Note: This review contains spoilers for The Last of Us Part I. Additionally, due to the quality of this port, the review will only cover a limited portion of the game experience, and it may not provide a comprehensive evaluation of the entire game.
Naughty Dog is actively working on improving the game’s performance and addressing any technical issues. As such, this review may not reflect changes made to the game in the coming weeks/months.
Fans have eagerly awaited the opportunity to experience The Last of Us on a new platform, and Sony and Naughty Dog were expected to deliver nothing less than a flawless port. Given the game’s reputation and the high expectations from fans, it was expected that this version of The Last of Us would be nothing less than flawless.
Despite these high expectations, this version of the game has unfortunately not lived up to the “Naughty Dog Promise.” and has outright fallen flat on its face right out of the gate. This version of the game is plagued with technical issues, including glitches, high VRAM usage, texture buffering, character model glitches, and more.
Several weeks before the launch, we started to have doubts about the game’s state when Naughty Dog failed to send review codes or mention a review embargo. It occurred to us that The Last of Us might be released in an unoptimized state, and this thought was further reinforced when we saw the game’s specifications, which were significantly higher than those of other games released in 2022/2023.
Hmm… not a good first impression of the PC port of The Last of Us.
At least there’s Christmas lights in this port pic.twitter.com/2rNRQhNZIO
— Ben (@videotech_) March 29, 2023
Despite Naughty Dog’s efforts to address the technical issues through multiple patches and hotfixes, significant problems still persist. These issues make it difficult to give a fair evaluation of the game’s mechanics and overall quality. While the game’s fundamentals, such as its captivating storyline, complex characters, and immersive gameplay, remain intact, the technical problems detract from the overall experience.
After 6 patches, the reality of the situation is that the game remains largely unplayable on mid-range PCs. Only those willing to invest in the latest graphics cards and 32GB RAM might have a decent experience.
Watch the full review on the Youtube video attached.