend some time in the WLF's headquarters, the militia Abby is a part of. This involves her waking up with a book she was reading lying on her chest. That book is City of Thieves by David Benioff, a 2008 novel. That book was not chosen randomly, as the commentary mentions that the story provides two direct inspirations.

If you are unfamiliar with City of Thieves, it's a historical fiction novel that follows two people navigating through Leningrad during the Nazi siege of the city. The city itself is a dystopian nightmare, and the two main characters must search for eggs in order to save themselves from execution. The premise of two people traveling through dangerous and destroyed cities inspired the plot of the first game, and one of the characters is named Lev, which one of the characters in The Last of Us Part II is named after.

1 Naughty Dog got an assist from Sucker Punch

Why build Seattle from scratch when you can just borrow it from a friend?

Another detail you can only learn from the commentary tracks on The Last of Us Part II Remastered commentary tracks is how Naughty Dog built its version of Seattle. Most noticeable in the open section with Dina and Ellie riding on a horse is that this version of Seattle is quite faithful to the actual city it's based on. While you might want to give credit to the talented developers at Naughty Dog, some of that credit should go to a different PlayStation studio.

That studio is Sucker Punch Productions, who is releasing Ghost of Yōtei in 2025. A Seattle-area-based studio, its game, InFamous: Second Son was also set in Seattle, where the team put a ton of time and effort into building iconic landmarks in accurate locations. That 3D model served as the basis for Naughty Dog to build its Seattle on top of.

The Last of Us Part II Remastered includes tons of details for hungry fans

Between the overhauled graphics, cut levels, and the roguelike mode, there are tons of new content in The Last of Us Part II Remastered, making it worthwhile for fans of the series. In addition to new gameplay features, the director's commentary provides new information and details about the development of the game, which are details that even the most dedicated fans might not pick up on. If you want to devour every piece of information you can about the Last of Us universe, The Last of Us Part II Remastered is a can't-miss experience.