Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

No pun intended - just when you thought all was over .. well actually this was announced quite early I think. And the very first one of these that I did platinum! That alone would or should be reason to give it a ten I reckon ... add to that the story ... but it is quite short playtime wise. Though it never was meant to do anything more than give us a bit more ... to soothe the blues one may have felt after the Uncharted 4 ending ... well overall ending.

That all being said, it is also the first Uncharted game where the player takes control of a female character ... for a whole game. Some might say it went full circle back to Lara Croft ... but never forget, there was Indiana Jones before that. Although you never had a game quite like the Uncharted or Tomb Raider games ... this may be a small affair (no pun intended), but a nice add on (another pun?) ... I really liked it ... and if you are an adventure game fan ... well play(station) on.

This all out action adventure never ceases to amaze me providing some of the best scenery with a great location and a new lead protagonist in Chloe Frazer. Previously she was the anti hero of the Uncharted series, now she kinda still is in an annoyingly boisterous way. She has always been unpredictable but is calculated in her approach whilst being quite laid back at times too. Throw in Nadine Ross and you got the recipe for a dynamic duo in archaeology, they are just one tusk away from preventing a civil war! I can't help but think this could've been a co-op story mode to fulfil the gamer completely. Somehow I always tend to be more intrigued by the bad girls and Chloe Frazer is no exception to this theory. She has the ability to do the right thing when it really matters however we can never be hundred percent sure that she will. Like most uncharted games this has plenty of puzzles, treasures and third person action. I'd say it has one of the best endings of any action game with very cinematic explosive climax. Definitely well worth sticking this one out to the very end. Some have been disappointed this game isn't particularly long yet I sometimes prefer the less is more approach. Often we can get too engrossed into he gaming world without really having time to process it! This game gave us a sample of the world around us and how valuable it really is. These exotic surroundings should be explored in our own life's rather than just through the eyes of a video game.

There is also the return of another major character even so I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise. In order the obtain the tusk Chloe and Nadine must overcome a ruthless warlord and his army of insurgents whom are looking to trade the tusk to the highest bidder or so it seems. This isn't a game where the narrative is the key focus although it does have some compelling moments. Overall it was really fun bringing another solid experience to the franchise.

The Lost Legacy doesn't really do anything the best in the series, but is overall the best package simply because unlike every other Uncharted game, there isn't a single tedious moment of gameplay (except perhaps the final fight with Asav, but that lasts mere minutes). Throughout the game, Chloe is a fantastic protagonist and while Nathan Drake is one of the greatest video game characters, it is actually a good thing for one to play from a different perspective. This removed the incredibly boring Drake's journal sections in turn of a more reward lockpick system and more visually appealing photos. The areas in which you could use stealth weren't as well constructed as they were in UC4, but the combat was and the combat was generally more exciting and less frustrating. Sam Drake is an awesome addition again, but is left out just enough to remind that this isn't a Nathan Drake tale. The two aspects that Lost Legacy absolutely knocks out of the park are the puzzles and the visuals. The puzzles, for the first time in the series are actually enjoyable to figure out and the visuals, while similar to UC4 are absolutely stunning. The open world (Chapter 4) has gotten some criticism for not having much to do, and while this is somewhat true, the open world is still fantastic because it is a first for the series and there are still 11 hoysala tokens to find, meaning there are still 15 substantial things to do on the map. The reward for finding all of the tokens gets you The Queen's Ruby, which makes the treasure hunting actually doable. Taking each UC game as whole, this is surprisingly the very best.

Initially, the game was conceived as a DLC for Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, but in the process it became an independent game. Let's look at the meaning of the game and find out whether it is worth evaluating this game as an independent one.

The meaning of the game Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is to search for a legendary artifact-the Tusk of Ganesha, for which the main characters - Chloe and Nadine-go.

For Chloe, finding the Tusk is a personal matter involving her family. The treasure is being hunted not only by heroines, but also by a dangerous rebel leader named Asav, who has an army of mercenaries at his disposal.

Some aspects of the game's meaning:

• Immersion in Indian culture. The setting of the game is based on real culture, which allows you to convey to the player a sense of admiration for the historical and cultural heritage of humanity.

• Character development. The game develops the personal stories of the main characters, in the course of the adventure, a connection is built between them, revelations are revealed, and "crown" jokes are formed.

• Work together. The heroines learn to work together to solve the mystery of the artifact, fight their way through fierce resistance, and prevent the region from plunging into chaos.

Obviously, the game deserves to be independent, the graphics and controls are very similar to the previous parts of Uncharted.

Category: Interesting facts...

• During the development process, the game format has changed many times. At first, the authors thought about a full-fledged Uncharted 5, then planned a small addition in the spirit of The Last of Us: Left Behind, but realized that such a modest scale is not suitable for the series. As a result, they chose an independent adventure, which is inferior in duration to the fourth part.

• In the eighth chapter, you can find an item called "Strange Skull". This is a predictor skull from The Left Behind expansion pack for The Last of Us - where Ellie found a similar item.

• Containers that can be hacked have the serial number 1232001 on them. This is not a random set of numbers, but the date is December 3, 2001. On this day, Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy was released-another creation of Naughty Dog studio.

"If you dive into the water next to Nadine in chapter five, Nadine will tell you that she doesn't have time to play Marco Polo, and Chloe will laugh. After that, the prize "Water treatments" (Marco Po-No in the English version) will be awarded. This is a reference to the second Uncharted - in which the protagonist Nathan Drake, once in the pool, tried to play "Marco Polo" with Chloe.

• While traveling in a jeep and constantly hooking the car, the main character realistically shifts the hook with the cable from one hand to the other, depending on her position relative to the game model.

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy shows promising signs of what the future holds for Uncharted.

Chloe returns with a different Nadine from Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (2016) in an epic adventure against menacing villain, Asav.

There are plenty of positives to take from The Lost Legacy. One would be that it's totally stunning (as is tradition in the series). Halebidu is a truly beautiful setting. The gameplay is brought over well from the previous entry and Chloe is a great lead, with Nadine and Sam completing an intoxicating trio, with players wanting more once the credits roll. It's a well empowering and positive portrayal for female leads, without the game becoming patronising or forcing its ideals upon us. Naughty Dog are so good at that.

For negatives, the game does become slightly boring despite its short running time. The story simply doesn't rival the previous entries and while the trio is great and the signs are good for any possible future entries, this trio can't match up to Nate, Elena and Sully.

In conclusion, The Lost Legacy is a more than worthy entry to the series. It's a good game, with a fantastic finale. Overall, this shows the series can go on and still rival its competitors.

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy - 8/10