Last of Us 2 Remastered Has Annoying Restriction in No Return Mode

gamerant.com:

A fan of The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered expressed their frustration over an annoying aspect of the game's No Return mode, which prevents players from playing background music on their PlayStation 5. However, another fan of The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered offered an easy solution.

The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered was released to rave reviews following its debut on January 19. The updated version of the hit 2020 game introduced a new roguelike mode, DualSense support, three new levels, enhanced graphics, and more. Its roguelike No Return mode is probably the most robust addition, which includes challenges for players to complete and new items to unlock. While many The Last of Us fans have enjoyed the new mode, one user shared a common issue that has bothered many players.

Reddit user Healthy_Herb posted an image that showed a warning at the top of their screen while playing The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered's No Return mode. The message explains that background music can't be listened to while playing the new game. It's probably not common that users would want to listen to background music or a podcast while playing the game's story mode, but its No Return mode is mostly devoid of storytelling and instead focuses on combat. The post's comment section makes it clear that many users have noticed the same issue and are not fans of Naughty Dog's decision. However, another fan shared an easy fix. If one adjusts the game's music setting to zero, they can then play background music, and after doing so can reactivate the in-game music without their background audio being disabled.

The Last of Us Part 2 features heavy musical elements and a superb score, which might be the reason for Naughty Dog's attempt to disable background audio. However, this is just speculation, and the design choice could be due to something else. Regardless of this issue, fans have enjoyed No Return's fast-paced combat and satisfying progression.

There are many aspects of No Return that make it