The Last of Us 2 Remastered's new guitar mode will feature its own composer as a playable character

The Last of Us 2 Remastered will let you play as its very own composer in its dedicated guitar mode.

Naughty Dog kept this one quiet until now. Earlier today, January 11, the developer announced that when The Last of Us 2 Remastered launches next week, you'll be able to play as none other than composer Gustavo Santaolalla in its dedicated Guitar Free Play mode.

Yes, you can play the banjo in The Last of Us Part II Remastered's Guitar Free Play mode... and you can even do it with a familiar face! 🪕Pre-order now, available January 19: https://t.co/rjaUcqYTL5 pic.twitter.com/czmuYDYCZn

— Naughty_Dog on January 11, 2024

The famed Argentinian composer put together the score for both The Last of Us back in 2013, and its sequel seven years later in 2020. The music of The Last of Us is something fans have always adored about Naughty Dog's apocalyptic series, and you can largely chalk that up to Santaolalla's work.

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If you're in the UK and love The Last of Us' soundtrack, then we've got great news. Santaolalla is scheduled to perform the score live in person next year on May 4, at London's Southbank Center. Luckily, it looks like there are still tickets left for the performance.

Oh, and if you didn't know, Santaolalla is the recipient of two Academy Awards over back-to-back years. He took home the award for Best Original Score in 2005 for Brokeback Mountain, and then Babel one year later in 2006. Nearly a decade later in 2015, he was inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Otherwise though, it looks like we'll be playing the Guitar Free Play mode as Ellie. There's no word yet on whether the mode will feature Dina gazing longingly at Ellie as she serenades her, but one can only hope.

The Last of Us 2 Remastered launches next week on January 19, exclusively for PS5. You can check out our The Last of Us 2 Remastered preview for what we made of No Return, the remaster's roguelike survival mode.

Head over to our upcoming PS5 games guide for a look at all the other exclusives Sony has set to launch throughout the year.

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.