Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

A new Uncharted game, only without its possibly iconic main character, Nathan Drake. Does Uncharted: The Lost Legacy live up to the reputation of its predecessors, and can Chloe Frazer adequately fill Drake's shoes? In my opinion, the answer to both of these questions is mostly, yes.

Possible spoilers beyond this point.

The first thing to address is that, according to all reports, this game started life as downloadable content for Uncharted 4, before the developers at Naughty Dog felt like they had enough content to justify making it its own stand-alone game. As such, it is the shortest game in the series by a notable margin. Despite this, it does not feel light on content, for the most part.

Stunning Vista:  Copyright © Naughty Dog

This game experiments with open-world elements at one point, giving a sense of scope to the adventure, and making the jungle feel like an actual environment, rather than a linear corridor. It also adds to the sense of accomplishment when hunting for treasure, as it requires actual exploration in order to discover all of the little trinkets that have been tucked away. In a way this better represents the idea of being a globe-trotting treasure hunter.

However, after a while the open-world setting can start to drag a little, as covering the same area of ground for the tenth time can feel a little repetitive. Also, I found that the time it takes to cross areas of the map can begin to feel wasted, and that all the time spent travelling can come across as filler to pad the game. Although, given the usual quality of the game I will give the benefit of the doubt, and say that this was surely not what the developers at Naughty Dog intended.

The game does use linear pathways for most of its duration, although they never really feel too restrictive, since there are puzzle and other obstacles to break up the monotony. However, even though it does both well, it can feel a little strange going from linear, to open world, and back again. That said, the actual crossover points between them are not too jarring, it's merely a question of the player adapting to the new style.

Whilst we are on the subject of the over-world, I will take a moment to say the levels are as beautiful as ever. With stunning vistas and generally beautiful scenery, all designed to take the player's breath away.

The puzzles in the game, are fun and engaging, although there is nothing in there that is truly original, nothing that has not already been done by previous entries in the Uncharted series; although, it does put slightly new spins on a couple of old ideas, which is nice. The problems presented are not too taxing on the brain, being fairly straight forward, although they sometimes require a little exploration to figure them out. Still, despite there seeming simpleness, they are fun to engage with, and solving them still brings with it a sense of satisfaction.

The combat in Lost Legacy definitely feels like a step-up from previous games in the series; as it feels like the player has more freedom, and more choice in how to conduct in battle. In previous games it was all but guaranteed that an enemy encounter would exploded into a gun battle. Here stealth is a more viable enemies, and it is much easier to defeat entire enemy patrols whilst remaining undetected. It is even possible to remain hidden whilst using grenades, if you use them properly.

That said, if you do draw the enemy's attention, the resulting battle can begin to feel a little overwhelming. As enemies can sometimes seem to appear out of the aether, and behind your cover, to take you down easily. For the most part however, combat is fluid and enjoyable.

Your AI partner is also very good, constantly seeking to outmanoeuvre the enemy, and never getting in your way. Yet at the same time it never takes over for the player, and will never eliminate all the enemies by itself. It strikes just the right balance between smart and dumb.

One problem I've noticed is that the controls sometimes feel a little lacking during combat. Occasionally, if you're trapped or close to parts of the environment, the controls can feel sluggish, and a little unresponsive. This can feel like an unfair disadvantage if it happens during on of the more difficult sections. Still, this is not a problem that rears its head often.

The story of Lost Legacy is more straight forward than previous entries, with fewer twists; but that is to be expected given that it is significantly shorter. Yet despite, of perhaps because of, its brevity, I thought that it was one of the stronger stories in the series. It focuses on its central conflict from the very beginning, plunging us into the action almost immediately. There is little build-up before we meet the main villain, but what build-up is there is good, giving us a feel for the villain just before we meet him.

The main enemy himself is great, being both intimidating and intellectual, a vicious thug with a sharp mind. He can be both earnest and hypocritical in his goals, with his motives being narcissism wrapped in a pretence of warped nobility. Importantly, the man manages to come across as larger than life, without becoming too unbelievable.

Chloe and Nadine:  Copyright © Naught Dog

More importantly, the story arcs of both Chloe and Nadine are also well done. We get a clear insight into their lives, learning about what drives them, and makes them the women they are. The writers manage to make them sympathetic and moral(ish), without disguising the fact that they are a thief and a mercenary respectively. It is also interesting to see there interactions change over the course of their adventure, as their friendship grows and develops.

All in all, another excellent game in a franchise notable for them, but one that is unlikely to attract anyone who isn't already interested in the series or genre.

Until next time,

PhoenixAct