When it was originally released in 2013, The Last of Us’ AI was nothing special. The remake, however, apparently builds on The Last of Us Part 2’s more modern system for controlling NPCs, making them better at working together and devising more complex tactics than “running straight to the guy with the shotgun.” According to Neil Druckmann, creative director of both Last of Us games, this makes for more intense matches. Your companions’ AI has apparently also been upgraded, which will hopefully avoid immersion-breaking experiences where Ellie or Henry run right in front of an enemy who then has to act like they didn’t notice. As for game modes, the remake will apparently include a permadeath mode for those who really want to try their hand at surviving a zombie apocalypse (er, sorry, “infected”). There’s also a speed-of-run mode, though the trailer offers almost no details about it, other than that the game will display a timer in the top-right corner. The trailer also includes some other neat details — apparently the character animation system has been overhauled, the game will have improved haptics that are supposed to make you feel like you’re actually petting a giraffe in that famous scene, and Naughty Dog detailed some of the things it does with adaptive triggers, one of the PS5’s best features. If you’re at all interested in the remake, I’d recommend checking it out. Personally, I’m still not sure if all of this is enough to make me want to play the game again (I’ve already tried it once on PS3 and then played the PS4 remaster), but it looks like it’s going to be worth picking up for people who have never experienced it or who were looking for an excuse to do another playthrough. The Last Of Us Part 1 is set to release for PlayStation 5 on September 2nd and for PC sometime in the future.
