The Last of Us: Left Behind

by: Oliver Layco

The Last of Us was probably the best game that I have played on the PS3. With the arrival of Left Behind, players would get to experience the back story of Ellie (Ashley Johnson) before she met up with Joel. This was referenced in the main game, and it’s nice to see they wanted to flesh it out for players. The main story of Left Behind is that Ellie and her friend Riley (Yaani King) would explore through a nearby Boston mall before the inevitable conclusion of them getting bitten. It plays in parallel to the main story where Ellie has to figure out how to heal Joel after he fell unconscious. I really loved that both settings were in malls and they showed how Ellie had to deal with loss/close loss in a mall and how she grew between both moments. In terms of story, Naughty Dog did a great job of establishing Ellie even further. Players got to see an innocent side to her and how she would develop to the Ellie we were introduced to. In terms of her gameplay/fighting style, it wasn’t as refined as when she met Joel so that was a nice touch. There was also a new element they threw in there where there would be infected and other survivors that Elllie would have to fight off. That dynamic was enjoyable and a player could go most of the way without shooting a single bullet if played correctly. The environments, music, and amount of exploration were all the same and that was perfect. I’ll probably go back to the main story and play through it again. However, my only gripes would have to be the price and length of this story. At just about 3 hours, it went by relatively quick and that ending will leave you wanting more. Needless to say, it came at just the right time to get players back into the world of The Last of Us.

Other Nutshell Game Reviews

01/14/14 – Lego: The Lord of The Rings
10/19/13 – Beyond Two Souls
08/12/13 – Injustice: Gods Among Us
07/31/13 – X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged Edition
01/31/13 – Dead Space 2

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