Just in time for Valentines Day comes the single player DLC campaign for last year’s hit The Last of Us. The campaign is all about Joel’s partner and Dark Horse comic’s American Dreams star Ellie, with levels that find her teamed up with her B.F.F. (and though heavily referenced not yet seen in video game form) Riley.
While I mostly enjoyed The Last of Us I found it a little dry both story and gameplay wise at several intervals, that said I feel the Left Behind DLC mixes things up in a way that keeps the tiny package fresh and interesting for the entire ride. Left Behind has a small but very well put together scenario, the writer’s behind this game do a lot in the short amount of time they’re allotted with the campaign giving us some very solid character development and an engaging story arc with Ellie and Riley. It manages something else few other DLC does, enriching the core game’s story while also being its own autonomous tale.
Where the DLC really shines for me is in Left Behind’s re-purposing of the core mechanics for a slew of fun little minigames. Without spoiling it too much, the gameplay approach is comparative to Saints Row the Third or Grand Theft Auto 5 where the basic mechanics of the game see constant new, clever implementations. As you pal about with Riley in Boston’s ruins you’ll find yourself in a range of activities from hide and seek to having your photo taken in a photo booth. The latter of which uses social media connectivity in a fairly neat way, the result of which you can see in my image below.
Nothing manlier than having this on your Facebook wall.
This emphasis on merriment in the DLC works in a couple of ways. Yes, I found myself having about as much fun in the activities as the ladies, but it also aided in crafting their relationship with one another creating a strong sense of bonding between the two. It also illustrated Ellie in a new light, allowing you access to the character in a way The Last of Us simply didn’t allow. Ellie was at one point a more free spirited, sensitive person who didn’t have the weight of the world on her shoulders as opposed to the little hardass the main game presents her as.
It’s still pretty durn violent, in case you think they forgot.
Now, if you’re worried Left Behind doesn’t have the Clicker dodging, Stalker killing, puzzle solving sections of the original. Don’t. Left Behind jumps back and forth between Ellie’s life before meeting Joel, and a specific point in Last of Us’s later story campaign. All your stealth, listening, combat and crafting skills will be put to work.
True to the sections where you controlled Ellie in the main game she finds herself with few weapons, and even less supplies than usual. A couple of areas will have her face off against both human hunters and infected at the same time, meaning you’ll get to take a new approach to solving encounters. These moments are quite intense and as the game crescendos a few sections can end up being brutal, Naughty Dog didn’t forget this is a survival action game after all.
Any fan of Last of Us would be remiss in passing this DLC up. Though short, there is a lot of mileage to be gotten out of it. It illustrates The Last of Us in a new and colorful way, giving you access to the game world and characters in a fashion the main story campaign doesn’t allow. It’s also one of the first DLC’s I fully enjoyed in quite awhile, and If you don’t catch yourself giggling along to Ellie and Riley once or twice you may want to check your pulse.
