During the Summer Game Fest showcase, Naughty Dog appeared on stage to announce The Last of Us Part 1, a remake of the original 2013 title. In an official blog post from the studio, it’s revealed that the team behind The Last of Us Part 1 has “implemented modernized gameplay, improved controls, and expanded accessibility options.”
The post does note that the remake will make use of the PS5 hardware features such as 3D audio, haptics, and adaptive triggers. This could mean a lot more directionality and tactile cues for players with disabilities. Of course, at this moment in time, it’s all speculation until an official confirmation comes about regarding what we can expect.
Game director Matthew Gallant is brought up in the post, being noted for his work on The Last of Us Part 2 which included over 60 accessibility features. Matthew also revealed prototypes of the High Contrast modes in the sequel. All of these features were made possible by not only the development team but the consultants behind it. Can I Play That? actually got to speak with Naughty Dog about the success and implementation of the features.
Not much else has been revealed about what we can expect from the remake in terms of accessibility, but we certainly do hope that the remake of the original learns from its sequel.
In addition, a Digital Deluxe edition was revealed and seems to include some early unlocks of in-game items. The ones of note seem to be related to adjusting gameplay somewhat.
- Increased Crafting Speed Skill
- Increased Healing Speed Skill
- 9mm Reload Speed Increase Upgrade
- Rifle Clip Capacity Increase Upgrade
- Explosive Arrows Gameplay Modifier
The Last of Us Part 1 doesn’t seem to have a release date as of yet, but pre-orders are available. We can only hope that expanded accessibility features mean that we may see even a few features that made the sequel so highly-revered for its accessibility.
