Even without the charismatic Drake on-board, The Lost Legacy is a very familiar standalone Uncharted adventure boasting beautiful presentation, smart puzzle solving and frantic gunplay. Here’s our full game review on PS4.
Developer Naughty Dog is responsible for one of the biggest exclusive PlayStation franchises in recent times, namely the Uncharted series. Nathan Drake’s adventures have shifted approximately a gazillion copies and provided a solid reason for owning Sony’s console over that other Xbox wotsit, so it’s no wonder that another Uncharted title has just launched on PS4.
Uncharted The Lost Legacy isn’t just a standard sequel, however, even though the gameplay is incredibly familiar. Rather, this standalone title focuses on secondary character Chloe Frazer and her hunt for the lost tusk of Ganesh, in the lush mountain ranges of western India. Instead of teaming up with Drake, Chloe instead partners up with a local gun-for-hire called Nadine Ross, who has some vital information concerning the missing relic. The only problem being that they first need to infiltrate the base of a rebel group, who seem just as interested in recovering the tusk for themselves.
Mixing up the main cast means a change in character dynamics, which helps to give The Lost Legacy a fresh feel despite that tried-and-tested gameplay. Chloe and Nadine bicker constantly, even in the midst of overwhelming gunfights, which can often raise a grin. Nadine remains sour-faced throughout, while Chloe (voiced once again by the brilliant Claudia Black) is unable to resist a cheeky dig or comment at every opportunity. And if you decide to charge headfirst into battle against horrendous odds, you can certainly expect to receive a severe telling off.
The game begins in quite a claustrophobic and intimidating fashion. Creeping through the ruined streets of a war torn city as the rebels drag the hapless residents out of their homes is quite a harrowing, not to mention heart-stopping, experience. Once you’ve located your mercenary contact, however, the standard Uncharted cogs begin to turn. Throughout the quite sizeable adventure you’ll find yourself bounding across rooftops under heavy fire, trading punches and shots with dozens of foes and, of course, exploring ruined temples in search of clues. It’s at this point, with a shift in scenery to the Benevolent Mountains, that The Lost Legacy really opens up.
Like the Tomb Raider and Assassin’s Creed games, this new Uncharted adventure makes you feel like you’re exploring a wide open living world, even as it’s leading you down the most linear of paths. For one, you can cover vast distances in a seemingly invulnerable four-wheeler. The scenery is absolutely stunning too, with no apparent end to the rolling hills and greenery.
Occasionally you’ll have to negotiate a sizeable area filled with rebel soldiers, with no hand holding by the game at all. You personally have to choose how best to proceed; be it a sneaky, stealthy approach or a full-on fire and brimstone assault. This is where the ability to tag enemies and hide in long grass (a staple of the Assassin’s Creed franchise) comes in very handy indeed.
You start off using little more than your fists and feet to beat off your enemies, with the same control scheme as previous Uncharted games. However, you can as always pick up any guns and grenades that your foes leave behind, including kick-ass sniper rifles and some seriously heavy artillery. Each weapon has its own distinctive feel and it’s as deeply satisfying as ever to mow down hordes of enemies and swap guns on the fly. The ability to seamlessly transition between hand-to-hand combat and gunplay is nothing short of slick and makes you feel seriously badass too.
Nadine is controlled by the computer AI and for the most part she’s pretty helpful, if a little nuts. She’ll stay in the shadows while you’re sneaking around, emerging only when the proverbial poo hits the fan to take down some baddies. I did see her charge into a gunfight completely unarmed, yet her mighty boots seemed to take down the opponents with ease while she picked up no serious injuries, so all was well. And with the exception of one moment where she got in my way during a particularly hairy jump (which ended with our battered corpse spread across the bottom of a canyon), she never frustrated me.
Although Uncharted The Lost Legacy takes few risks, I still thoroughly enjoyed my time with Chloe and Nadine. This is an Uncharted game through and through, with some neat mechanics from other action adventures mixed in for a well-considered and entertaining experience.
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