

So far, this sounds like little more than a coat of paint. Much like with the PS4 remaster in 2014, we are to disregard earlier versions for this one. This remake is very clearly intended as a replacement for the original, the new intended experience for the original story. While there are aspects of the sequel's DNA that have found their way into this remake, new gameplay features like the ability to go prone or dodge have not been added to this game. Any deviation from the original version of the game is minimal, almost purely cosmetic. Nothing has been shifted around, this isn't a director's cut where the flow or pace of the game has been changed. All dialogue, voice lines, characters and scenarios are present and accounted for. Much of the game is exactly as it was because there was no need to alter it. This is not an all-new way to experience a game that desperately needed an overhaul, this is the game you played in 2013 with a facelift and some quality improvements elsewhere. At face value, the changes here seem pretty minimal. This is not a fundamental remake like Resident Evil 2 or Final Fantasy VII. That is to say, TLOU Part 1 is the same game again in many ways. While it is certainly accurate to call this a remake, for reasons we will get into, this feels more like a remaster. Chances are high that you have already played it, and are only here to read about what has changed.

It's hard to know where to start when reviewing a remake of one of the most popular games of all time.
