The Last Of Us will no doubt be a landmark game for decades to come, for many reasons, but partly because it gave the world characters like Ellie and Joel. Some of the best performances in a game to date and beautiful demonstrations that characters can be strong, capable, funny, cautious, vulnerable and complex and not just two dimensional idiots who have one character defining trait. Its this kind of game that showcases just how powerful a storytelling medium gaming can be and that games can have characters with a wide and complicated emotional range. Though Ellie was hardly passive in the Last Of Us, the game hinged on her relationship with Joel and so when the Left Behind DLC landed it was a sublime extension to the series, giving audiences a chance to see more of what made Ellies character so appealing. Left Behind let us play as Ellie and introduced us to Riley, proving that Ellie was just as resourceful without Joel and further demonstrated characters need not adhere to clichéd archetypes. In game, Ellies character was given even more depth and allowed audiences to partake in an immersive, exciting game experience whilst having the same level of cinematic storytelling as some of the best films, allowing them to watch a relationship evolve in the most hellish of circumstances, giving a real sense of humanity to an otherwise bleak landscape. This masterpiece of storytelling was not only filled with a pallet of emotion but it culminated in the Ellie and Riley earnestly sharing a kiss without dwelling on it. Ellie is without a doubt one of the most intelligent, beautiful characters you can play and more developers should learn from where the Last of Us got things so right.