The PC port of The Last of Us Part 1 is bad. But, the good news about hitting rock bottom, or close to it, is that you’ve got nowhere to go but up.
Four patches of varying sizes later, The Last of Us Part 1 is getting better on the PC.
The Last of Us Part 1 debuted on the PC on March 28 to 2,518 negative reviews compared to 1,263 Positive reviews on the digital games distribution platform, Steam. Now, as per the latest numbers from April 13, there are 55 positive reviews to 24 negative reviews.
Granted, The Last of Us Part 1 on the PC still isn’t great, by any means. But, it’s gotten better and it will continue to get a lot better based on how much effort Naughty Dog has put into it.
Unfortunately, this “improvement” could have all been avoided had Naughty Dog done their job in the first place. The Last of Us Part 1 reviewed well on the PlayStation 5 when it came out last year as it silenced doubts that Naughty Dog was simply in it for the money. More than half a year later, Naughty Dog dropped the ball, even after delaying the game’s PC debut to guarantee that it’s “in the best shape possible,” saying that the extra time in development would make sure that the game “lives up to your, and our, standards.
It’s a shame Sony had to acquire the best PC porting studio on the market only to assign work on the PC port of an iconic title to a different developer.
Things are so bad for The Last of Us Part 1 that the typically stingy Valve are offering refunds for the game, no questions asked. We’re pretty sure Naughty Dog and PlayStation Studios are footing the bill for this one, as they should, but the point remains that The Last of Us Part 1 reached Cyberpunk 2077 levels for a moment there. Thankfully, things are showing signs of improvement, and we’re hoping that this will continue.
Ultimately, it’s disappointing to see Iron Galaxy and Naughty Dog botch the launch of The Last of Us Part 1 on the PC. We should’ve known this could happen after Naughty Dog refused to give reviewers a copy of the game ahead of its release to help sound the alarm.
Sony hasn’t had a PC port this bad since Horizon Zero Dawn three years ago, which is what makes this so frustrating.
Everything from Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales to God of War, Days Gone, as well as Returnal, and Sackboy, all had minimal to no issues on the PC.
But, hey, at least Nixxes Software is working on the PC port of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, right?
When you consider that Sony wants half its games on the PC (and mobile) by 2025, a move that was kickstarted with the launch of the PlayStation PC label two years ago, you expect better, especially when we’re talking about a franchise that’s sold more than 37 million copies on the PS4 and the PS5 alone. Not to mention, The Last of Us Part 1 on the PC was the opportunity to draw in PC gamers who refused to shell out for a PS3, PS4, and PS5 to try out the award-winning game. It was also a chance for Naughty Dog to impress the fans who watched The Last of Us on HBO with the source material.
We’re hoping that Naughty Dog and Iron Galaxy can work out the kinks in time for The Last of Us’ 10th anniversary in June. Otherwise, the PC port will surely put a dampener on what should be a joyous moment for the series that will likely see the announcement of The Last of Us multiplayer spin-off.
