Naughty Dog's latest update for The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered lets you play the story in a chronological order but I think this risks blunting the emotional impact of the whole narrative

6 hours ago 2

(Image credit: Sony/Naughty Dog)

A new update for The Last of Us Part 2 lets you play the game's story in chronological order
Naughty Dog says Chronogical mode will allow players to "will gain even deeper insight into Part 2’s narrative"
New trophies and Uncharted 4-themed skins tied to the mode have also been added

Naughty Dog has released a surprise update for The Last of Us Part 2 that lets you play the game's story in chronological order.

The new Chronological mode is now available for free and allows players to experience the game's non-linear story beats in the order that they take place.

Spoiler alert! If you've played The Last of Us Part 2, this means that those Ellie and Joel flashbacks that are scattered throughout the story will now be featured chronologically near the beginning of the game.

This also means that Joel's gut-punch death won't kick-start the emotional journey and will come much later, and we'll learn about Abby's motivations a lot sooner.

"Through the new Chronological mode, we believe players will gain even deeper insight into Part 2’s narrative," Naughty Dog explained in a PlayStation Blog post.

"Those who have already played will know its story is told non-linearly, as Ellie and Abby’s motivations, realizations, and emotional stakes unfold across myriad flashbacks and present-day storylines. While this structure is very intentional and core to how our studio wanted Part II’s themes and narrative beats to impact players, we always wondered what it would be like to experience this story chronologically. And now finally, we can answer that question."

One of the game's strong suits is its narrative structure, and although the Chronogical mode is a neat addition that I'll gladly experiment with, I don't think it will offer the same emotional payoff the original format does.

"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," the studio said. "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 2's story as was originally developed, the team’s hard work has paid off with a fascinating new way to enjoy this chapter."

In addition to this new mode, new trophies tied to the experience have been added, along with two new Uncharted 4: A Thief's End costumes for Joel and Tommy, inspired by Nathan Drake and Sam Drake.

These skins can be unlocked by completing the narrative in Chronological mode and will be usable in No Return, The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered's survival mode.

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Demi is a freelance games journalist for TechRadar Gaming. She's been a games writer for five years and has written for outlets such as GameSpot, NME, and GamesRadar, covering news, features, and reviews. Outside of writing, she plays a lot of RPGs and talks far too much about Star Wars on X.

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