The Last Of Us: Left Behind DLC Review

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 overpriced, The Last Of Us: Left Behind squeezes out a few more hours to explore Ellie’s past and present so we can grow closer to this tormented character. The Last Of Us: Left Behind adds new combat mechanics and an in-depth look into Ellie’s past, which is worth exploring for any fan of The Last of Us.

The Last Of Us: Left Behind is a considerate and worthwhile prologue that showcases Ellie’s origins by introducing her best friend, Riley. In this three-hour campaign,t we truly get a sense of how much Riley meant to Elli and, especially, how their relationship formed Ellie into the character that Joel meets.

The Last Of Us: Left Behind takes place in two different timelines: in the past, with Riley in an abandoned mall and the main campaign in 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 of the destroyed world around her. 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 innocence; 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 become 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 a clever agent to a military commando.

The most important change to combat is how players can approach fights. Cordyceps 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.

The Last Of Us: Left Behind is a worthwhile investment for anyone who loved The Last of Us. I wasn’t fond of Ellie during the main campaign,gn 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. The Last Of Us: Left Behind gave a poignant insight into Ellie’s past that is worth playing through.