It may not be a Factions 2 or the canceledLast of Usonline game, but No Return deserves praise as a niche roguelike mode inThe Last of Part 2. There’s rarely a run where players are greeted with favorable RNG, to be sure, and yet it’s a fairly ingenious way to extendThe Last of Us Part 2’s shelf life as it gives players an outlet to pour their skill of combat and stealth with unique perks and characters that weren’t playable in the story. Plus, withMarlene and Bill now added toThe Last of Us Part 2’s No Return, the door seems open wide to moreLast of Us Part 1characters joining in the future.
Indeed, there’s a lot morePart 1-related content that No Return could add if Naughty Dog is hoping to keep the roguelike mode healthy for the foreseeable future. That said, the ambiguous nature of the franchise followingThe Last of Us Part 2means that No Return as a game mode could be on a shaky precipice. Naughty Dog seemingly must choose between two options, assuming that aPart 3is even on the table: eitherPart 3receives a No Return mode and effectively makesPart 2’s redundant, or a No Return mode is skipped inPart 3with Naughty Dog continuing to updatePart 2’s with brand-newPart 3content.
No Return in a Last of Us Part 3 Could Make The Last of Us Part 2’s Obsolete
Option one could undoubtedly be great for anyone who adores No Return and would like to see it reprised in a futureLast of Usentry, and a great reason to reprise No Return instead of burying it inThe Last of Us Part 2is because aPart 3may have a ton of new mechanics and ensure that gameplay is completely different.Gameplay fromPart 1toPart 2couldn’t be more different, for instance, and monumental changes would now be expected of aPart 3. Plus, anyone who is disappointed by No Return and was hoping for a multiplayer mode a la Factions would be doubly burned by a second No Return mode.
No microtransactions are involved in No Return, but having to begin again from scratch may be a tough pill to swallow for players who’ve farmed runs believing that this roguelike mode might be the last piece ofLast of Uscontent they ever receive from Naughty Dog. A No Return inPart 3would then have to decide if it wants to absorb all of the sequel’sPart 1andPart 2content as well as adding brand-newPart 3content, and in doing so it could be more ideal to have all available content on the most recent and modern title.
The Last of Us Part 3 Sans No Return Could Bury the Roguelike Mode in The Last of Us Part 2
Option two is probably more favorable as it might ensure that the sequel doesn’t lose what little shelf life it’s still clinging to, but it would mean No Return is entombed inPart 2without any of the new gameplay enhancements and features that aPart 3might introduce to the series. Rather,The Last of Usditching No Return inPart 3could givePart 2’s roguelike mode significance, similar to how Factions is now unique to the originalLast of Usand its PS4 remaster before thePart 1remake on PS5.Competitive dailies inPart 2’s No Returnare a phenomenal way of maintaining a playerbase and many players still do compete, but fewer players may be as likely to stick around if aPart 3had its own No Return.
Ellie recently received a skin that has her donning Jordan’s red jacket from the upcomingIntergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, and future skins for No Return inspired byNaughty Dog’s newest IParen’t out of the realm of possibility.
