Published , by Donovan Erskine
Published , by Donovan Erskine
After a long buildup, The Last of Us Part 2 finally released on PS4, continuing the story of Ellie and Joel years after we last saw them. With shocking twists and revelations, The Last of Us Part 2 has without a doubt been one of the most talked-about games of the year. Well, there’s now a bit more to talk about, as developer Naughty Dog revealed Grounded, a new update that adds a plethora of new features to the action-adventure game, including a permadeath mode.
In the newly released trailer for Grounded, we get a look at all that’s new in the adventures of Ellie and Abby with the latest update. Grounded difficulty returns, offering an extremely challenging experience for skilled players. In grounded mode, there is minimal HUD, stronger enemies, and lesser resources.
The Grounded update also introduces new gameplay modifiers. This includes an Infinite Crafting Mode, eliminating the stress of resource management by letting players craft to their heart’s content. The Touch of Death modifier allows the player to take out an enemy with a single melee attack. Other modifiers include Slow Mode and Mirror World.
For those that enjoy obscure visual aesthetics, the Grounded update adds several filters to The Last of Us Part 2. Among these are your standard black and white and cell-shaded filters, but there are also some pretty trippy filters available, such as Pop Poster or 8-bit. A full list of new features in Grounded can be found on Naughty Dog's website.
One of the wildest additions in the Grounded update is Permadeath mode. Given players exactly one life, Permadeath will end the campaign if the player dies at any point before beating the game. I imagine anyone capable of completing The Last of Us Part 2 on both Grounded difficulty and with Permadeath active would be crowned the ruler of gamers, or something like that.
If you enjoyed The Last of Us Part 2, you’ve now got several new reasons to jump back into Naughty Dog’s gritty sequel. The Grounded update will be free for all when it launches on August 13.