The Last of Us Part 2made waves in the AAA gaming space when it was released in 2020 with its powerfully emotive storytelling, character-driven narrative, and stunning visual design. While it topped Game of the Year charts and took home many awards for a variety of reasons, one way in which Naughty Dog innovated in video game design was through the implementation of next-level accessibility features. The developer is now looking to continue that withThe Last of Us Part 1.
WithThe Last of Us Part 1now just around the corner, Sony Interactive Entertainment has revealed all the accessibility features making their return in the remake, as well as all the new things opening the game to a wider audience.
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A PlayStation blog post lists the new ways that Naughty Dog is striving to push the boundaries ofaccessibility inThe Last of Us Part 1. Firstly, three accessibility presets are made available, allowing a variety of options to be used in tandem, each helping with vision, hearing, and motor functions. Vision accessibility options include a screen radar for pinging nearby enemies, a high contrast display for clearer visuals, and audio cues for combat and traversal. Meanwhile,The Last of Us Part 1provides a variety of on-screen notifications and subtitle options for those hard of hearing, as well as an array of gameplay assisting functions to help with motor accessibility. While most of these features are already present inThe Last of Us Part 2, the ability to toggle a preset is a new development.
Also making a return inThe Last of Us Part 1is the complete customization of controller button mapping and the option to turn button mashing segments into toggles and holds, reducing the need for strenuous hand movement. Exclusive toThe Last of UsLeft Behind DLC are certain minigames played with Riley as she and Ellie explore the condemned mall. Though small segments that the player doesn’t have to win to continue with the story, theaccessibility options included inThe Last of Usremakeallow for greater time limits and slower input requirements, making grabbing that Platinum trophy all the easier.
Appearing for the first time inThe Last of Usseries is fully supported Audio Descriptionfor cinematic cutscenes, allowing for a fully immersive experience for the blind players of the game. The PlayStation 5’s DualSense is also made full use of through a Speech to Vibration feature, allowing for deaf players to experience the cadence with which each line is delivered.
It’s commendable that these accessibility features fromPart 2are not only being featured but alsoexpanded upon inThe Last of UsPart 1. This gives players of all backgrounds ample opportunity to experience the award-winning game series from the very beginning.
The Last of Us Part 1is scheduled to launch on July 29, 2025, on PS5, and a PC release is also in development.
