Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is a spin off title to the main series starring two returning characters of Chloe Frazer, a half Indian half Australian thief first seen in Uncharted 2 and Nadine Ross a South African mercenary introduced in Uncharted 4. To be honest while excited for the game I wasn't sure how it would fare without series regulars Nate, Elena or Sully but it turns out I shouldn't have worried, if anything I think I enjoyed this game more than Uncharted 4 getting to find out more about both Chloe and Nadine on their own adventure woven into a surprisingly well paced narrative.
The plot is hard to summarize without spoiling too much but essentially you take the role of Chloe who is back in India hunting after a treasure called the horn of Ganesh and has hired Nadine to help her who after Uncharted 4 is a little down on her luck and leapt at the chance for the money. Unfortunately for them India is in the middle of a civil war so things of course are not going to be easy.
I really liked the story, it allows for more depth for these side characters while at the same time having some good twists and moments both funny and emotional at times. The characters play really well off each other and the voice acting is superb throughout with both Claudia Black and Laura Bailey reprising their roles as Chloe and Nadine respectively. Claudia Black especially nails it as Chloe with some excellent subtle nuances in several of the cutscenes really standing out.
For the gameplay if you haven't played an Uncharted game before (and I recommend you do with either the first three games released in the Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection or at a push leap in with Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ) then what you need to know is they are third person adventure games with cover based shooting, light platforming and light puzzling. The combat has a good variety of weapons such as handguns, grenades, assault rifles and rocket launchers and has an incredibly smooth melee combat system that is very cinematic. My only gripe with the controls are that roll and take cover are still the same button which has been a problem to me for like ten years where trying to roll through a doorway will latch you onto the nearest wall and get you killed. How has this not been fixed by now?
When you aren't fighting you are exploring old ruins or jungles. The art design for the levels cannot be understated but at times I just stopped and stared, Uncharted The Lost Legacy looks absolutely amazing. Everything about the game from the particles effects, lighting and textures on top of the art design is stunning. The developer Naughty Dog just seem far ahead of almost everyone else when it comes to visuals, seriously impressive. The ruins sometimes have ancient puzzles to beat to progress. While certainly not brain taxing they are a little bit of a step up from previous games in design and quality. I would like to see more variety or difficulty but I enjoyed them for the most part.
Despite being a shorter game released at a budget price there is a surprising amount of content here, my first playthrough took me about eight and a half hours but I was looking around everywhere for hidden treasures and often just enjoying the view. If you rush through it you could beat it in six hours I should think. I would put it akin to the original Uncharted in length. It also comes with Uncharted 4's multiplayer on disc as well as the recent co-op survival mode you can play with both Lost Legacy and Uncharted 4 players which is a nice touch. Getting the platinum, finding all optional conversations and treasures are also nice reasons to replay the story. All this at a launch price of £25? Fantastic value.
In conclusion, this is a great game. If you like Uncharted and want something more then this is perfect for you. It fits in well after the previous games, looks and sounds amazing and is great value for money content wise in my opinion. I would happily buy a Lost Legacy 2 starring Chloe and Nadine if Naughty Dog were inclined to make it.
Recommended.
+ Chloe and Nadine are great characters with an evolving relationship.
+ Excellent voice acting and music.
+ The visuals and art are outstanding.
+ Fantastic value for money.
- Roll and take cover are the same button still. Why?
The plot is hard to summarize without spoiling too much but essentially you take the role of Chloe who is back in India hunting after a treasure called the horn of Ganesh and has hired Nadine to help her who after Uncharted 4 is a little down on her luck and leapt at the chance for the money. Unfortunately for them India is in the middle of a civil war so things of course are not going to be easy.
I really liked the story, it allows for more depth for these side characters while at the same time having some good twists and moments both funny and emotional at times. The characters play really well off each other and the voice acting is superb throughout with both Claudia Black and Laura Bailey reprising their roles as Chloe and Nadine respectively. Claudia Black especially nails it as Chloe with some excellent subtle nuances in several of the cutscenes really standing out.
For the gameplay if you haven't played an Uncharted game before (and I recommend you do with either the first three games released in the Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection or at a push leap in with Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ) then what you need to know is they are third person adventure games with cover based shooting, light platforming and light puzzling. The combat has a good variety of weapons such as handguns, grenades, assault rifles and rocket launchers and has an incredibly smooth melee combat system that is very cinematic. My only gripe with the controls are that roll and take cover are still the same button which has been a problem to me for like ten years where trying to roll through a doorway will latch you onto the nearest wall and get you killed. How has this not been fixed by now?
When you aren't fighting you are exploring old ruins or jungles. The art design for the levels cannot be understated but at times I just stopped and stared, Uncharted The Lost Legacy looks absolutely amazing. Everything about the game from the particles effects, lighting and textures on top of the art design is stunning. The developer Naughty Dog just seem far ahead of almost everyone else when it comes to visuals, seriously impressive. The ruins sometimes have ancient puzzles to beat to progress. While certainly not brain taxing they are a little bit of a step up from previous games in design and quality. I would like to see more variety or difficulty but I enjoyed them for the most part.
Despite being a shorter game released at a budget price there is a surprising amount of content here, my first playthrough took me about eight and a half hours but I was looking around everywhere for hidden treasures and often just enjoying the view. If you rush through it you could beat it in six hours I should think. I would put it akin to the original Uncharted in length. It also comes with Uncharted 4's multiplayer on disc as well as the recent co-op survival mode you can play with both Lost Legacy and Uncharted 4 players which is a nice touch. Getting the platinum, finding all optional conversations and treasures are also nice reasons to replay the story. All this at a launch price of £25? Fantastic value.
In conclusion, this is a great game. If you like Uncharted and want something more then this is perfect for you. It fits in well after the previous games, looks and sounds amazing and is great value for money content wise in my opinion. I would happily buy a Lost Legacy 2 starring Chloe and Nadine if Naughty Dog were inclined to make it.
Recommended.
+ Chloe and Nadine are great characters with an evolving relationship.
+ Excellent voice acting and music.
+ The visuals and art are outstanding.
+ Fantastic value for money.
- Roll and take cover are the same button still. Why?