Uncharted: The Lost Legacy Review

Like most people, once the credits rolled on Uncharted 4 I thought I was done with the series. It was a great, great end to the Drake saga and it was hard to think where Uncharted could go spectacle wise afterwards. Then I played The Lost Legacy and, you know, I think I may be okay with Naughty Dog continuing with the series.

Following the events of Uncharted 4, we rejoin Chloe to see what she’s been up to. Turns out she’s the same treasure hunting type, only this time teaming up with the last game’s henchwoman Nadine. It’s a buddy cop adventure where the two protagonists don’t exactly get along, so there’s plenty of quips and hijinks with Nadine and Chloe’s relationship hitting every cliché the odd couple adventure would hit. They hate each other at first, but who’s guessing they learn to get along as the game unfolds?

The performances are outstanding, because of course they are it’s a Naughty Dog game, but the narrative hooks didn’t dig in deep like they have in previous entries. It’s above-average writing camouflaging a below-average plotline. However, in the game’s defense, it is a far more concise story that doesn’t meander in the same way Uncharted 4 did. It’s shorter and doesn’t outstay its welcome.

One of the highlights of Uncharted 4 was the jeep sequence, almost like a look at what a potential open world game in the series would look like. An early chapter in The Lost Legacy follows a similar pattern. You get a vehicle, a map with locations and the game lets you drive around, killing enemies and operating the machines you need to unlock the more linear path. It’s some of the most breathtaking scenery in games and I wanted to spend hours just driving around and immerse myself in it. It does make me wonder what it would be like if Naughty Dog ever went all-in on an open world model.

Everything is heavily detailed, not just the world. The way Nadine and Chloe interact with each other in cut scenes and during combat looks excellent. None more so than with hand-to-hand fights with the game’s main antagonist. You can start punching with Chloe only for Nadine to quickly jump in for a combo. Yes, it’s heavily scripted smoke and mirrors type stuff, but it also looks brilliant and fits with the action movie aesthetic.

Although I never like to state “if you like this….then you’ll like this” in a review, this is really just another Uncharted game when you boil it down, so you will already know if that appeals to you or not. Still, it’s a very, very good Uncharted game. Stuff collapses once you stand on it, you murder an ungodly amount of people and you solve puzzles by climbing all over them. Don’t expect any great gameplay innovations here. What you should expect is a tightly constructed adventure that once again proves that Naughty Dog are one of the best in the business.