The Last Of Us Remastered: Left Behind
We’re cheating a little bit here including The Last Of Us’s DLC Left Behind, but as it’s quite possible one of the best single player expansions ever made, and since the remastered version of PS3’s swansong title was such a resounding success on PS4, we couldn’t help ourselves.
Unless you temporarily left planet earth in 2014 or suffered a severe head injury recently, then you’ll you know The Last Of Us. For many, it’s the game of our generation; PlayStation’s darling exclusive, and the game that represents the pinnacle of Naughty Dog’s finest work. No surprises then that the DLC was equally stirring, though not quite in the way that one might have expected.
The Last Of Us is a game of few superlatives. Among the many reasons it is considered such a masterpiece include its wonderful combination of poignant storytelling, relatable characters and the third person action/stealth gameplay that exceeds even Uncharted’s best offerings. Left Behind doesn’t simply give us more of the same, it writes its own very distinct legacy within The Last Of Us’s universe.
Taking control of Ellie is a different experience to that of Joel, and the exploration of her backstory gives us a unique perspective on the miserable world with which she lives. Left Behind doesn’t give us hordes of runners and clickers to mow down, rather, it focuses on the relationship between two young girls in a world consumed by fear and devoid of hope.
Left Behind is DLC perfectly executed; Naughty Dog’s writing guru and director Neil Druckman exercising fantastic narrative to make vivid a heartfelt and poignant story of love, reminding us that it can blossom even in the direst of circumstances. The story’s premise is bold, risky even, but it isn’t alternative for the sake of it. It feels just right.