The Last of Us Part II has gotten a surprise update, with a new story mode and new skins. 

Game developer Naughty Dog has surprise-launched a new update for its 2020 video game The Last of Us Part II, adding an all-new way to play through its story campaign. While the game was previously dotted with non-linear flashbacks, players can now play through Ellie and Abby’s storylines in chronological order, beat by beat. 

New skins themed after Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End have also been added.

The Last of Us Part II gets chronological story update

The PlayStation Studios-published video game The Last of Us Part II Remastered, which adds improvements to the original 2020 title, is getting a surprisingly hefty update. As of today, players can now play through the game’s story in chronological order, thanks to a recently-released free update. 

The story of The Last of Us Part II follows two protagonists–Ellie and Abby–with players experiencing their perspectives in a campaign that utilises non-linear storytelling via lengthy flashbacks. Arguably, playing the game’s levels in chronological order would destroy the creator’s intent of the main story. 

However, this new chronological mode is more so meant for returning players and fans to experience the game in a fresh way. According to a PlayStation Blog post, Naughty Dog thinks players will gain “even deeper insight” into the game’s narrative in this mode. The developer wrote:

“Through the new Chronological mode, we believe players will gain even deeper insight into Part II’s narrative. Players will be able to see how Ellie being gifted a guitar flows so neatly into her learning to play, for example, while the journey through Seattle will showcase the fascinating parallels between Ellie and Abby’s crisscrossing journeys. You’ll see just how close they come into running into each other, how their actions impact each other, and more.”

Naughty Dog and developer Nixxes put the mode together, with new trophies for players to unlock. Completing Chronological mode will also reward players with a Nathan Drake skin for Joel and a Sam Drake skin for Tommy, themed after Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. 

Chronological mode is now available to play in The Last of Us Part II Remastered via a new patch, which also contains several bug fixes and performance improvements. As for the HBO adaptation, a behind-the-scenes creative shakeup recently saw game director Neil Druckmann and writer Halley Gross depart the series’ production.