by ted2112, HSM team writer

I am a huge The Last of Us fan. For me, it was the best game of 2013, so I was pumped at the chance to play the DLC called Left Behind the folks at Naughty Dog recently released.  I was not at all disappointed one bit by the stunning emotional impact of this playable side story that somehow feels that it was part of the original game all along.

The new game play takes place during the main story arc of The Last of Us and via flashback moments, creating a kind of prequel that gives us insight into the Ellie character.  This is done seamlessly, through close attention to meter and the energy flow of the stories running side by side and wonderfully reinforcing each other.

Left Behind takes place right before the winter portion of The Last of Us, just after the character Noel is critically injured in Boulder, Colorado. Ellie takes Noel to a nearby abandoned mall and locks him in a store while she ventures out to find necessary medical supplies. Alone and unarmed, Ellie must find a way through the maze of destruction and zombies. The mall is a well-chosen environment, as it becomes a narrative of the human side of a world gone terribly wrong in the final days of civilization. We find personal letters and photos — and, in one case, a chilling recorded message that really hits home.

Meanwhile, in another mall in Boston before the onset of The Last of Us, we bear witness to Ellie’s mind as she and her friend Riley explore the empty space. This is where Naughty Dog really nailed the story. Ellie and Riley behave as any kids would, exploring and having fun. We slowly get the backstory as the friends have a window smashing contest, explore a video arcade and have a squirt gun fight, among other things that really bring out the human side of the story.

You really feel the connection of the characters. Riley has come to say goodbye to her friend in a night that is both wonderful and tragic. I won’t give away any spoilers, yet I will say that through the naïveté of these children’s eyes we see the heartbreaking and emotional impact of just what it means to be alive.

Also, in these flashback sequences, we see something I haven’t seen outside alternate reality games. If you log into the game using your Facebook account, you are treated to a really cool game souvenir delivered to your page.  Naughty Dog really thought this one through. Left Behind is more than recycled data from the editing room floor; it stands by itself in a compact, enjoyable short return to the dystopian world of The Last of Us.

I can’t recommend Left Behind enough to anyone who loved The Last of Us. After playing this downloadable content, it further illuminates just how good The Last of Us was, and how — even after all this time — it’s still relevant.

The Last of Us: Left Behind is available in code form at video game retailers and at the PlayStation Store for $15.00 USD.

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