Permadeath is coming to The Last of Us Part II, as well as extra difficulty options

The Last of Us Part II was already a pretty challenging game back when I played it. It’s also an exceptionally good game if you’re the sort of person that appreciates art for what it is. Naughty Dog’s latest adventure is a tough beast to play, both from a gameplay perspective and an emotional, narrative direction. Yet what would make the themes of hatred, death and loss all the more poignant? That’s right, a good ol’ fashioned permadeath mode which is being added to the game in a new update.

Spotted by Power Pyx, the latest update includes two DLC trophies filed under “Grounded Mode”. These trophies read as, “Complete the story on Grounded” and “Complete the story with any Permadeath setting.” Neither of which seems to be an especially easy mountain to scale considering the game was already tough as nails without all the hardcore difficulty options enabled. If you plan on playing through the game on Grounded, expect a bitterly difficult experience as Listen Mode is stripped from the game, spawn rates of supplies are reduced, the HUD is gone and damage dealt by enemies is dramatically boosted. Basically, stealth is a requirement.

Why someone would ever emotionally drain themselves this way is beyond me, but I suppose a super punishing difficulty mode and permadeath is a pretty decent thematic addition to the game. I absolutely adored The Last of Us Part II and while the addition of these new modes might not be enough to draw me back to it (yet) I can see myself attempting an ultra-hard run in the future.

Last Updated: August 11, 2020