Nathan who?
Format: PS4 exclusive
Publisher: Sony
Developer: Naughty Dog
What is it: An action-adventure game that's a continuation of the incredibly successful Uncharted series, set shortly after the events of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. Treasure hunter Chloe Frazer is in India, hunting for a rare artifact called the Tusk of Ganesh. Teaming up with mercenary Nadine Ross, they head into the remote mountains in search of the lost city of Belur, home of the tusk, but they face opposition from the dangerous Asav, leader of an insurgent group that's waging a civil war in India and wants the tusk for himself.
(Just a quick note before I begin - all the screenshots you'll see below have been captured directly from my own PS4, which is why you'll see a trophy notification in one of them. I wanted to show just how damn gorgeous this game is.)
Review: Naughty Dog have enjoyed great success over the last twenty years, producing titles exclusively for Sony's various games platforms (Sony actually bought them in 2001, a very smart move). They're responsible for the game that has become my favourite of all time - The Last of Us, for which a sequel is due in 2019 and to say I'm ecstatic about that is an understatement. But arguably their biggest success story overall is the Uncharted series, four action-adventure games starring treasure-hunter and all-round dashing rogue Nathan Drake. Widely acclaimed by critics and gamers alike for the quality of its storytelling, humour, visuals and gameplay, 2016 saw Nathan's story concluded with A Thief's End. But as it turns out, Naughty Dog weren't quite finished.
Originally conceived as a paid DLC for Uncharted 4, the scope of The Lost Legacy grew to the point that Naughty Dog decided that it deserved a stand-alone release, and I'm glad they did as for this to be labelled as just an add-on to Uncharted 4 would be doing it an injustice. It's not a full-length game; it features nine chapters, around 10-12 hours of gameplay, and so it doesn't have a huge price tag, retailing at £24.99. But given the quality of the game, trust me when I say you're getting a bargain.
If you've played any of the previous games in the series then you'll know what to expect here. The game is a mixture of action sequences and combat, adventuring and puzzle-solving, exploration and bombastic set-pieces. The series has always borrowed heavily from Tomb Raider, which isn't a bad thing, but perhaps the only criticism I can throw at it is that there's nothing particularly original going on here. After the four previous games nothing that happens in The Lost Legacy will take you by surprise, especially when you take into account that this began life as an expansion to Uncharted 4, but when it's done as well as this, it's really difficult to make it a criticism. The final chapter in particular, where you fight your way along a moving train, is particularly well done.
And boy is this game spectacular to look at. Naughty Dog have always produced games that are a treat for the eyes, and The Lost Legacy continues that tradition as it features some of the best graphics I've seen on the PS4, really pushing the system to it's limits. The developers have taken the beautiful location of India and run wild with their imagination, producing some stunning results that compliments the storyline as Chloe and Nadine explore the various ruined locations their exploration takes them to.
It's not the beautiful graphics or the exciting gameplay that's the highlight here though - it's the story and the relationship between Chloe and Nadine. A fan-favourite character returning from previous games in the series, Chloe takes centre stage and partners with Nadine, one of the antagonists from Uncharted 4. It's an unusual combination, Chloe the cheeky treasure-hunter and Nadine the hard-edged mercenary, but it's one that works. Brought to life with terrific voice acting and motion capture from Claudia Black and Laura Bailey, the characters go on a journey from uneasy alliance to mutual respect, to falling out to firm friendship, all with the trademark humour of the series present and correct. It's a joy to watch them interact and it proves that these characters are more than capable of holding the spotlight.
Apart from the main story campaign, The Lost Legacy also comes with the full multiplayer from Uncharted 4 which is a nice bonus. Your mileage of this will vary, but it comes in PvP and co-operative horde mode flavours, and introduces new characters and skins as well. There's unlockable artwork and graphics filters for the main story, obtained by collecting the various treasures hidden around the maps, and there's also a very funny photo mode, that allows you to pause the game at any moment and, amongst other options, apply a number of different silly facial expressions to Chloe:
I did this a lot.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
A beautifully-presented, enjoyable addition to the Uncharted series that's a bargain for the price. While there's nothing particularly original here, when it's done to the high standards of Naughty Dog it's really not something to complain about, especially when it features such a likeable storyline between two strong female characters. With any luck, the Uncharted series will continue with Chloe and Nadine as it's new main stars, and the future looks bright if that's the case.
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