Uncharted: The Lost Legacy Review

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

Release Date: August 22, 2017
Platforms: Playstation 4
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Naughty Dog
MSRP: $39.99 US, Included in Season Pass and Digital Deluxe Edition

When Naughty Dog announced Uncharted: The Lost Legacy as the single player expansion to Uncharted 4 at Playstation Experience in 2016, fans of the series were ecstatic. Never had we before had a full on expansion to follow up an iteration of Uncharted, and we didn’t know what to expect. But after months of waiting, we finally have our hands on the stand alone title, and you won’t at all be disappointed. Everything that you would expect from the series is included; from parkour style climbing mechanics and intense movie-like action, to incredible graphics and an exciting adventure, it’s all here. Naughty Dog certainly stuck to the original formula, also adding in a new open world aspect half way into the game. But even with a new story and a different hero perspective, The Lost Legacy does very little to stand out on its own in the Uncharted franchise.

An unlikely duo.

*Warning! Minor Spoilers!

First true “open world” aspect in an Uncharted game.

Gameplay:
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy follows the same formula from previous iterations. You tread through an area tackling different terrains by climbing walls, and using ropes to access seemingly impossible to reach areas. You also spend a good amount of time driving through muddy paths in a jeep. It was all very fluid, and with gorgeous scenery, it is more rewarding than anything. The traversing aspects definitely pan out during the movie-like action sequences that require the player to quickly react to narrowly escape death. I have always enjoyed the Uncharted franchise for these events, and Naughty Dog did not neglect them in this game. During your journey, you encounter puzzles that are quite challenging, and are required to open doors or collect treasure relative to the story.

Climbing is a lot more enjoyable than tedious.

Just one of the many puzzles in The Lost Legacy.

You will also encounter hired henchman, where you have a choice in either utilizing stealth mechanics to silently take down enemies, or going guns blazing with an array of firearms and explosives. In these combat sequences, it is fairly repetitive, as it didn’t change often enough throughout the game, nor offer many challenges. The chapters would have been very redundant if it weren’t for an “open world” segment half way through the game. This point in the game allows for freedom of the player to travel between different forts and decide on their own strategy to get to their ultimate objective. If the developers could have figured out a way to make the entire game to revolve around this concept, rather than a portion of it, it would have been a turning point for the series. Surely there will be more emphasis in a sequel. Also if you don’t have Uncharted 4, and want to play online with other people, then have no worries; The Lost Legacy includes multiplayer modes for you to enjoy, the same as the previous game. This includes competitive and cooperative game modes, along with all previously launched DLC.

Get down!

Summary:
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy brings back everything fans love from the series. It’s great to see the relationship between Chloe and Nadine unfold, while exploring a new region and story for the franchise. I really wish Naughty Dog would have been a little more creative at times, and expanded out from the traditional linear story, but it’s everything we expected when it comes to explosive action-packed game play that the Uncharted franchise has always been able to create.