You don’t have to do them at the same time
[Update: Apart from Grounded and Permadeath, The Last of Us Part II is adding gameplay modifiers like infinite crafting, slow-mo, a one-hit-kill “touch of death,” and a “mirror world,” as well as wild-looking graphics modes. A motion aiming option and a toggle to turn off Listen Mode are also included.
You don’t need to beat the game to start a Grounded run, and if you hate the idea of losing an entire playthrough on Permadeath but you like high stakes, you can use per-chapter or per-act checkpoints.
The Grounded update is going live on August 13, 2020. You can check out the patch notes here.]
The Last of Us Part II will feel like a different game on Grounded difficulty. If you’re up for the challenge – and you’re ready to play through this draining experience again – the option will be here soon.
As spotted by PowerPyx, Naughty Dog just updated the trophies for The Last of Us Part II and there’s now a separate category (that won’t mess with the platinum trophy) called Grounded Mode.
There are two new trophies:
- Dig Two Graves: Complete the story on Grounded
- You Can’t Stop This: Complete the story with any Permadeath setting
There are few games I’d want to permanently die in less than The Last of Us Part II, but Grounded is different. In the original game, the mode cranked up the difficulty in several ways including harsher checkpoints, less health and ammo, no more all-powerful Listen Mode, and super perceptive AI.
Naughty Dog did a stellar job with its meticulous gameplay and accessibility features, so it’s nice to see the studio expand them even further for hardcore players. Keep an eye out for patch 1.05.
At this point, I’m more interested in multiplayer (even though it’ll also be stressful af).
@PowerPyx [Twitter]