In celebration of pre-orders going live today, Naughty Dog has shared a new trailer and details on its brand new gameplay mode, No Return, featured on the upcoming The Last of Us Part II Remastered.
No Return is a single-player roguelike survival mode, with a player death ending the run entirely, losing any weapons, items, and upgrades gained along the way. Each encounter will feature a familiar location from TLOU Part II including Jackson, the Channel 13 News Station, and Scar encampments with foes you’ve faced before, but with new twists and obstacles to get in your way. The scenarios are randomized, with players’ choices modifying how the rest of the run plays out. Between each combat encounter, you’ll return to a Hideout to plan out your next attack.
If you find yourself successful at the end of a run, one of six bosses will greet you, a new one being unlocked with each success before randomizing. Whether you complete a run or fall at the hands of a Shambler, Hunter, or Clicker, you’ll get a score and rank based on your performance.
There are four modes in No Return, and per Naughty Dog‘s website they are, “Assault, which pits you against waves of enemies; Capture, in which you have to break into a safe full of valuable supplies enemies are guarding; Holdout, during which you and an AI-controlled buddy defend against Infected swarming around you; and Hunted, in which you need to survive until the timer runs out against continuous enemy reinforcements.”
To make it even more exciting, Mods will be randomly added to each encounter. Naughty Dog hasn’t released the entire list of potential options but will include “enemies dropping pipe bombs upon death, a thick fog enveloping the encounter map, and more.”
Just like the regular campaign in TLOU, No Return will feature upgradeable weapons and skill trees, but whatever upgrades you earn will be reset at the end of a run. Random weapon drops will also be included in each encounter.
Playable characters include:
- Ellie
- Dina
- Joel
- Tommy
- Jesse
- Abby
- Lev
- Yara
- Mel
- Manny
Ellie and Abby will be the only playable characters when you begin, with the others unlocking as you progress through Challenges, your progress counting towards these goals even if you don’t make it all the way to the boss. Each character will have different playstyles and perks, “Dina, for example, comes equipped with trap and stun bomb recipes from the jump, and has an upgrade in her skill tree to craft double the amount of bombs, while Abby comes with a melee upgrade recipe and heals on melee hits.” Along with new characters, players can unlock new skins and gameplay twists like Gambits, Buddies, and more.
There will be an option to toggle various factors in custom No Return through runs, as well as a competitive Daily Run where you’ll be able to see how your skills hold up against other TLOU II No Return players. Every Daily Run will feature the same character and settings.
No Return is available immediately upon booting up the Remastered game, however, if you’ve never played the campaign before it is recommended to get a handle on the combat system.
The Last of Us Part II Remastered is now available to pre-order exclusively for PlayStation 5, including the special W.L.F. Edition. Players who already own TLOU Part II will be able to purchase the upgrade for $10 (USD) upon release on January 19, 2024.
