The Last of Us: Left Behind Review

After a sweeping through top ten lists and collecting numerous Game of the Year awards, The Last of Us can safely be remembered as one of the best games in 2013.  The game told a poignant story, pushed players through brutal combat, and wrapped it all in a breathtaking world, filled with haunting images you would never forget.  A satisfying ending led fans to wonder what the anticipated story-DLC could be about.  That DLC, Left Behind, tells the story of Ellie prior to the events of The Last of Us, detailing the fateful night when she would discover her gift to the world.  Unfortunately, Ellie’s prologue-esque story doesn’t throw the same emotional gut punches that The Last of Us executed so well.  It lacks the brutality, the character developments, and the supporting cast that was the strength of the original game.

As Left Behind is Ellie’s story, players will spend their entire time as the young protagonist they got to sample in the Winter chapter of the original.  Playing as Ellie is just as fun as it was before, her scrappy, vicious style of fighting is a nice variation on the strong and controlled combat of Joel.  Left Behind plays much like The Last of Us, employing environmental puzzles, stealth combat, cover-based shootouts, and exploration.  Also, much like the original content, Left Behind constantly revels in leaving the player barely surviving, throwing more clickers, hunters, and other horrors at you just when you think the coast is clear.  Missing from the DLC is some of the more understated elements of The Last of Us, there’s no more collecting parts and upgrading equipment, the light RPG systems have been stripped away.  Luckily, the game’s intelligent scavenging and crafting system is still at work, forcing players to make the hard choices between a medkit or molotov cocktail.

Naughty Dog proves their ability to build tension and make you dread the reveal behind each door was no fluke.  The sound of clickers will still raise your hairs, the patience of listening will still make your blood curdle, Left Behind transports us back in the same great world from before.  The DLC may not fry your nerves in quite the same way The Last of Us did, but the tension is still very much present.  That being said, the end result of Ellie’s journey–which is actually split into two separate segments–is known from the time you turn on your console.  This is unfortunate, as it prevents players from being surprised by the ending.  Even so, the atmosphere remains oppressive and the through-line is still cleverly designed.

Left Behind begins with Ellie’s closest friend, Riley, returning from an unexplained absence   Riley reveals that she has joined the Fireflies and invites Ellie to find out all that Riley has learned while away.  This story is juxtaposed with another, which takes place in the middle of the original game.  Following Joel’s horrific injury, Ellie gets him to safety and searches for antibiotics to help keep her protector alive.  The two stories intertwine to try and give us a better understanding of Ellie and her motivations.  Unfortunately, none of it rings home the same way The Last of Us initially did.  Prior knowledge of both endings takes its toll on the story, but the bigger problem is that aside of time spent with Riley, there is no one for Ellie to interact with, meaning half of the game she is talking to herself.  Naughty Dog’s greatest strength has always been character interaction, and while Riley and Ellie’s banter is strong, the game doesn’t give Ellie enough people to interact with.

Riley and Ellie’s friendship seems to be the center of the game’s focus, but it is never developed, only explained.  We hear a lot about what happened to Ellie and Riley, we know what happens to Ellie, so there isn’t a lot to really explore.  Instead, Naughty Dog tries to fill the time with making Ellie and Riley wander around a mall, playing games and having fun.  At first, it is charming and endearing, Riley demonstrates how Ellie developed her sense of humor and quirky personality that endeared her to player’s hearts last summer.  However, after a while, the playing around becomes old, Riley and Naughty Dog are constantly pushing one more thing in the face of Ellie and the player, who both reluctantly cave in.  It all ends in a lackluster fashion, failing to provide the emotional payoff that The Last of Us constantly delivered.

Left Behind seems hellbent on containing its story, making sure both of Ellie’s experiences are confined to abandoned malls.  Again, Naughty Dog’s artistry is still sharp, filled with wonders and horrors, the settings are designed with keen eyes and deft hands.  It is the same terrifyingly gorgeous world that we saw in The Last of Us.  The problem is that, because Left Behind never spreads its wings beyond its confined setting, Naughty Dog never gets to show off its decimated urban wastes or lush wilderness.  Left Behind starts in a mall, wanders around said mall, then ends in said mall.  The sound, the environments, the design is all phenomenal, but it never gets a chance to show itself off.

Left Behind feels like simplified version of The Last of Us, missing so many elements that made the game fantastic.  The Last of Us was grounded in the relationship of two strangers who found something they were missing in unexpected places.  Along the way, Joel and Ellie met interesting people and journeyed through an apocalyptic wasteland that tugged at your heart.  Ellie and Riley meet no one and spend their time hanging out in a mall.  The Last of Us took players on a journey, upgrading their abilities, forcing them to press forward after witnessing horrific scenarios.  Left Behind introduces Riley and spends its time discussing Riley and Ellie’s past/future.  Left Behind is an alright, but unnecessary addition to the story of The Last of Us.  You know how it ends, do you really need to witness the photo booth-ing and water gun fights in between?  There’s no desperation to Left Behind, no sense of adventure.  The stakes never are raised and Naughty Dog fails to use their world with the same creativity they did previously.  We all had our own images of what Riley was like, and what really happened when she died.  We don’t need Naughty Dog to spell it out for us.