The Last of Us Part 2: What is No Return Mode?

The Last of Us Part 2 is the sequel to one of the best video games ever made for PlayStation consoles. It is clear just how popular The Last of Us franchise has been over the past decade with the franchise expanding to its very own TV show. On January 19, gamers will once again be able to dive into The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered and play through the dynamic story once again.

Since The Last of Us Part 2 will be remastered and playable on the PlayStation 5, there are some changes that will be coming. The game will be optimized for PlayStation 5 consoles to make sure that the graphics are even better than before, and of course quality-of-life fixes were made to make the game run smoother than ever before.

One of the biggest additions being added into The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered is the new game mode that will launch with the game's release called No Return. No Return is a brand-new Rougelike game mode that is said to test all of the skills you have learned throughout the game and see just how well you can survive.

How does No Return Mode work?

Since No Return is based of a Rougelike video game, death is permanent. You will start every run fresh and progress through different random scenarios. If you lose the run, you will be able to start a new run from scratch where you have to regain all your upgrades and weapons once again.

Every run will also be randomized. This means that the scenarios that you encounter are going to be different from your previous runs. If you are familiar with Rougelike video games, you know that every run is different from your previous run. No two runs are a carbon copy of the same experience that you just played through.

No Return will also offer you the option to choose from four different game modes (Assault, Capture, Holdout, and Hunted). Each game mode offers a different objective, but the goal in each of them remains the same. Don't be defeated by the infected.

Each of the four game modes in No Return have bosses that you will encounter. You may recognize these bosses from the campaign. However, the way you need to beat them will be a whole lot different than the way you beat them during the campaign.

Since No Return is going to take you to some of the most memorable locations from the campaign, it is said to be recommended to beat the campaign first before trying out this new game mode. Even one of the developers at Naughty Dog took to X to say how tough this new No Return mode is going to be and described the experience as "not recommended for weak hearts."

If No Return sounds like it is right in your ballpark, you can start playing it as soon as you load up the game. However, like I stated before, it is better to learn the mechanics of combat and play through the campaign before you jump into this game mode. Especially if you have never played The Last of Us Part 2 before.

Dive into all of this and more when The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered releases on January 19 for the PlayStation 5.