Chartbuster
Naughty Dog’s latest game in the Uncharted series has something special for desis. While the first four titles in the series followed rebellious treasure hunter Nathan Drake to adventures on tropical islands and mystical Nepal, in Lost Legacy, Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross scour the Western Ghats in search of the lost tusk of Ganesh.
That’s right, fans. A sidekick and a villain you were trying to kill in earlier editions of the game are the stars this time around. And the setting is stunningly realistic, as well as close to home. Lost Legacy sets a very high bar for the games to come, packing edgy action with excellent storytelling and unbelievable graphics. As they search for the treasure, Frazer and Ross are under attack by the insurgent army of a local warlord, Asav, who is looking for the same tusk to fund his underground movement.
The game balances gunfights with elaborate puzzles and a fair amount of exploratory work that requires you to sprint, jump, swing ropes, scale bare walls and waterfalls in the characteristic Uncharted style. Indian players, especially if they can read Kannada and Tamil, will appreciate the research the designers have put in as they identify mythological references, snatches of dialogues in Hindi (although, rather incongruously, this is Karnataka) and billboards. The detailing in the graphics is spectacular as Chloe and Nadine head deeper into the jungles in search of the old Hoysala capital of Halebidu, and later Belur. These range from flocks of birds flying away as you near them to minute lesions on Chloe’s fingers that are visible as she swipes through her smartphone.
The character arcs, however, are the showstoppers. Both Nadine and Chloe start off as mercenary treasure hunters unmoved by anything except money. They grow into their partnership and by the close of the game even manage some poignant emotional moments, something that one would have thought impossible of their characters from the previous Uncharted games. Here’s hoping that Naughty Dog keeps them coming.