Naughty Dog has carried the original The Last of Us through each console generation that it has lived through, with many difficulty settings for players to choose from. The Last of Us' Grounded difficulty emulates a realistic simulation of the brutal, post-apocalyptic setting that The Last of Us is established in. Grounded mode deactivates mechanics and user-interfaces in The Last of Us that players grow to rely upon, such as the HUD and Listen Mode ability, which allows players to discern where enemies are located using echolocation.
Rather, The Last of Us Part 2 debuted many accessibility options and difficulty intensifiers that let fans modify particular parts of the game to their liking. This has ensured that the game is much more granular and personalized for players who desire a particular experience. The Last of Us Part 2 added a Grounded mode post-launch in an update that also featured a new Permadeath mode. Recently, the actor playing Tommy in The Last of Us' HBO series has shown their continued commitment to the role with the intent to replay both games.
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Gabriel Luna's excitement is shared with fans in an image of themselves with an unopened PS5. Luna notably states that they plan to replay both games as ongoing research for the role. Permadeath means that players will be sent back to the beginning of the game each time that they die. Completion of the game then relies upon the player staying alive, making the intensifier extremely daunting for even skillful players to achieve. Luna also mentions that he plans to play both games in Permadeath mode, though the first installment does not feature such a mode. Grounded is the most challenging difficulty in The Last of Us, so perhaps Luna will opt for that setting instead.
However, fans who wish to attempt Permadeath runs in The Last of Us Part 2 may choose to make the experience a little less grueling with the option to secure checkpoints at the beginning of each chapter or at the beginning of each act, if the option to reset the entire game appears too unforgiving. Either way, Luna's plan to dive into each game on its hardest difficulty demonstrates his enthusiasm as a gamer and as a fan of The Last of Us.
HBO's The Last of Us series takes place during the events of the first game, but there is potential for the series to continue further into events from the sequel. That said, Luna may simply be playing The Last of Us Part 2 to understand the extended narrative and experience how his character's development continues. Tommy plays a significant role in the original game, which Luna will also be able to play on the next-gen system, since it is included in the console's PS Plus Collection bundle.
The Last of Us Part 2 is available now on PS4.