Naughty Dog Tackles Pacing Issues in The Last of Us Part 2

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The Last of Us Part 2 is well-made, but some players find that the game’s use of flashbacks can interrupt moments of high tension. This feedback is subjective, but Naughty Dog has responded by creating a new mode that lets players experience the story in chronological order instead of the original non-linear setup.

In a post on the PlayStation Blog, Naughty Dog explained their reasoning for this new mode.

Linear Storytelling

The studio mentioned, “Players who have played the game know it tells its story in a non-linear way, with flashbacks showing Ellie and Abby’s motivations and emotional arcs. While this choice is intentional and reflects our themes, we often thought about what it would be like to play the story straight through. Now we can answer that question.”

They added, “With the new Chronological mode, players will get a closer look at Part II’s story. They will notice how Ellie receiving a guitar connects to her learning to play it, and see the parallels between Ellie and Abby’s adventures in Seattle, including how they influence each other.”

Creating this mode was not as easy as rearranging scenes, especially since gameplay mechanics change in the story. Naughty Dog emphasized that they aimed to provide experienced players with a fresh way to enjoy the narrative.

The studio encourages new players to experience the game in its original format before trying the chronological mode.

This new mode also introduces trophies, which, when completed, will reward players with outfits for Joel inspired by Nathan Drake. Admittedly, Joel may not wear them as well as Nathan does.

The patch that adds chronological mode is available now.