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The Last of Us

Ashley Johnson on The Last of Us DLC

Ellie discusses reprising role and new onscreen partner.

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The Last of Us was our game of the year for 2013, and we can't wait to get our hands on the story-driven DLC that was announced for Naughty Dog's title last November.

In an interview with actor Ashley Johnson, published on the PlayStation Blog, we're offered a few details ahead of more planned reveals later this week.

"You kind of get to meet the real her," Johnson said of Ellie. "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."

The serious undertones of the original campaign look to have been put aside for this story-driven content, which is to act as a prequel to the events already seen: "You'll definitely see a more playful side to Ellie and get to know her a bit better. You're going to see a lot of different sides to the character that you definitely didn't see in The Last of Us. I'm excited for people to experience it!"

"It's definitely different," Johnson continued. "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."

The Last of Us

We're also given a small amount of insight into the types of content that will be present in Left Behind. "There's a bit of everything in there. You're really getting a new sense of the environment. You'll engage in combat that seems familiar from the original campaign, but there are some new touches and nuances too."

Johnson also commented on working with actor Troy Baker (Joel) in last year's game, as well as newcomer Yaani King in this DLC: "It was interesting after working with Troy [Baker] and the Joel character for over two years and then getting back on set and working with someone totally new. The relationship with Riley is vastly different to the one with Joel - firstly, they're best friends and secondly, they're both teenage girls. There's a playfulness and silliness that wasn't necessarily there with Joel! It's a different kind of relationship - I love it. Some of the stuff that we captured for Left Behind is my favourite stuff that we've done on the whole project."

"Yaani is an incredible actress," she says, "and she's formed Riley perfectly. It was like she'd been there since the beginning, which I think in some ways is very hard. The whole crew at Naughty Dog are so awesome and anyone new coming in is made to feel totally welcome, but it's still hard to come onto a set where people have been working together for so long. She did it with such ease."

As soon as we have further details on this DLC campaign we'll share them with you. In the meantime, if you haven't already played the original game, read our review to have an idea of what you're missing.

The Last of Us

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The Last of UsScore

The Last of Us

REVIEW. Written by Gillen McAllister

"Naughty Dog have brought together these different elements and made them their own to create a masterclass in survival horror."



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