The Last Of Us Part 2 free DLC adds huge new mode, available now

I did not see this one coming.

I'd accepted that it would likely be a long while before new The Last of Us content dropped; season three is yet to begin filming and a third game remains unannounced.

I should have known Naughty Dog would have something sneaky up its sleeve.

I'm actually in disbelief that this is real, but the studio has just confirmed that a Chronological Mode has been added to The Last of Us Part II.

Part of the game's magic comes from experiencing Abby's story after you've survived Ellie's, but I've always wondered what the events of Seattle would look like running side by side - especially for subsequent playthroughs.

Well, now I can find out because Chronological Mode is exactly what it says on the tin, taking you through the story as the events unfold.

You'll switch between Ellie and Abby more times than I'm prepared to guess.

What this means for flashbacks, I do not know, but we can rapidly find out.

Chronological Mode has been issued courtesy of a free patch to both the PS5 and PC versions and is available right now.

“Those who have already played will know its story is told non-linearly, as Ellie and Abby’s motivations, realisations, and emotional stakes unfold across myriad flashbacks and present-day storylines,” Naughty Dog began in a blog post.

“While this structure is very intentional and core to how our studio wanted Part II’s themes and narrative beats to impact players, we always wondered what it would be like to experience this story chronologically. And now finally, we can answer that question.”

It continued, “Players will be able to see how Ellie being gifted a guitar flows so neatly into her learning to play, for example, while the journey through Seattle will showcase the fascinating parallels between Ellie and Abby’s crisscrossing journeys. You’ll see just how close they come into running into each other, how their actions impact each other, and more.”

My god, I cannot wait to dive in.

That’s not all as completing the Chronological Mode will unlock new skins and trophies, and let me tell you, you’re going to want these skins.

Upon completion, you’ll unlock a Nathan Drake outfit for Joel and a Sam Drake outfit for Tommy, both inspired by Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and available to use in No Return.

As for the trophies, there’s no info on the specifics of those but they apparently exist and are available with the update, so it may be worth a quick trip over to the game’s trophy’s list on your PS5 or PC.

As I said, the update is available now; I guess I know what I’m downloading tonight.