Summary
WhileThe Last of Usfranchise is world-renowned for its stellar storytelling, great writing, and rich characters, it’s pretty widely believed that it isn’t the most complex series when it comes to the actual gameplay. WhileThe Last of Us' combat encountersare always intense and engaging, its moment-to-moment exploration can get a tad repetitive, with many lengthy sequences of gameplay feeling more like a chance for characters to exposit dialogue. Thankfully, the second game in the series made some big improvements to gameplay, and they’re even more evident inThe Last of Us Part 2 Remastered.
With some even shinier visuals, some DualSense integration, and some brand new modes,The Last of Us Part 2 Remasteredhas become the definitive way to play the modern classic. But some ofThe Last of Us Part 2 Remastered’s best bits aren’t actually new additions or enhancements, as instead they’re when an old mechanic gets a new chance to shine in the spotlight, and that’s exactly what No Return does forThe Last of Us' Workbench.
The Last of Us Part 2’s No Return Mode Makes the Workbench Feel More Important Than Ever
Loot Has Never Been More Precious Than in The Last of Us No Return
A feature clearly heavily inspired bythe survival horror genreand games likeResident Evil,The Last of Usfranchise ensures that players never have an abundance of ammunition or supplies. Though this rule can be bent on lower difficulties, players will usually only have just enough ammo to get through a combat encounter, or just enough healing supplies to recover from a boss fight. Exploration thus becomes a key part ofThe Last of Us' core gameplay loop, with players spending a good portion of the runtime searching cabinets, chests, and drawers for any scrap of loot.
Loot has always been of paramount importance inThe Last of Us, but that’s even truer forThe Last of Us Part 2 Remastered’s No Return mode. A roguelike mode that sees players engage in multiple successive combat encounters, No Return puts weapon upgrades, character upgrades, and crafting at the very center of the experience, with players returning to a hideout between each encounter to gear up. InThe Last of Us Part 2 Remastered’s No Return mode, a good loadout and set of upgrades can easily mean the difference between a completed run and an instant death, which makes every single piece of loot feel that much more important.
Every Workbench Upgrade Feels Crucial in The Last of Us No Return
But by far the shining hero ofThe Last of Us Part 2 Remastered’s No Return mode is the Weapon Workbench, a feature that’s only continued to gain prominence over the years with each new remaster and remake. InThe Last of Us Part 2’s story mode, the Weapon Workbench is an incredibly useful tool, allowing players to trade their loot for weapon upgrades, and giving them a satisfying little animation in the process. In No Return, Weapon Workbenches play an even more important role, and feel even more satisfying to use.
Weapons are the lifeblood ofThe Last of Us Part 2 Remastered’s No Return mode, even more so than in the base game, with each character receiving a unique starting weapon that quickly becomes their main tool for survival. For the first few No Return encounters, players will likely only have one weapon, and keeping it upgraded becomes a necessity. With each upgrade comes an increasing feeling that this run might be the one, and that sensation, paired withThe Last of Us Part 2’s great animations, makes the Workbench feel more satisfying to use than ever before.
