Uncharted: The Lost Legacy Review - A Bright Future
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A Bright Future
Played On: Regular PlayStation 4
What I've Played:
- Finished campaign on Hard difficulty in 8-9 hours.
- Completed the optional task of collecting all the coins scattered across the open area.
- Played a few rounds of Survival multiplayer.
When Uncharted: The Lost Legacy was announced at The PlayStation Experience in 2016, it felt right to be given a follow-up game so soon after the success of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. With Chloe Frazer now leading the charge and Nadine Ross as a partner, this new adventure retains all that Uncharted is known for. There are a few changes here and there, but longtime fans should not miss this standalone title that promises a bright future for the beloved series.
The story takes place after the events of Uncharted 4. Chloe Frazer teams up with Nadine Ross (One of the baddies of Uncharted 4) to find the Tusk of Ganesh in the mountains of India. Of course, there’s another company, led by antagonist Asav, who’s also after the tusk, making for the tried-and-true “race to find a great treasure” plot. Typical as it sounds, the entertaining nature of the snappy Uncharted dialogue, as well as the great, engaging set pieces, are kept intact in The Lost Legacy.
The Other Side Of The Coin
Chloe is as witty as Drake and can definitely hold her own during a conversation, or when bullets start flying overhead. She was a character sadly MIA during Uncharted 4, but she’s making up for it now by wearing Nathan Drake’s shoes – that is, solving puzzles and barely surviving crazy stunts. With her having the spotlight, we get a more personal look into the character, and as you progress through the game, you’ll see a more mature side of her; that said, the development is a bit lacking for a main protagonist. It’s all business in The Lost Legacy, and as much as I appreciate the personal moments where the writers could flesh out Chloe, I was left with an urge to better understand the leading character.
Nadine Ross is the big surprise, since players only got a small taste of who she was in Uncharted 4. They took into account that some players were familiar with the character thanks to the previous game, and provided enough time to form a new impression of the former Shoreline Mercenary. From the start, she establishes herself as a capable partner for Chloe during both cutscenes and gameplay. She slowly becomes a likeable character, and it was interesting to see her interactions now that she’s on the ‘other’ side for once; I enjoyed her a lot during the big surprise in the last few chapters of the campaign.
As an AI, Nadine’s solid capabilities are well represented in The Lost Legacy’s gameplay. During gunfights, she will inform you of incoming enemies during stealth and will mark them for you. She kills during fights, and when nearby, she will do satisfying takedowns together with Chloe. Nadine even helps out during puzzle elements, which took me by surprise. She’s no simple AI forced to follow the player around. This is something I’ve noticed with Naughty Dog games and it looks like they are slowly improving partner AIs to make them more of an asset.
When it comes to gunfights, everything is similar to Uncharted 4’s stellar gameplay. Most fights begin during stealth and give the player the opportunity to thin out the opposition before going loud. The ability to swing around with your trusty grappling hook is back, and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy adds a few new weapons into the mix. Climbing is similar as well. It’s still easy to pick up for new players, and there’s a lot of climbing in the campaign. Thankfully, the grappling hook changes the pace during the climbing segments. The climbing pick (piton) also makes a return, and again, destroys any sense of repetition as you take in the game’s gorgeous vistas.
The Opportunity To Explore
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy felt like an opportunity for Naughty Dog to try new things. There is an interesting open-world segment where you get to explore specific locations via jeep. Uncharted 4 had a similar chapter, but that area was small when compared to what The Lost Legacy has to offer. You have the option to tackle which of the locations to visit first, and you can engage mercenaries camped out in some ruins. It felt like Naughty Dog was testing the waters for an open world environment, and it might be a hit or miss to some players, especially those expecting to go through a linear path. While some will welcome the change when they first begin that part of the game, they may soon realize that a lot of time was spent driving with not enough banter from Chloe and Nadine to keep the players entertained through the ride.
During exploration, there will be crates that Chloe can open via lock picking. Some are worth the effort since the more deadly weapons are found in them, but you’ll also be treated to a few collectibles. There’s an option to find hidden coins in the open space, giving more incentive to stick around and explore the land. Puzzles are abundant here. They got me thinking and really helped the pace of the whole campaign. From climbing, gunfights, exploring the land, and solving well-thought puzzles, The Lost Legacy was plotted evenly to keep the player switching between different tasks during this 8-9 hour campaign.
The score felt similar, and if there were changes or additions, it was hard to distinguish, since the Uncharted games have established a familiar tone that reminds players what they are playing. The set pieces are as crazy as ever, and watching it all unfold - seeing Chloe and company survive near-impossible encounters - reminded me how entertaining this series can be for the player, as well as those spectating.
The visuals are what you’d expect from Naughty Dog. Character animations and out-of-this-world set pieces are made in great detail and are on par with the previous title. From impressive weather effects to environmental destruction, The Lost Legacy’s a treat for the eyes, to the point that I played around yet again with the in-game photo mode to take some screenshots.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy was also paired up with Uncharted 4’s multiplayer mode, making it a solid package for its reduced cost. New to the multiplayer component is Survival Mode, which is a 3-player co-op mode against waves of enemies and bosses. The competitive mode has been updated with new content since the release of Uncharted 4, and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy players have access to everything in multiplayer. While it’s not the best offering in the market today when it comes to competitive third person shooters, it’ll be a good distraction to play with friends that love Uncharted’s cover shooting gameplay.
In my eyes, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy was not needed. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End was a perfect goodbye to a series we grew to love. I was okay with the series ending there. But after finishing The Lost Legacy, I realized that Naughty Dog is capable of creating a new batch of characters to carry the torch that Nathan and company first bore years ago. No prior experience with the franchise is required to enjoy this one, but the self-contained The Lost Legacy could entice newcomers to give the previous games a chance. Chloe and Nadine are a perfect duo; they’ve got me pumped thinking about what the Uncharted series could be moving forward. The future looks bright, and if they decide to throw in some more of these side adventures, I’m all in.
9/10
Pros
- Paints a great future for the Uncharted series without Nathan Drake
- An entertaining adventure for both the player and those around them
- Amazing visual detail on par with the previous title
Cons
- The open-world segment can be hit or miss for some players thanks to its large scale
