The Last of Us: Left Behind Review Trenton

Story

Characters

Gameplay

Visuals

Soundtrack

If you’re anything like me, you thought The Last of Us was probably the best game of 2013, if not the best PlayStation game in recent memory. It was addictive, exhilarating, and extremely poignant. Given Naughty Dog’s tradition of never releasing single-player DLC, many thought (myself included) the likelihood of seeing some new content was incredibly slim, especially given the standalone nature of the full game. Fortunately, we were lucky.

While Left Behind isn’t quite what everyone was expecting (*cough* Ish *cough*), it’s every bit as gruelling and heartfelt as the main story.

“All this time – I thought you were dead.”

Probably the most notable difference between The Last of Us and Left Behind is that Joel is nowhere to be seen. Well, he’s there, but certainly not playable, which puts us once again in Ellie’s converse-clad feet. While playing as Ellie before almost felt strange, given the fact that Joel seemed to be the main character, Left Behind really cements the fact that it’s not about Joel whatsoever. I felt like Ellie, which probably lent itself to the type of story ND wanted to tell this time around. One of friendship and love and all that.

It expands on the relationship between Ellie, and a new character named Riley – Ellie’s best friend. While featured in the American Dreams comic book, and only vaguely mentioned a few times in-game, it truly felt as if the two had known each other for years, and really cared for one another. Seeing this bond on-screen, and watching it reach its inevitable end, makes those few mentions in the main story (especially those following the games finale) that much more impactful.

“I’m not letting you go… I’m not letting you go.”

While not advertized as such, the game tries to throw some combat in the mix by bridging a gap in the middle of the campaign – the transition from Fall to Winter. This has us jumping back and forth between a younger, more innocent Ellie, and the experienced one we’ve come to know. But the difference between them feels much greater than just that. Sure, the adorable silliness and penchant for puns never went away, but the Ellie of Winter has experienced so much trauma in living Joel’s “survivor” lifestyle. While the change is relatively gradual in-game, juxtaposing it against an Ellie that’s never experienced loss is extremely jarring, and very slightly depressing. Before being bitten, she was still a kid, kept warm and safe by the walls of the quarantine zone. What makes things much more sad is, in knowing this, you’re forced to experience her last day of innocence knowing full well it’s about to disintegrate into a puff of pain and dismemberment and stuff.

“I am the BRICK. F**KING. MASTER!”

That said, her last day of innocence is pretty damn fun in itself. After leaving for weeks, Ellie thinking her to be dead, Riley returns with a sort-of make-up present: a day at the mall, as most teenagers aren’t exactly strangers to. Its interesting that, in the context of a post-apocalyptic scenario, the stuff they’re getting up to isn’t all that different to what normal kids would. Other then the fact that they’re viewing it through a lens where everything they know about our world is either inferred or relayed by others.

The whole sequence, though devoid of combat, takes up a hefty majority of the DLC. And rightly so. Be it riding a carousel, reading a joke book, goofing around in a photo booth, or “playing” video games, the interactions between Ellie and Riley are… I can’t seem to think of any word other than precious. Not in the puppy dog sense, but everything about it is so perfect and special. And above all, natural. You feel the history between these two characters, you feel how much they care about each other. None of it felt awkward or forced, and soon my emotions began to mimic theirs exactly. I found myself stupidly grinning at my television over and over, just because of a line Ellie said, or a pun the two laughed at. Probably my favourite part, aside from the more emotionally-heavy sections, was the Halloween store. Just the two of them bumming around, trying on masks, and swearing at a magic 8 ball (F**k you, Skeleseer!). All entirely optional, of course.

“I didn’t mean it. All the stuff I said before I left. I didn’t mean any of it.”

After their day of fun is over, feels ensue. I won’t spoil it, but you’ve been warned. If you’ve already beaten the DLC, there’s once scene in particular – I’m sure you know what I’m talking about – that’s already stirred quite a bit of discussion. As for my thoughts: it was a bold move, and one I’m not entirely comfortable with, but I’m still very glad they made it.

“Don’t go…”

The combat-intensive section of the game is pretty much an elaborate fetch-quest, but it’s unique in that it introduces some combat elements highly wanted, but never seen in the main game. Namely, it considers Ellie’s vulnerability (relative to Joel, at least – she can tear some shit up), and allows her to use strategy rather than brute force to progress through areas. It’s extremely satisfying to tiptoe around a group of hunters after you’ve alerted some infected to their presence. I laugh from balconies as they tear each other apart, picking off the survivors via arrow to the face. That said, the sections without these elements can be extremely gruelling, putting you in full-combat scenarios that Ellie didn’t quite see in the main game, at least in close-quarters. Playing on Survivor difficulty didn’t really help. That said, in all this chaos, the section really illustrates how much Ellie came to care for Joel over the year they’d spent together, and how he wouldn’t have survived without her. This is nice and everything, but it seemed like the choice to include combat was fuelled only by the need to appease the trigger-happy folks.

Still, for everything great I’ve said about the DLC, its greatest fault lies in the price point. At a little over two hours (for me at least), it’s not very long whatsoever, and at a $15 entrance cost, Sony might be asking for a little too much. Anyone who’s frugal with their gaming might feel a little cheated at the end of it all.

I’ve said quite a bit, so, to reiterate: The Last of Us: Left Behind is a very worthy addition to the game’s overarching narrative, maintaining its spirit and depth. The relationship between Ellie and Riley was simply fantastic, funny, and extremely moving – complementing the events of the main game, and giving deeper meaning to its conclusion. While the combat seemed a tad out of place, it was undoubtedly fun and creative in its twist of old game-play elements. Given its brevity, the experience as a whole might cost a little much, but its no less fantastic because of it. While we know how the story ends, the ride was every bit as amazing as I expected it to be.

Positives:

– Moving story

– Natural, relatable characters

– Beautiful visuals

– New gameplay elements

– Great soundtrack

Negatives:

– High price

– Combat out of place

– As its the only single-player DLC, it could’ve addressed more

– It took me four tries to download it (this one is more PSN’s fault)