A new content update for The Last of Us Part II released today the the delight of masochists all over. Among the changes and additions made in this latest update is the addition of two extreme difficulty options that will truly put your survival skills to the test.
These additions include a new, harder difficulty called Grounded. Grounded difficulty will make enemies more deadly while resources like ammo, upgrade materials, and crafting materials are super scarce. There is no Listen mode in Grounded and parts of the HUD are also disabled. Naughty Dog says that you will have immediate access to Grounded right from the beginning, meaning that you do not have to beat the game prior to gain access to it.
In addition, there is also a new Permadeath mode that does exactly what you think it does. Permadeath mode makes it so that you have one shot to make it through the game. If you die, that's it, it is game over and you need to start over from the beginning again.
There is a little reprieve from a true Permadeath mode though. If you do not think that you can make it through the entire game without dying once, there are a few options that could make it a little easier. For instance, you can enable Permadeath mode with checkpoints on a per-chapter or per-act basis. That is to say, "if you die at the end of Day One, you'll have to play the entire day over again."
Permadeath mode and Grounded will add in two new Trophies to the game. There is one for completing the game with any Permadeath mode enabled. The other Trophy will be for beating the game on Grounded difficulty. These are not part of the "core" Trophies, which means that you can still earn a Platinum Trophy on The Last of Us Part II without ever engaging in these harder options.
Today's update also brings some additional features like graphical, audio, and gameplay modifiers. Details on that can be found at the PlayStation Blog or just keep reading below.
New graphics, audio, and gameplay modifiers
Have you ever wondered what The Last of Us Part II would look like as a cel-shaded adventure or if it was made in the retro 8-bit era? How about if it was a black and white noir thriller or sepia-toned classic? With this week’s update, we’re adding nearly 30 new graphics rendering modes, as well as several new audio modifiers that allow you to change the look and feel of the game.
We’re also debuting new unlockable gameplay modifiers, like One Shot or Touch of Death that enable one-hit kills or Infinite Ammo, Infinite Crafting, or Infinite Listen Mode Range to add a new twist to gameplay:
New options and improvements
Alongside these new modes, we’re excited to introduce a number of frequently requested improvements to the game, including the option to disable Listen Mode, adjust Film Grain levels, additional display options, improvements to accessibility features, and more. For our friends in the speedrunning community, we’re also adding the ability to see playtime up to the second in the saves menu, making it easier to track and verify your runs.
Here’s a quick overview of the new features that will be added with the Grounded update:
Have you ever wondered what The Last of Us Part II would look like as a cel-shaded adventure or if it was made in the retro 8-bit era? How about if it was a black and white noir thriller or sepia-toned classic? With this week’s update, we’re adding nearly 30 new graphics rendering modes, as well as several new audio modifiers that allow you to change the look and feel of the game.
We’re also debuting new unlockable gameplay modifiers, like One Shot or Touch of Death that enable one-hit kills or Infinite Ammo, Infinite Crafting, or Infinite Listen Mode Range to add a new twist to gameplay:
- Mirror World
- Mirror on Death
- Slow Motion
- Bullet Speed mode
- Infinite Ammo
- Infinite Crafting
- Infinite Melee Durability
- Infinite Listen mode Range
- One Shot
- Touch of Death
- 8-bit Audio
- 4-bit Audio
- Helium Audio
- Xenon Audio
New options and improvements
Alongside these new modes, we’re excited to introduce a number of frequently requested improvements to the game, including the option to disable Listen Mode, adjust Film Grain levels, additional display options, improvements to accessibility features, and more. For our friends in the speedrunning community, we’re also adding the ability to see playtime up to the second in the saves menu, making it easier to track and verify your runs.
Here’s a quick overview of the new features that will be added with the Grounded update:
- Saves now display playtime up to the second
- Film Grain Adjustment option
- Disable Listen Mode option
- Motion Sensor Function Aiming option
- Arc Throw HUD Display option
- Aiming Acceleration Scale option
- Aiming Ramp Power Scale option
- Accessibility improvements to Ground Zero encounter, collectible tracking, Enhanced Listen Mode for collectibles, and rope gameplay
