Thomas Roach reviews Uncharted: The Lost Legacy…
What was going to be DLC for Uncharted 4, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy has been released in the vein of the previous games. Many fans were left satisfied with how Uncharted 4 closed off the franchise, however this standalone spin off allows the series to continue without Nathan Drake. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy instead revolves around fan favourite Chloe Frazer who first appeared in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and follows Chloe as she attempts to find the Tusk of Ganesha in India.
Introducing Chloe Frazer as the game’s protagonist was a great move; exploring her past and her connection to the Tusk of Ganesha delivers a fun and interesting story and proves that she is much more than a love interest for the franchises previous protagonist. The game also brings Nadine Ross from Uncharted 4 as Chloe’s sidekick. Nadine didn’t have a massive role in the previous game so it was cool to learn more about her past as well as understanding her motivations and behaviour in the previous game. Both characters play together really well, they are brought to life by voice actors Claudia Black and Laura Bailey respectively, who clearly play off each other really well.
Like the other games, the gameplay varies and provides a fun experience. It is certainly not short of variety – at one moment you are climbing up walls and exploring, next fighting off waves of enemies using either guns of stealth, next you will just get to enjoy the scenery and solve puzzles. The game also features vehicles; one of my favourite missions in the game sees the player driving a jeep to catch a train whilst facing off waves of enemies on motorbikes. The gameplay offers nothing new to the franchise but with an Uncharted game you know what you are going to get, and the quality that we expect is certainly delivered this time round.
Combat remains the same however you are given the opportunity to take a more stealthy approach. If you want to go in guns blazing you can, but if you want to sneak up on your enemies and avoid detection you can attempt it this way. The firefights are always fun but taking a different approach does provide players with a new challenge and a new way of playing the game. I would encourage all players to take on the stealthy approach. The game also has a few fist fight encounters which require you to dodge your opponents attacks and throw your punches when their guard is down. Taking on boss fights this way is really satisfying especially as the fights are choreographed really well and are as immersive as the best hand to hand combat sequences in a Hollywood movie.
The game’s levels are fun to play through. Climbing, traversing, combat and driving still remain as fun as before however the middle of the game introduces an open world level which I was not sold on. That part of the game was okay but at times I found it frustrating driving across the map as it felt ;like I had nothing to do. Uncharted 4 did have an open world section in its Madagascar level however that felt far more linear and focused. I fell like this part of the game is really Naughty Dog exploring the use of open world and larger levels rather than it being beneficial to the game. That being said the open world area is visually stunning like all of the levels in the game, so they do deserve credit for the effort to make these levels look visually pleasing.
Going into the game I had expected it to be much shorter than the other instalments in the franchise. Personally I think the length of the game is perfect. My playtime was just over 7 hours however many claim that the game can be completed in under 6. Considering this was going to be DLC content originally, its length is closer to that of any other game in the series than a piece of DLC. There is some replay value due to the collectables, though I doubt you would want to revisit the game in its entirety after one or two attempts. Like Uncharted 4, you can replay specific encounters and that is far for appealing than trekking through the game to experience those moments again.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy provides a fun and immersive experience for fans of the franchise. Whilst it doesn’t outshine Uncharted 4, it delivers a similar experience that is just more of what we love. It is apparent that this game did not have the same budget of the other games, it may have been an experiment to the future of the franchise. Uncharted 4 closed off Nathan Drake’s story in the best way possible, and The Lost Legacy gives the franchise a chance to evolve and expand beyond its original protagonist.
Pros:
+ Visually Stunning
+ Fun and immersive gameplay
+ Great characters
Cons:
– Open world feels frustrating
– Adds nothing new to the franchise
Rating: 7.5/10
Thomas Roach
Originally published August 26, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
