The Last of Us: Left Behind will be more 'playful' and 'fun' [video]

The Last of Us’ upcoming DLC, “Left Behind”, will have a more “playful” feel than the original game, according to Ashley Johnson, voice actress of Ellie.

 

“You’ll definitely see a more playful side to Ellie and get to know her a bit better,” she told the PlayStation Blog. “You’re going to see a lot of different sides to the character that you definitely didn’t see in The Last of Us.”

 

You’re going to see some of that playfulness in the new trailer for Left Behind:

 

 

 

 

Johnson also claimed Left Behind’s single-player campaign will feel different compared to the original game. “It’s a little bit more ‘fun,’ because you have two teenage girls going through a mall. It’s kind of like a post-pandemic version of two teenage girls hanging out. Definitely not a normal hangout! It’s very different – a little more playful.”

 

Left Behind, which was announced for the PS3 last November, will focus on the story of Ellie and Riley. Naughty Dog aims to introduce fans to the “real” Ellie before the harrowing events of the original game.

 

“You kind of get to meet the real her,” explained Johnson. “She’s in the quarantine zone prior to the events of The Last of Us – it’s her and her best friend Riley – what they do and how they live their lives in this world.”

 

Johnson also explained her involvement with the DLC.

 

“Shortly after the release of The Last of Us, I went for lunch with Neil (Druckmann, Creative Director),” said Johnson. “We sat down, and he said ‘Okay, I’m going to tell you the story for the DLC.’ I was sitting there and just completely taken in by the story; so excited. I loved the idea that it was kind of a prequel, and you’d meet a younger Ellie and find out what makes her tick. From there we got started pretty quickly on the casting for Riley.”

 

Newcomer

 

Riley will be played by newcomer, Yaani King, who has been acting for over ten years, and recently had a brief stint in the popular TV show, Mad Men. Left Behind will be her first video game role, and her first performance capture.

 

“When Yaani got on board she was just so fun and so silly that it sort of brought out my own kid-like tendencies, too,” said Johnson. “It was perfect. It’s so significant to the story because Riley is her best friend – this is a really important side of Ellie that people need to see.”

 

King described her character, Riley, as someone who “has an extremely strong personality, very driven, very confident for a 16-year-old, and she is Ellie’s best friend. They are quarantined together in this boarding school and became really close.”

 

Riley is more than just a friend to Ellie, however. “She’s also a mentor to Ellie… and helps her explore and see different sides of the world that they live in, and doesn’t really like following authority blindly. She’s not interested in just doing whatever it is she’s being told. So that’s what pushes her in the direction to kind of become a Firefly,” King told IGN.

 

King talked a bit about the Boston quarantine’s boarding school, which we first heard about in the original game.

 

“On the surface, we’re being protected from the Infected (at the school). (The powers that be) have us there kind of learning how to basically, at a certain age, fight the Infected at some point. So, it’s pretty boring. It’s kind of like what you’d imagine military school would be: wake up, eat, chores around the quarantine, learning how to protect yourself, and that sort of thing,” explained King. “But it’s very strict. I feel like it’s more about control over these kids than it is really teaching them anything or helping them in any way.”

 

Both Ellie and Riley will be motivated to leave the school and explore the ruined world outside the quarantine. And through this, we get to learn more about the two girls.

 

“What I can say is that there are moments in the DLC where you get to really learn the personalities and the heart of who these two girls are to each other through the adventures that they have,” said King. “And there are some really fun, new, fresh dynamics and content that (is) in this that you don’t necessarily see in the original game which I think add to who they are and who Riley is.”

 

King echoed Johnson’s description of Left Behind being more “playful”.

 

“You’re going to have a little more fun, I would say,” she said. “One thing I can talk about is what you kind of see in the teaser trailer, the carousel scene… you get to be a little more playful, you get to see a side of Ellie, along with Riley, that is a bit more carefree, not so focused on the world that they live in and the reality in which they live in, but you get to explore a playful side of Ellie that you don’t necessarily get to see. And you get to see her through Riley, who’s kind of bringing these things out of her and loosening (her) up a bit.”

 

As for the gameplay, not much was revealed. However, while the combat will feel familiar, it will also have “some new touches and nuances, too,” according to Johnson.

 

Left Behind will be available as a PS3-exclusive early this 2014. — TJD, GMA News