The Last of Us - Left Behind

The Last of Us was easily one of the greatest games of the last generation, even winning NoobFeed’s 2013 Game of the Year award. So you can assume that a lot of high expectations were expected of Naughty Dog’s first story-driven add-on Left Behind. Despite being moderately overprice, Left Behind squeezes out a few more hours to explore the Ellie’s past and present, so we can grow closer to this tormented character. Left Behind adds new combat mechanics and an in-depth look into Ellie’s past that is worth exploring for any fan of The Last of Us.

Left Behind is a considerate and worthwhile prologue that showcases Ellie’s origins by introducing her best-friend Riley. It’s in this three hour campaign that we truly get a sense of how much Riley meant to Ellie, and especially how their relationship formed Ellie into the character that Joel meets.

Left Behind takes place in two different timelines: in the past with Riley in an abandoned mall and in the main campaign into another dilapidated mall. While the present introduces new combat mechanics, allowing the player to use infected and human characters to fight one another, it’s in the flashback that you see Ellie before she became hardened. Like Ellie, Riley was born after the Cordyceps outbreak. Her understanding of the world comes from stories, books and observations from the destroyed world around them. Seeing Ellie and Riley travel through the mall acting like teenage girls was a different change of pace. When together the girls laugh loudly, play with machines, and throw objects; forgetting about the terrible creatures that linger in the dark. It was amazing to see Ellie and Riley showcase such a carefree innocent, something was impossible in the main campaign, only to have it all torn away.

Playing as Ellie hasn’t changed from the main campaign. She still lacks Joel’s incredible combat abilities and must rely on stealth because of her small size. Despite this, Ellie can still shoot, use a bow and arrow like a pro, and wield her trusty switchblade with exceptional skill. If things became too dangerous, Ellie can craft new items from items hidden throughout the environment to turn the tide in difficult situations. Bottles and brick lay around the environment as well, allowing for quick distractions or fatal blows. Ellie is weak and has little health, medical supplies are limited making stealth essential. This does become vexing when the player has to clear an entire room of enemies. These forced situations break up the pace turning Ellie from clever agent to military commando.

The most important change to combat is how players can approach fights. Cordycep victims and survivors don’t mix and now you can use this to your advantage. Tossing a well-placed bottle into a group of mercenaries will alert any infected to that location, then watch as both sides kill one another.

Left Behind is a worthwhile investment for anyone who loved The Last of Us. I wasn’t fond of Ellie during the main campaign but this add-on helped me see this seemingly aggressive  girl in a new light. It focused on friendship, hope, love, and determination; something that Ellie was devoid of for most of the main campaign for good reason. And the combat was a breath of fresh air, adding a new layer of reality to this world. Left Behind gave a poignant insight into Ellie’s past that worth playing through.

Adam Siddiqui, NoobFeed
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