Through four games, two console generations, and nearly a decade’s time, esteemed video game studio Naughty Dog introduced us to and concluded the story of treasure hunter Nathan Drake, an Indiana Jones-like figure who was the face of the acclaimed Uncharted series of 3rd-person action-adventure video games from 2007 to 2016. And while the main four titles in the series tracked Drake’s adventures from his humble beginnings to a satisfactory conclusion, the developers at Naughty Dog just couldn’t leave enough alone. And so, only a year after Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, they have blessed us with their supposed final foray into the Uncharted universe with the side-story The Lost Legacy. To no one’s surprise, it’s another awesome entry in one of gaming’s greatest franchises.
Lost Legacy delivers a shorter story than the series standard, and is this time based around the adventures of Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross, two badass women previously relegated to playing second (third? Fourth? Fifth?) fiddle to Drake in previous sequels. You take control of Chloe as she hunts down a near-mythical treasure, the Tusk of Ganesh, deep within the mountains of a war-torn India. This is a particularly personal hunt for Chloe, as the Tusk not only previously consumed her father’s life in his final years, but is also being sought after by evil insurgency leader Asav, who has the power to call upon dozens of gun-toting goons to do the digging for him. Because of this, Chloe enlists former mercenary-for-hire Nadine Ross to assist in her mission.
Unfortunately, Lost Legacy’s through line is unable to escape genre conventions, is painfully similar to exact story beats we’ve seen previously within the series, and presents the most forgettable villain of the franchise. But even still, Lost Legacy boasts strong character interactions and a beautifully realized setting, as well as one of the best set-pieces the series has ever had. The end result is an experience that remains engaging and fun throughout its six or seven-hour length, even if I had hoped for more from the story.
Speaking of the game’s setting, it’s one of the few things that helps it stand out compared to the previous titles in the series. For the first time in an Uncharted game, the player is allowed to truly explore a large area in its version of India’s Western Ghats, which is rendered with exquisite detail in a game that, visually, is nothing short of amazing. While this map is much smaller than other large open-world video games, the area provides a refreshing gameplay experience in a series that desperately needs new ideas.
Even with this addition, though, there’s not much else to set the Lost Legacy apart from its predecessors. Of course, putting two women in the lead roles is admirable, especially when it’s two women of color, and the voice and motion-capture performances by actresses Claudia Black (Chloe) and Laura Bailey (Nadine) are astounding. But it’s this lack of new ideas and inspiration in the gameplay that is perhaps Lost Legacy’s worst quality.
If you’ve ever played an Uncharted game, then you know the deal. You’ll do a fair amount of climbing questionable terrain, shooting bad guys, and solving puzzles — sometimes all at once. The series was already becoming a little stale by the third installment, so Uncharted 4 at least saw the introduction of the grappling hook and jeep as new mechanics to toy with. Those items are included here and remain fun to play with, but there’s no fresh, one-of-a-kind experience that Lost Legacy introduces. I’m not necessarily complaining too much, as this is after all just a spin-off that Naughty Dog was able to craft in a little over a year’s time, which is remarkably quick for a product of this quality. And anyways, I’ve always found the main gameplay mix in the series to be very enjoyable.
So while there is plenty to love about Lost Legacy, it falters in its inability to push the series forward in any new directions. And if this really is the end of the series as we know it, it’s a little bit of a disappointment to go out on something that’s not as fulfilling as Uncharted 4 was. But with that aside, Lost Legacy still offers a damn good ride for fans and shouldn’t be missed.
4 stars out of 5
— Michael Lane, Blog Editor
