Left Behind
Callum Munro
(I try my hardest not to spoil any major parts of the plot)
My reviews are split into 4 sections that are rated out of 10, CONCEPT (The aim/idea/plot of the game), VISUALS (What the game looks like), GAMEPLAY (How the game plays and how fun it is), SOUND (The sound, funnily enough) and then given a final score out of 10.0 .
Hey guys, as I am sure you are all aware, the first and last piece of single player DLC is out for the multi award winning The Last of Us.. Left Behind.
You can buy Left Behind off of the store for about £12 from the 14th of feb.
Without further ado, here's what i thought..
Concept/Story
So Left Behind puts the player in control of Ellie, Joel's companion from the Main game.
The story switches in and out from before Joel and Ellie met up, about when Ellie is reunited with her friend Riley and back into the main game in the part where Joel is badly injured halfway through the main story, and you as Ellie need to find him medical supplies.
Straight off the bat I was really happy they had chosen to intertwine the two sections of Ellie's life not only because it wraps up why these particular events are connected, but because it gives the gameplay a nice contrast of pace and action, however as you know, I wont talk too much about the gameplay until later.
The game is set in a shopping mall, where Ellie and Riley explore the large building, messing around and having fun.
It is an extremely powerful setting to use, because playing as a young girl with her friend in a shopping mall is something that is true to life, and it does create an emotional comparison to see just how the world has been so badly destroyed and that this is all Ellie and Riley know.
Simple mini games such as watergun fights, and taking photos in a photo booth really capture the fact that this is the only life Ellie and Riley know, yet at every opportunity they can get they will try and recreate what they have only heard and dreamt about of the previous world.
Ellie and Riley have an incredibly close relationship, something that is crafted so perfectly with dialogue triggering moments and touching cutscenes, that you forget you are even playing a post apocalyptic game at all. Something that makes the relationship seem so real and relatable is the tension they have, which is due to the fact that Riley had up and left Ellie a month or so back.
This obviously leads to some very interesting scenes and another type of tension that is built up and released perfectly, which I have never seen so expertly executed since the finale of Gone Home.
The other section of the story is when you play as Ellie trying to find medical supplies for Joel.
This part of the game is very similar to the main story, because instead of exploring and taking part in fun minigames, you are sneaking around abandoned stores looking for gear and finding the hidden letters and notes left behind from other survivors.
This part of the game is very similar to the main story, because instead of exploring and taking part in fun minigames, you are sneaking around abandoned stores looking for gear and finding the hidden letters and notes left behind from other survivors.
You also have the brilliant combat and horrible ambience, you get from the main story, however again I dont want to go too much into gameplay just yet.
Story wise this section is not very story heavy, as this section is to please the more action and survival orientated fans of the game, which is great that Naughty Dog have included something in for everyone.
To summarise as a whole, the story in Left Behind is dark in places, notably at the end, but surprisingly light hearted and beautiful in other ways, which creates a perfect blend of storytelling, only achievable by the geniuses over at Naughty Dog.
The only downside is the DLC is short for £12, only took me about 2 hours to finish. However the story is still wonderfully delivered that it is very quickly overshadowed.
Story/Concept - 9.5/10
Visuals
All those who are hating the fact that they need to unplug there nice shiny PS4s and dig out the dust covered, steam powered artifact that is the PS3, there is no need to worry because Left Behind looks amazing.
Everything from the lighting to the scarily realistic animations of infected, make the game a joy to look at. It instantly makes you forget that your not playing on a PS4, and delivers a fantastic visual masterpiece derived solely from the original game.
Visuals - 10/10
Visuals - 10/10
Gameplay
As you can expect, the gameplay in Left Behind is very similar to that of the main game. Same shooting mechanics, same cover system, same controls, however with some noticeable differences in terms of character strength and ability, which I will touch on later.
The gameplay is different in the two parts of the story. In the section with Riley it is mostly exploring and interactions, without any real danger. There are also some brilliant mini games, which I will not give away, but I asure you that they are awesomely designed, and add a few new things to the Last of Us we know. There is a variety of simple things from throwing objects in a contest with Riley, to mashing button sequences in a dedicated time, all are different and all are excellent.
In the section where you are looking for medical supplies for Joel, this is where the gameplay is similar to that of the main game, I suppose the reason being because it is actually set during the main story, whereas the other is set before Ellie is Joel's super badass sidekick.
As you can expect there are lots of sneaking, problem solving and looting to be done in this part, and it is fine, due to the fact its nothing different to the award winning formula of The Last of Us.
There are some slight changes to the gameplay though, as controlling Ellie, can be very different to controlling Joel, and here is how.
Firstly Joel probably has about 150 pounds on Ellie and is about twice as strong. This means when encountering enemies, Ellie can not so easily hand out beatings to whoever she pleases. No being in control of Ellie requires a much more careful approach.
