Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is the latest entry in the Uncharted series, based in India and follows the journey of Chloe and Nadine as they set out to find the Tusk of Ganesh. The events in the game take place almost a year after Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End concludes, and is a standalone story. That being said, having played the previous games in the series will familiarize you with many of the characters in the story and even some of their motives. However, the game is a self-contained adventure and newcomers will find it easy to get in and have an enjoyable experience with the game.
Fans of the series will recognize Chloe from Uncharted 2 where she plays a significant role, and from the smaller role she plays at the start of Uncharted 3. Nadine was one of the main characters in Uncharted 4, and headed Shoreline, a mercenary company. You play as Chloe, who is of Indian-Australian origin, and is following her father’s footsteps in trying to find the Tusk of Ganesh, a highly valuable artifact that is held in high regard in the Hindu mythology. She enlists Nadine, a mercenary for hire, to help her in her journey, since rebel factions in India are also after the tusk in order to further the war brewing in the region.
In many ways The Lost Legacy is reminiscent of the first Uncharted game, along with the mechanics, visuals, grandiose and spectacle of A Thief’s End. These are relatively new characters, and getting to know both Chloe and Nadine, and seeing them interact with each other is a delight. The story is relatively predictable, but the moment to moment story beats and set-pieces are the main highlight here. The story never reaches the highs of A Thief’s End, and understandably so, since that game had the build-up from three prior games to support it. It is still compelling enough to keep you going, and if you’ve played any of the previous games, you know that Naughty Dog rarely allows any dull moments in their games.
Soon enough you are driving across some relatively open areas, fighting enemies, climbing huge towers, taking in breathtaking sights and solving puzzles. While the shooting and traversal mechanics had been refined over the past few games, the puzzles here feel significantly better over the previous games. Maybe it’s the sheer beauty of the game, but it was a lot more enjoyable to to back and forth in the first open section in the Western Ghats so as to unlock a particular item that comes in handy throughout the game. Most of the puzzles also had a more clearer logic to them, instead of needing a lot of trial and error. And if the game saw that you were struggling with something, Nadine would often drop a useful hint to prod you along. Enemy encounters are fun, and both stealth and combat are viable options for the most part. Swinging around and knocking out unsuspecting foes never gets old, and movement animations look great and hand to hand combat feels punchy. The game is generous with ammo and weapons lying around, and there’s a fair variety to them to keep the combat interesting.
After the first open area, the game is a lot more linear. The different areas themselves are massive, but you’ll be going mostly along a set path, unless you venture off in search of collectibles. There are a few good surprises along the way, and some of the set piece moments are phenomenal. The sheer spectacle of some of the action happening on screen are jaw dropping, and even with the QTE stuff, it never feels less incredible. There are no dull moments here – the game is a roller coaster ride, right from the combat to the exploration, and all of the character development and story progression in between. Even with the 8-12 hour game length, you’ll find it hard to not want to finish the game in a couple of sittings, much like the previous Uncharted games.
The only real weak part is the combat, and not in the way that it’s bad – it’s just so average. And this has been the case with all Uncharted games, and by now, I have come to accept it for what it is. However, a bit more nuance and depth to the combat would be really great, even if in the form of some customization options. But, it’s still fun, so you might as well enjoy the ride. At times, I wish they would remove the combat entirely, and just be all about the exploration and the joy of treasure hunting, because that is truly the highlight of the whole series. But then the game throws at me some of the most spectacular action scenes since Metal Gear Solid 4, and it makes me go like – HOT DAMN, that was INSANE!
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy includes access to Uncharted 4’s complete suite of multiplayer content, including competitive multiplayer, its cooperative Survival mode, and all of the DLC updates released since Uncharted 4 launched. The Lost Legacy also includes a brand new Survival Arena Mode that will be available on public servers on launch day. The regular Competitive Multiplayer has 14 maps with 6 game modes, and has a ranked mode and solo trials. The Co-op Survival Mode allows up to 3 players to pay co-operatively across across 50 waves and face off Warlord bosses. You can also play this mode solo if you want. The new Survival Arena Mode is again a 3 player mode, but this time you take on waves of challenging and dynamically evolving waves of enemies, along with Warlord bosses and unique round modifiers. The multiplayer also includes a new playable character, new character skins and match replay tools.
The Lost Legacy is a great Uncharted game, and if Naughty Dog intends to continue the series using more side-characters from the main series, I am all for it. I did miss Nathan and his goofy smile, but the other characters in the series are personable enough to warrant their own games. I would even like to see more of Chloe’s adventures and maybe even some of Sam or Sully’s adventures. Fantastic visuals, interesting stories, and the overall spectacle of what you’re doing in the game never stops to amaze, and The Lost Legacy certainly lives up to the series’ ‘legacy’.
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