The Last of Us for PlayStation 3 is a brilliant game, one of the best of 2013 and possibly ever according to some. It was with some excitement, then, that I greeted the news that the game would be getting story-driven downloadable content in 2014, as it promised to flesh out Ellie’s backstory as well as clarify a few unexplained moments in the main game.
And having played it, I can say with conviction that it was worth both the wait and its paltry R140 asking price. Hell, I’d have paid double that to play it, knowing what I know now. But don’t tell anyone, I quite like not feeling ripped off (a sadly unfamiliar feeling these days).
Left Behind splits itself between telling the story that Ellie briefly mentions right at the end of The Last of Us, that of her best friend, Riley, and showing how Ellie saved Joel’s life shortly after he was seriously injured in the main game, something we didn’t see in The Last of Us. It’s part prequel, part gap-filler, and it works really well; the overall effect is that of adding a whole new chapter to the game.
In the sections that show Ellie trying to save Joel from infection (not the zombie kind), the gameplay is more like it was in The Last of Us, with encounters with hunters and zombies giving gamers the chance to get in a few good kills. The combat is just as challenging as before, with stealth the key to winning the encounters, and of course there are the occasional puzzles and scary bits that leverage the game’s superbly creepy atmosphere to keep gamers on their toes.
Ellie’s sequences with Riley, on the other hand, are quite a large departure in the gameplay department from what we saw in The Last of Us. Because she’s not Joel’s little warrior yet, these bits aren’t full of combat and zombies; rather, they’re all about her reunion with Riley, and the awkward, adolescent yet clearly heartfelt way in which Riley tries to make up for leaving after saying a bunch of things she didn’t mean.
When they’re not having touching emotional moments, Ellie and Riley engage in childish games like breaking car windows and playing water-gun wars in an abandoned shop, giving players the familiar actions from The Last of Us without the same tension and scares. It’s a clever, gentle way to keep players engaged, while still providing the developers a way to tell a new story.
The dialogue between Ellie and Riley is brilliantly-written, and their banter comes naturally thanks to excellent voice-acting performances from both actresses. Their warm relationship didn’t appear forced or contrived at all, and watching them together and finding out just what happened to Riley really did tug on my heartstrings. The developers were clearly aiming for that sort of response as it brilliantly shows why Ellie and Joel’s relationship evolves as it does.
And that’s what Left Behind does so well: it gives players insights into Ellie’s character that explain quite clearly where she gets the courage to fight for Joel against some pretty scary odds. It’s a powerful story, particularly for gamers who’ve experienced loss of their own, and a fascinating and highly personal journey for Ellie as a character.
As an older gamer with a greater appreciation of the nuances of psychology and relationships, it was a pleasure to connect the dots and watch the emotional depth of the game unfold before me as I played.
Even though Left Behind is only a short journey, lasting somewhere around the three hour mark, it’s a highly enjoyable one. If you loved the main game, and have been hankering for more of Naughty Dog’s excellent storytelling and more from Ellie’s story, you owe it to yourself to grab the DLC and give it a whirl. It’s only 140 bucks, and it will be money well spent, I promise.
Summary:
Left Behind by Naughty Dog
Available on PlayStation 3 (R140 via PSN)
The good: Beautiful story, amazing voice acting, gorgeous graphics
The bad: A bit short, not as much combat as the main game, slower story
Rating: 9/10