Do you want to melee an enemy, but stealth isn't your strong point? This wasn't a massive problem in the main game, because Joel could just run over and smash their head into a million pieces with a 4x4 plank of wood, but for Ellie its probably best to throw a brick at them to stun them and then follow up with a swift stab, because although Ellie can handle herself very well, she isn't too great in hand to hand combat.
Also because Ellie does need to approach dangerous situations with more care, there is a brand new opportunity in the latter combat areas which is probably my favourite thing about the DLC.
Due to the part of the story, there are a lot of bad guys tailing you and Joel, so they are scouting the mall looking for you both, but you can actually lure (with bricks of course) any nearby infected to your human enemies to watch them in turn battle it out in a sort of WWE Royal Rumble match, where you are left to pick off any remaining opponents.
This is an unbelievably effective combat mechanic, which works so flawlessly and creates such a realistic vibe of survival from a smaller girl's point of view that it is just perfect.
With both story's having the best of both worlds, one with a nicely designed combat heavy level layout, and the other with an emotional, but innocently fun interactive level layout, the contrast of the gameplay blends beautifully with eachother.
This together with the already first class gameplay structure of The Last of Us, creates something rather breathtaking.
Gameplay 10/10
Audio
The gameplay is different in the two parts of the story. In the section with Riley it is mostly exploring and interactions, without any real danger. There are also some brilliant mini games, which I will not give away, but I asure you that they are awesomely designed, and add a few new things to the Last of Us we know. There is a variety of simple things from throwing objects in a contest with Riley, to mashing button sequences in a dedicated time, all are different and all are excellent.
In the section where you are looking for medical supplies for Joel, this is where the gameplay is similar to that of the main game, I suppose the reason being because it is actually set during the main story, whereas the other is set before Ellie is Joel's super badass sidekick.
As you can expect there are lots of sneaking, problem solving and looting to be done in this part, and it is fine, due to the fact its nothing different to the award winning formula of The Last of Us.
There are some slight changes to the gameplay though, as controlling Ellie, can be very different to controlling Joel, and here is how.
Firstly Joel probably has about 150 pounds on Ellie and is about twice as strong. This means when encountering enemies, Ellie can not so easily hand out beatings to whoever she pleases. No being in control of Ellie requires a much more careful approach.
Do you want to melee an enemy, but stealth isn't your strong point? This wasn't a massive problem in the main game, because Joel could just run over and smash their head into a million pieces with a 4x4 plank of wood, but for Ellie its probably best to throw a brick at them to stun them and then follow up with a swift stab, because although Ellie can handle herself very well, she isn't too great in hand to hand combat.
Also because Ellie does need to approach dangerous situations with more care, there is a brand new opportunity in the latter combat areas which is probably my favourite thing about the DLC.
Due to the part of the story, there are a lot of bad guys tailing you and Joel, so they are scouting the mall looking for you both, but you can actually lure (with bricks of course) any nearby infected to your human enemies to watch them in turn battle it out in a sort of WWE Royal Rumble match, where you are left to pick off any remaining opponents.
This is an unbelievably effective combat mechanic, which works so flawlessly and creates such a realistic vibe of survival from a smaller girl's point of view that it is just perfect.
With both story's having the best of both worlds, one with a nicely designed combat heavy level layout, and the other with an emotional, but innocently fun interactive level layout, the contrast of the gameplay blends beautifully with eachother.
This together with the already first class gameplay structure of The Last of Us, creates something rather breathtaking.
Gameplay 10/10
Audio
Left Behind has so many types of masterful audio that I will take it one at a time.
Firstly with voice acting.
Ashley Johnson (Ellie) is outstanding in Left Behind, in every single way she was in the main game. She delivers each line with such intense and correct emotion, that it all just feels so genuine.
Along with the huge amount of random conversation points that can be triggered throughout the level, and the monologue she has with herself when searching for supplies, the voice acting on Ellie's side is superb.
Yaani King who voices Riley, also delivers a killer performance which just again makes the bond between the two characters as real and as touching as possible.
The atmosphere in The Last of Us is always something and even though it isnt as heavy in Left Behind, the grueling and disturbing screeches that Stalkers and Clickers make, just cause chills down your spine.
One of the first times you meet infected in this DLC, the game doesn't prompt you, you just hear this awful scream and then that is how you know your gonna need to hide and hold R2 for dear life.
The music again is perfectly timed and paced.
Basically everything is bloody perfect okay?
Audio 10/10
As you would expect, Left Behind is a delightful example of emotional storytelling blended with fantastic Gameplay.
The two stories you play through this short DLC, are very different, but piece together nicely at the end, answering many questions about Ellie, and delivering the best dialogue I have seen since Gone Home.
Even if it is overpriced and too short, there is everything you need in this DLC, and what better way to revisit one of the best games of the decade.
An eight? Those guardian things were an eight. - Nathan Drake (Uncharted 2)
