‘The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered’ Demystifies Game Design

Photo: Sony Interactive Entertainment

What, exactly, is the difference between a “Roguelike” and “Metroidvania”? Out of a “perk” or “buff,” which is more useful for my woefully “underpowered” character? The specialized language of video games can get obscure, especially when it comes to understanding their making. You need to grasp not only an even more esoteric vocabulary, but it helps if you have a brain for unfathomable technical detail — that is, if the oftentimes secretive publishers behind such games let you peek at their unfinished code, scripts, and assets.

Enter The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, which aims to bridge this gap in knowledge. Alongside an arguably unnecessary visual upgrade (the 2020 original already looked gorgeous) and an arcade mode (riotous fun), the remaster comes bundled with a handful of so-called “lost levels.” These sequences that were cut prior to the game’s full release come with commentary from the game’s designers, and introductory videos from The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann. There’s also a meaty commentary involving Druckmann, narrative lead Halley Gross, and key actors which plays during the game’s beautifully produced cinematics. All in, this generous behind-the-scenes material evokes the halcyon era of DVD making-of extras, affording nerds of the game-making process a similar look behind the curtain as those into movies.

The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered is also a welcome if only partial corrective for an industry that mostly still talks about games as immaculately conceived entertainment products rather than the efforts of actual people. Here, game designers Banun Idris and Phil Ellis run us through three playable “lost levels.” Each offers a fascinating look at a triple-A game prior to the customary spit and polish applied by sound designers, VFX artists, and environment artists whose work goes a long way to giving these kinds of games their wonderfully immersive quality.

These levels are, if not preserved in the precise moment they were discarded, then as close to it as a famously exacting studio like Naughty Dog might allow. “There’s a version of this you could do where you’re like, bugs, warts and all,” says Matthew Gallant, director of The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered. “We thought it would be nice to have a more curated experience.” For “The Hunt,” which sees protagonist Ellie tracking a boar through a forest, that meant delineating the level’s boundaries by making sure players couldn’t simply walk off cliffs of geometry. Gallant also points to the road that runs in front of the general store where Ellie and the beast have their bloody showdown l. “We had to think about how we box the player in on both sides of that,” he says. “Usually in The Last of Us, it’s through some destruction, rubble, or…