Latest news with #ChronologicalMode
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Business Standard
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Standard
The Last of Us Part II Remastered gets chronological mode in free update
Sony's Naughty Dog studio has rolled out a free update for The Last of Us Part II Remastered, giving players the option to play the game in chronological order for the first time. Available now on PS5 (Patch 2.1.0) and PC via Steam and Epic Games (Patch 1.5), the Chronological Mode rearranges the original non-linear narrative—told through flashbacks and time jumps—into a single continuous timeline. According to the PlayStation blog, the update is aimed at returning players who want a new way to engage with the story of Ellie and Abby. This update arrives just as HBO's The Last of Us Season 2 wraps up and with no third game on the immediate horizon. The Last of Us Part II Remastered update: What's New As detailed on the PlayStation Blog, Naughty Dog says the mode offers a different emotional arc and may highlight narrative parallels that were less visible before. For instance, players will see events like Ellie learning the guitar and her journey through Seattle unfold in an uninterrupted sequence. The studio says this was not a small task, given the game's complex structure. It also includes new in-game trophies tied to completing Chronological Mode and two unlockable character skins for No Return, the game's roguelike mode, dressing Joel and Tommy as Nathan and Sam Drake from Uncharted, in a nod to Naughty Dog's history. The patch also brings general bug fixes and performance improvements. Naughty Dog recommends that first-time players stick with the original non-linear format, but for returning fans, Chronological Mode offers a new lens on the story, particularly as the upcoming season of the show is expected to spotlight Abby's perspective.
Geek Culture
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Culture
Naughty Dog Includes Chronological Mode To 'The Last of Us Part II', Adds 'Uncharted' Outfits
Naughty Dog, the studio behind the hit post-apocalyptic stealth-action game franchise, The Last of Us , has released a surprise update for 2024's The Last of Us Part II Remastered , adding a new Chronological mode that reshuffles the game's original non-linear narrative into a linear storyline. Announced via a post on the PlayStation Blog, the new update, which is out today for the PS5 and PC, re-orders the title's narrative beats into one cohesive storyline and is meant as a fresh way to experience the game for returning players. Those familiar with the game would no doubt remember that its story was told non-linearly, intertwining flashbacks and present-day events to help enhance its emotional storytelling, and now, by enabling the new option, players can witness the game's plot unfold in chronological order. 'Through the new Chronological mode, we believe players will gain even deeper insight into Part II's narrative.' wrote Naughty Dog Editorial Content Manager Jonathon Dornbush, '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.' Despite realising such a substantial shake up to the game's narrative, Naughty Dog still encourages new players to experience the game as it 'was originally developed' during their first run, explaining that its 'structure is very intentional and core to how our studio wanted Part II's themes and narrative beats to impact players'. That's not all, as to incentivise players to engage in this new mode, beating the game with the Chronological option enabled will unlock two new skins that should be familiar to fans of Naughty Dog, a Nathan Drake outfit for Joel and a Samuel Drake outfit for Tommy, inspired by the studio's other massively popular IP, Uncharted . Once unlocked, these two outfits will be usable in the game's No Return roguelike survival mode. The new update for The Last of Us Part II Remastered is now available for the PS5 (Patch 2.1.0) and PC (Patch 1.5), bringing the new Chronological mode alongside 'a host of additional bug fixes and performance improvements'. Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise 'duds' like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3 . He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying. Naughty Dog The Last of Us Part II The Last of Us Part II Remastered
Engadget
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Engadget
I can't believe they found another way to make me replay The Last of Us Part II
Somehow, Naughty Dog has found yet another way to get me to play The Last of Us Part II again. The developer just released a rather unexpected update to the remastered version of the game for PS5 and PC: you can now play the game in chronological order. Part II was infamous for the its big perspective shift from Ellie to Abby, but now players can go through their adventures side-by-side as they progress. Naturally, Naughty Dog notes that the non-linear structure is crucial to the way it envisioned the game's story and recommends anyone playing Part II for the first time do so in the original format. But there's a lot of potential for seeing how Ellie and Abby's experiences in Seattle in the main meat of the game impact each other, which should be fun to watch. I also like the idea of jumping back and forth more frequently through Ellie and Abby's different play styles. But this isn't the definitive way to play the game — when you load up a new Chronological play-through the first time, it notes that pacing may seem "off" and that tutorials for various actions may come after you've already had to use them. Naughty Dog didn't specifically say how quickly the game would intercut between Ellie and Abby's stories. But a quick video Naughty Dog posted suggests it'll be pretty frequent as their respective journeys through Seattle unfold. This also means you'll be starting the game with a bunch of flashbacks and cutscenes, which will be a big change. I'm trying to think what the earliest thing that happens in the game is that'll open this new experience — I think it'll start the same way as the original version of the game, but I also might be forgetting something here. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. The timing of this update is also interesting, as it arrives a few months after season two of HBO's adaptation finished — and just a few days after Neil Druckmann announced he wouldn't be working on season three. Season two stuck close to the narrative structure of its source material but it didn't land nearly as well as season one, which could be why Druckmann is focusing on his main gig. Naturally, there are new trophies to be had for completing Chronological Mode, and you can unlock a few skins of Joel and Tommy dressed as brothers Nathan and Sam Drake from Uncharted 4: A Thief's End — a fun nod to Naughty Dog's other major franchise. This comes as the studio celebrates its 40th year, and just over five years after The Last of Us Part II was originally released for the PS4. The patch for The Last of Us Part II remastered on PS5 and PC is available now. Not surprisingly, Chronological Mode isn't available for the original PS4 version of the game — but if you own that, you can still upgrade to the remaster for a fairly reasonable $10. At least you don't have to pay for this latest update, right?
The Verge
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
The Last of Us Part II's new mode puts the story in chronological order
With season 2 of HBO's The Last of Us in the books, and with no The Last of Us Part III coming in the immediate future, Naughty Dog has come up with an interesting way to funnel all the attention from the show into the game. The studio has released a new, free patch for The Last of Us Part II Remastered that lets you play the game in chronological order. The mode takes Abby and Ellie's stories and interleaves them in chronological order rather than the nonlinear story of the original version of the game, which used timeskips and flashbacks. In addition to Chronological Mode, the patch also includes new achievements and skins to use in Part II Remastered's roguelike game mode No Return. Now you can dress up Joel and his brother Tommy like Naughty Dog's other pair of visually indistinct, emotionally constipated brothers; Nathan and Sam Drake. Naughty Dog does still recommend that first timers play TLOU Part II normally before tackling Chronological Mode but that, 'the team's hard work has paid off with a fascinating new way to enjoy this chapter.' Chronological Mode will give players a new reason to pick up the game while awaiting the next season of the show which will dive into events from Abby's perspective. Season 3 though, will proceed without Neil Druckmann as co-lead. Druckmann, co-director of both The Last of Us games and creative director at Naughty Dog, recently announced that he's taking a break from the show to focus efforts on the studio's games including the recently announced, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.
