Much has been said about the rumored remake of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us, such as whether fans believe it to be a worthwhile investment or a redundant cash-grab. Either way, the supposed remake has had interesting information shared from credible sources that would be exciting for new and returning fans alike, and it would also likely launch in tandem with the release of the live-action adaptation of The Last of Us from HBO.
The Last of Us’ popular multiplayer mode Factions is supposedly set to return as an overhauled attachment to the remake, which would add even more longevity to it. In terms of the base game’s remake, nothing about it specifically has been shared, such as what gameplay or narrative changes should be expected. Significant changes will likely be made to the beloved narrative and characters in The Last of Us for whichever reasons, though, and The Last of Us 2’s Abby Anderson is one substantial question mark that may be addressed in the remake.
The Last of Us’ Remake May Accentuate Other Characters
The Last of Us having a remake developed implies that another visual remaster on PS5 was an inadequate answer for having the original game modernized for next-gen platforms. Instead, The Last of Us is rumored to be remade, and fans can likely anticipate it to look and play similarly to The Last of Us 2 with some minor changes or refinements to gameplay.
But the other opportunity that Naughty Dog has with a remake is the potential for other storylines and character developments to be accentuated in a way that was perhaps not considered during the original game’s development, or maybe not possible with the technological constraints of the late PS3 and early PS4 era. Now, Naughty Dog has the chance to highlight characters in different ways to hone The Last of Us’ story and gameplay.
It would make less sense if Naughty Dog simply wanted a facsimile of the original with overhauled visuals and gameplay, and that is of course still on the table, as is the remake’s existence in general. Still, some fans hope that The Last of Us’ remake treads new paths and innovates far beyond that of the original in order to avoid retelling the same story.
In this mindset, characters such as Bill and Frank could be showcased more thoroughly. Moreover, Tess and Joel’s friendship and partnership as smugglers could be given more context, as well as the relationship between Joel and Tommy and why exactly they had moved apart based on their opposing ideals.
These contexts would establish more about characters that players have seen a lot from, but may not fully understand why they have the convictions they do throughout The Last of Us, especially if Naughty Dog never plans to make a fully fledged prequel. Abby needs no formal introduction as she is one of the most controversial characters to debut in The Last of Us 2, but even she could have a place in The Last of Us’ purported remake in order to further establish her own narrative context.
Abby Could Be Her Own Playable Character in the Remake
Joel and Ellie will likely be the sole focus of The Last of Us’ remake; the original game stars and centers on them, and their surrogate father-and-daughter relationship development is key to the narrative. If new stories and contextual information are shared, though, there could also be a chance that Abby is spotlighted someplace in the narrative of the remake.
If the remake is retelling The Last of Us but staying canonically connected to The Last of Us 2, then the one thing that cannot change is the fact that Joel murders Abby’s father, Jerry, before he can perform terminal surgery on Ellie. Because of this plot point, Abby’s years-long warpath leads her to Joel, whom she kills without him even knowing who she is.
Abby was much younger before Jerry’s death, however, and her being in the remake would need to respect how young she is in the timeline. There is a chance that Naughty Dog could choose to have her playable in a sequence where she and Owen evade or fight infected mobs. But because Abby’s origin of vengeance does not begin until after her father’s death, Naughty Dog would need to come up with an interesting development for her formative years that adds to the story, but does not retcon anything she does or believes later on.
Abby Does Not Need to be Prominent in the Remake
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If the remake pushes its conclusion to much further in the future than just Joel and Ellie returning to Jackson, a playable sequence could have Abby training in combat and joining the WLF. But players already see the bulk of that development in environmental storytelling, and it may not be the most important piece of context to share in the remake if it was already developed thoroughly in The Last of Us 2.
Ultimately, Abby herself does not necessarily need to make an appearance in The Last of Us’ remake. Her youth in particular, and the fact that Jerry is still alive throughout almost the entirety of The Last of Us, may not justify any need for her to appear.
The effect Abby has had on Joel and Ellie’s lives is now inseparable from The Last of Us as a franchise. This could be shown with more development before or after the events of The Last of Us 2, but during the events of The Last of Us that players have seen, it would not make much sense to have her appear. Naughty Dog would need to be making fairly drastic changes if it intended to have Abby show up at any point, especially since fans have seen the events of her father’s death clearly in The Last of Us 2.
With any luck, flashback sequences will be playable that highlight Joel and Tommy’s past bandit experiences. But as for Abby, the remake would need to get awfully creative if it was going to feature Abby in any meaningful way.
The Last of Us remake is rumored to be in development for PS5.
