It’s very hard to talk about Left Behind without revealing any spoilers, but I will do my upmost not to give too much away.  Quite simply Left Behind is full of crucial and beautiful moments that aid towards the development of Ellies (Ashley Johnson) character, which until now was an untold story (other than via the American Dreams graphic novel).  The main campaign to The Last of Us told the story of a man named Joel who was once a family man, but through one very traumatic experience, he began to grow detached to this world and refused to let anyone get in too close.  That is why the story to The Last of Us was so intriguing, because as the story developed we learned more about Joel and why he tried to keep Ellie at an emotional distance.

 

It was a fantastic story and it was very touching to see how the father/daughter relationship between Ellie and Joel developed.  But while we learned a lot about Joel, there was still much to learn about Ellie.  All we knew at the time was that she was a 14 year old girl that knew nothing of our ‘normal’ world, only the cruel infested world of The Last of Us.   Throughout the main campaign of The Last of Us, there were several hints to Ellies past, her life on the military compound in which she grew up on, her thoughts on the Fireflies, little of what she knew about her mother and of course her best friend Riley Abel played by Yaani King.  But that’s all those past references were, just subtle ‘hints’ to her life prior to Joel.  This is where Left Behind comes into play, this is Ellie’s life before we once knew it and I’ll go out on a limb right away and say that this is one of the most beautiful and emotional stories told in the video game industry.  But anyone that has played The Last of Us would expect nothing less from Neil Druckmann and the talented Naughty Dog team.

 

 

Anyone that has read The Last of Us graphic novels from Dark Horse comics, American Dreams would already know of the strong bond between Ellie and Riley.  So when I first found out that Left Behind was based on that awesome graphic novel, I was both excited and a little weary.  I was excited because I knew how much of a great story there was to be told, but on the other hand I kind of knew what would happen or so I thought.  Gladly I soon found out that Left Behind doesn’t follow American Dreams word for word or frame by frame.  While much does happen in Left Behind that occurs in American Dreams, there are also plenty of new adaptations that inspire from the events of the graphic novel too.  So while fans of American Dreams will kind of know what to expect, there are also some new experiences in there too.  But I cannot stress this enough, whether you’re familiar with the graphic novel or not, nothing can really prepare you for seeing this amazing story unfold before your every eyes.

 

To my surprise I was very happy to find out that Left Behind is actually split into two stories that entwine wonderfully with one another.  We have the beautiful relationship being told between Ellie and Riley.  Then the other part of the story reveals what transpired while Joel was seriously wounded after fighting with the cannibal group lead by the very creepy David, and Ellie was left to fend for herself and literally fight for every scrap to ensure that Joel does not die and leave Ellie alone.  Seeing what happened during the events that Ellie had to endure to ensure that Joel lived, is a crucial side of the story to tell and with that being told side by side with the importance of the Ellie and Riley relationship, you not only understand what Ellie was like before she met Joel, but why it is so important for her to have Joel in her life.

 

 

I cannot stress enough how well told Left Behind’s story is, I know I’ve used this word several times already, but there is no better way to describe Ellie and Riley friendship, other than ‘beautiful’.  You really do feel every emotion with Ellie, not only with Riley, but why Ellie needs Joel to survive and be in her life.  I consider myself to be quite stern in character and at times emotionally detached, but just like the main campaign of The Last of Us, I couldn’t help but be drawn in.  Perhaps even more so with Left Behind and even though I knew what would transpire come the finale, I couldn’t help not to be drawn in to the emotion of this magnificent tale.  These emotions are only magnified with yet another superb musical score from Gustavo Santaolalla.

 

Much like the main campaign of The Last of Us, I did not want my experience with Left Behind to end. But in someways it was a blessing, because if it had gone on much longer I would have found myself turning into a blubbering wreck.  The Last of Us gave the video game world one of the finest stories ever told and for some it would go down as the last generations finest.  Now with Left Behind, not only have Naughty Dog gifted us with one of the best games of our generation, but we also have one of the most striking and fascinating stories ever told via DLC.  Left Behind is a vital tale to The Last of Us universe and fans of the game must simply download this amazing story now.  Just make sure to have some tissues at hand, because it’s going to get emotional.

 

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