Sony and Naughty Dog announced The Last of Us Part I at Summer Game Fest this week, and I’m still trying to grasp it. It’s a complete remake of the first game, which itself had a remaster for the PlayStation 4 in 2014 that also looks excellent on the PlayStation 5.

So why do we need a remake built from the ground up that features even more elaborate and expensive graphical flourishes and realistic details? Was The Last of Us ever not fantastic-looking? Did anyone look at that game and say, “Eh, I don’t see enough creases on Joel’s face, I’m being taken completely out of the experience?”

The Last of Us Part I is the purest and starkest example of diminishing returns among new console generations I have ever seen. It’s aesthetically unnecessary, and that’s incredible in a game remake.

Graphical Improvements?

Let me get this out of the way: The remake looks fantastic. There’s no question. It’s smooth, detailed, crisp; it’s probably the best The Last of Us has ever looked. I say “probably” for a reason, because The Last of Us Remastered also looked amazing. And I don’t really see a major difference in this remake. Judge for yourself with the above comparison shots of Joel and Ellie from The Last of Us Remastered and The Last of Us Remake from Nibellion on Twitter.

Have you ever gotten an eye exam that saw the doctor flip between two lenses, asking which one looks better? You know one lens is probably better than the other, but you have to squint and think about it, and honestly either one would be fine. The improvement is so granular that it almost doesn’t matter.