Game Review: The Last of Us: Left Behind

If you’re a fan of zombie video games and have not yet had the chance to play The Last of Us, you need to stop what you’re doing right now and go buy this game. If you have played it, then the Left Behind DLC should be your immediate next purchase. The storytellers at Naughty Dog have done it again with Left Behind, bringing a touching tale that will leave you on the verge of tears. Most importantly, they do it in such a unique way that I would venture to say they are changing the way people will see video games in the future.

This DLC is a prequel to the original Last of Us video game while at the same time taking place in the middle of the first game. It’s split into two parts, each of which follows the story of Ellie. In one, she attempts to save Joel by heading out into the zombie and human-infested world to find medical supplies. This part of the game is the action-driven one, complete with all the weapons and combat that made the original game so much fun. The other end of the story is about Ellie before she met Joel. It involves her and her best friend Riley as they spend a day running around a shopping mall. And though there is almost no combat whatsoever in the flashback portion of the game, the way it’s put together is both touching and entertaining.

I don’t want to give away too much of the story (exploring the story is the best thing about this game), so I’ll just detail some of the high points. With the Ellie/Joel portion you get to explore and fight things. There’s really nothing else going on other than a revelation of what happened with Ellie while Joel was unconscious. Thus, it’s very much like a single chapter of the original game that just happened to be left out for some reason. Nothing much too it other than the chance to kill some baddies.

Where the game excels is with the flashback scenes. We get to see Ellie’s past, including the events that led to her being bitten. This past consists of a very close friendship with a girl named Riley. You spend this portion of the game… well, you spend it playing. And that’s what makes it so much fun. You run around the mall exploring, put on Halloween masks, mess with a magic 8-ball, pretend to play video games (because Ellie has always wanted to play a video game) and chase each other around with water guns. Not a zombie in sight for most of the sequence.

While it may seem ridiculous to spend your video game time doing silly things, the story of love between the two characters is what makes it. Naughty Dog has proven themselves to be masters when it comes to atmosphere, mood and, perhaps most importantly, realistic dialogue that allows you to empathize with the characters. By the time this DLC comes to an end, you know much more about Ellie and are invested in Riley as well. Their story is one of childhood innocence set amidst the backdrop of a world gone to hell. And when it all comes to an end, players of the original game may already know what happens but it doesn’t make it any easier to not get a bit emotional.

Again, if you’re a zombie fan, check out both the original and the DLC. If you’re a fan of games with intense action and character-driven stories, then you’ll likely find yourself in love with it as well. As far as action-adventure games go, Naughty Dog is dominating the genre with their creative and compelling masterpiece.

Photo Credits -           

The Last of Us: Left Behind courtesy of gameskinny.com