Episode 26

Mike, Alex and Trevor discuss this week's headlines including Last of Us: Left Behind, the latest Nintendo Direct, and Titanfall. Stay tuned to the Geeksmith Productions Facebook and Twitter page this week for an upcoming giveaway!

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The Last of Us: Left Behind Review

The Last of Us: Left Behind

Review by:

Michael Serrata

SPOILER ALERT: Contains minor spoilers for both The Last of Us as well as prequel comic The Last of Us: American Dreams. It is highly recommended to play/read those titles before playing the DLC(Left Behind) or reading this review. No story spoilers for Left Behind are contained in this review unless otherwise noted.

My love for The Last of Us is no secret. Naughty Dog's masterpiece has become one of 2013's most critically acclaimed and well received titles and has gone on to win countless awards including the coveted 'Game of the Year' from most of the gaming press. Critics including myself praised the dark and mature narrative, masterful performances from the entire cast as well as fluid, fitting gameplay mechanics. When a single player downloadable content pack was announced as part of the Season Pass, it had much to live up to. Finally after much speculation and trepidation, The Last of Us: Left Behind is upon us.

In the months leading up to release, details started to emerge on the story Left Behind would be focusing on. Ellie would return as the main protagonist along with Riley, a character alluded to in the main campaign and introduced in the Last of Us' prequel comic, American Dreams. The comic centers around Ellie who grows up in a quarantine zone military boarding school who meets a rebellious Riley. In the comic, we see a young Ellie and Riley adventure outside of the quarantine zone and gain insight into their relationship. Through the Last of Us' main campaign, we learn that Ellie comes into contact with the infected alongside her friend Riley and discovers her immunity and suffers the loss of her closest friend. While the comic did not delve into the fateful encounter of Riley and Ellie becoming bitten, we are left with enough details to paint a picture as to what happens. Left Behind fills in the blanks of this encounter while telling a touching and compelling story and Naughty Dog once again illustrates a pitch perfect delivery of storytelling through video games.

When the story picks up we are once again reunited with a young 13 year old Ellie. This is not the Ellie we remember at the end of The Last of Us. Here she is a curious, rebellious and naïve young girl who is still very much a child. Ellie is reunited with her friend Riley after her mysterious absence and the two embark on another adventure together to explore a mall outside of the quarantine zone. Together they behave as typical teenage girls would, if the world was devastated by a fungal infection. We see a new side of Ellie, a more vulnerable one who is at home with her beloved peer. Riley is a strong rebellious girl slightly older than Ellie and has just joined the Firefly's. The relationship between the girls is well written and Riley is an endearing and believably well acted character. Like the Last of Us' main campaign, some of the most memorable storytelling moments come from your exploration and interaction with the environment and characters. Also like the main title, revealing too many details would do a disservice to the game; it is meant to be played and digested for full impact. The less you know the better. Comparisons to last years indie hit Gone Home are inevitable because of the similarities in storytelling presentation. Left Behind is narrative heavy. Yes, there are combat scenarios but your motivation for progressing is entirely to see the story unfurl before you. Naughty Dog has once again lovingly created a beautiful story amidst the backdrop of devastation. It is a short campaign clocking in around two hours but features the essence of the main story distilled into a more compact experience.

Gameplay is once again a conduit for storytelling and nails the effect perfectly. Stealth and strategy once again play a large role in combat. Ellie controls much different from Joel and while she is still very capable of defending herself, she is still a vulnerable 13 year old girl. Whereas Joel could dispatch multiple enemies with finesse, Ellie is best at dealing with singular enemies at a time. Armed primarily with a pocket knife, Ellie is encouraged to use stealth tactics to navigate through the environments. Turning the infected against the ruthless survivors is a clever mechanic and its omission from the main game is surprising. The crafting system returns albeit in a less important role. One criticism The Last of Us received can be applied to Left Behind as well. The combat is still the least interesting part of the game. With such great mechanics this is a very minor complaint and really just exemplifies the quality of it's storytelling.

Sound design and voice acting once again are among the best seen in any game. Ashley Johnson's performance as Ellie once again is top notch. The range of emotions and complexity in her character come not only from the excellent writing but the delivery from the versatile actress. Newcomer Yaani King who plays Riley, would steal the show in any other game delivering a performance fitting of what we expect from The Last of Us' cast. Riley is instantly likeable and her relationship with Ellie is believable and subtle. Gustavo Santaolalla's score is again fitting with it's understated presence serves to amplify the emotional moments in the game.

9.5/10

Like many of the stories found throughout the scattered notes and environments through The Last of Us' main campaign, Left Behind is not necessary to understand and appreciate the characters in the main storyline. It accomplishes what it sets out to do, to serve as an amplification of the emotional power and resonance of the story told while creating a standalone narrative that stands amongst gaming's best written and delivered stories. Perhaps the only criticism that can be leveled against this superbly executed downloadable content is that much of the emotional power is derived from the main campaign and knowing the ending going into it. This criticism is largely superfluous as the story exists not in a separate vacuum but as an expansion of the themes presented in the main game.

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Episode 25 Valentine's Day Spectacular

Mike and Trevor lament Valentine's Day by discussing their latest exploits and video game news of the week including MGS Ground Zeroes, Flappy Bird and Evolve.


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Episode 24

Mike, Alex and Trevor discuss Nintendo's recent Wii U struggle and future plans, Valve's newly unveiled Steam Machines and Sony's Playstation Now game streaming service.

Geeksmith Productions
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geeksmithproductions.blogspot.com


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