SAME SAME BUT DIFFERENT
“UNCHARTED: THE LOST LEGACY” IS A CINEMATIC GAME MUCH LIKE ITS PREDECESSOR
We really did think we saw the last of the Uncharted series. After all, the fourth one was entitled Un
charted 4: A Thief’s End, so we were pretty much convinced that Nathan Drake’s treasure-hunting days were done. Well, that is sort of true. Drake, the central character of the past four games, is absent in this standalone expansion entitled Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. But is that necessarily a bad thing? Is
Uncharted no longer Uncharted simply because Nathan Drake isn’t there? Or is the game able to stand for itself and be a valid addition to the Uncharted franchise?
The Story
The story follows Chloe Frazer, whom the player controls. Chloe was absent from Uncharted 4, but those who’ve followed the series will remember her from the second instalment. She’s after the legendary Tusk of Ganesh, something her father, an archaeologist, was after as well before he mysteriously disappeared. Along with her is Nadine Ross, the former leader of the mercenary group Shoreline, who is still recovering after what had happened to her in Uncharted 4 (we would tell you what happened, but spoilers, sweetie). Together, both travel to India’s Western Ghats to try and discover the fabled tusk. Making things difficult for them is a man named Asav, the leader of an insurgent group who’s also after the tusk to use it to rally the people behind his cause and cause them to revolt. Chloe and Nadine must set aside their differences and work together to find the tusk before Asav. The Visuals Naughty Dog, the developer behind Uncharted, has always delivered on visuals on all their games. Even The
Last of Us, despite being set in a ruined, apocalyptic city had breathtaking views. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is no different. Climbing up statues and mountains and finally reaching the top to get a view of the landscape made us forget momentarily that this was CG rendered. Also, in true Naughty Dog fashion, the game is very cinematic. Basically, it’s a movie in which you control the character. The cutscenes that are seamlessly integrated into the game has you on the edge of your seat. While the vistas, landscapes, architecture, and views take your breath away, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy’s action sequences are explosive, gripping, and blockbuster-worthy.
The Gameplay
If you’re a fan of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, then you’re in for a treat because... well, nothing’s really changed. In terms of what you do as a player controlling Chloe, it’s basically the same thing with what you did with Nathan back in Uncharted
4. There’s a lot of climbing and rope swinging. There’s the periodic puzzle solving. There’s a chunk of the game where you drive around. And last but certainly not the least, there’s the sneaking around and killing goons which sometimes escalates into full-blown gunfights. A small thing that’s special for The
Lost Legacy is the lockpicking mini-game. Since Chloe’s a thief, the skill is in her repertoire and you’re able to pick doors and crates with special weapons. However, other than that, there’s really nothing drastically different gameplay-wise, and it does get repetitive. We also can’t help but make comparisons with
Tomb Raider and occasionally mistake Chloe for Lara Croft because hey, what with the ponytail, the acrobatics, and the shooting, they are pretty similar.
The Verdict
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is able to carry itself and stand on its own two legs thanks to a great storyline and the cinematic feel that Naughty Dog does so very well. It’s definitely part of the Uncharted franchise because everything is pretty much the same, so if you’re going into this expecting something different, you may be disappointed. Although the gameplay offers nothing new, we wanted to see the game through simply because of the story and the cinematically great storytelling. And to be honest, it was easy to get through because it was kind of short. If anything, this proves that Uncharted could go on without the presence of Nathan Drake.
Bottom line: if you want to find out what the story’s all about, buy it. But if you’re expecting something new and different, this may not be your cup of tea.