TL;DR - A fantastic spin-off that offers more Uncharted 4 gameplay and a great duo in Chloe and Nadine, all packed in a tight and well-paced campaign. And although the central story isn't as compelling as previous games, it more than makes up for it with great character development between the female leads.

ACTION-ADVENTURE - Follows Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross as they team up to search for the fabled Tusk of Ganesh in the Western Ghats of India.

PROS:

++ Terrific cast. At first I was wary because Nate, Sully, and Elena wouldn't be in the game. Those three are the heart and soul of the franchise so not having them is quite risky. But Lost Legacy shows that the Uncharted formula can still work with other characters. Chloe is a great lead, and provides charisma and humour like Nate did in past games. And her character and personality is fleshed out way more in this entry which made me appreciate her more. I particularly liked the scene where she played the heroine and refused to ignore the bomb that was heading for the city. I always saw her as a character that cared first and foremost for herself, but here, she shows growth and shows clearer empathy for the lives of others. Her partner, Nadine Ross, was equally great. She felt slightly undercooked in U4, and this game solves that by giving her some much-needed characterization. Their dynamic together was excellent, and there hasn't really been a dynamic like this in previous games. Nadine's dry sense of humour and professional attitude was a great change of pace and contrasted Chloe's lighthearted nature. They also both received some great emotional moments (Chloe discovering that her dad also found Belur, and Nadine realizing that Shoreline made a deal with Asav). It's also worth mentioning that Sam joins the crew near the end and his inclusion only made the overall group dynamic funnier. Would definitely play another game that star these three as the main cast.

++ Excellent pacing. It's a shorter game compared to U4 and so the pacing is overall better. Some people really dislike Chapter 4 when the duo explore the Western Ghats, since it's a semi open-world environment. But I think it was a great change and an improved version of the Madagascar level in U4. And overall, I felt that the campaign flowed well. There's not too much climbing. There are enough puzzles and combat encounters. And the set-pieces are interspersed well.

++ More Uncharted 4. At the end of the day, it's more U4. The presentation is still fantastic. Visuals are still beautiful. Performances are still believable. Animations are still fluid. And the combat is still very fun. Getting more U4 is amazing if you ask me!

++ Thrilling final act. Even though car chases and a train set-piece were seen in previous entries, I think Lost Legacy did it best. It was a thrilling final stretch, and I had lots of fun in that final chapter. The final fight with Asav is kind of a let-down, but besides that, the ending was exciting and satisfying.

++ "Boss" battles. There were two combat encounters where you had to take out a tank, and another where you fight a helicopter. These mini "bosses" were great and made those combat encounters have a different feel from the usual gunfights.

CONS:

-- Forgettable antagonist. After Rafe, Asav just falls flat. I think he had potential to be a better villain, but because of the game's run-time, he just felt undercooked. Even when I was replaying the franchise, I completely forgot who the main antagonist even was for this game. He's not terrible, but he is very forgettable.

-- Tusk of Ganesh. The treasure itself wasn't that exciting of an artifact compared to past games. Especially when compared to how great Libertalia and the set-up to Avery's treasure was. I think in the light of all the treasures in the series, this was probably the least interesting one to find. A minor gripe to be sure.

Lost Legacy gave me a lot more control over how I followed Chloe and Nadine's story than I expected would be possible with an Uncharted game. Here the impressive technical systems aren't a drawback but a boundless supply of joy and charm. The game wants you to sit back and take in the scenery after a tense battle, laugh at the humor in its writing, and feel the thrills of each chase. The pacing here does so much good work by mixing so many disparate types of gameplay that all work well together, but especially as a break from the other.

Specifically the highlights of this game are the open world-style Western Ghats section that fits perfectly as the Act 2 of the story, the visually stunning Indian temples and the thrilling train chase at the end.

Lost Legacy is the metaphorical peak of the Uncharted series because it's the perfect evolution of this type of game format. Beautiful scenery, animations and writing with consistently flawless transitions between gameplay and narrative; this is Naughty Dog at the height of their power and a smaller scale game like Lost Legacy allows them to experiment with this format in future games. I'm giddy with another new IP like Last of Us that can leverage the design methods and technology toolset they've amassed here.

As an Indiana Jones fanatic, I've been a fan of the Uncharted series since Drake's Fortune. Now I've finally played what will likely be the last adventure in the series since Naughty Dog has moved onto Last of Us pastures. Lost Legacy is a standalone DLC in the vein of Far Cry New Dawn, too big to be just an add-on, not big enough to be a full fledged game.

Lost Legacy still plays pretty similar to Uncharted 4. You climb around on crumbling masonry, shoot the baddies, swing on your grapple hook, and solve ancient puzzles. Most of it feels good to control and looks good and natural thanks to the stellar animations. My only issues are with the stealth, which feels a little too basic for how often I found myself in stealth areas. I also had moments when the melee combat didn't feel very intuitive. I would try to corner strike a dude only to reach out at the air and break my concealment, same issue with ledge grabs. Besides those hiccups, the shooting felt good and the puzzles were all challenging. There's also a big chunk in the middle where the game takes on an open world feel, which they did with Thief's End as well.

This open world level, along with the fact you played as the English accented Chloe in this addon, made this game feel very, very Tomb Raidery. The Uncharted and Tomb Raider series to me have had a "please don't look at us to closely together" relationship. Both of them sort of 'borrow' aspects from each other, but Lost Legacy feels like Naughty Dog taking a direct crack at making a Tomb Raider game. Chloe feels a bit like a new take on the older Lara Croft, one whose more in it for the money than the thrill. The open world area with little side puzzles feels like it was pulled out of the newer Tomb Raider games. You also spend the whole game in the Indian jungle, which feels more like the original Uncharted or the newer Tomb Raiders.

Really, playing as Chloe was a unique Uncharted experience. Where as Nate is your more traditional, swashbuckling, rogue with a heart of gold. Chloe doesn't have that moral compass or sense of adventure, treasure hunting is more of a job to her. By the end of the game though she does play the hero. You also spend majority of the game with Nadine Ross as your partner. The two aren't old time friends, they just seem to know of each other professionally, so this game is the start of their friendship. Where Nate and Sully had an old buddy, mentor/student dynamic, Chloe & Nadine almost have a more Thelma & Louise, pseudo-first date dynamic. They do play well off each other, Chloe is more sarcastic & carefree, while Nadine is hardnosed and no-nonsense, but with a few moments where she geeks out over monkeys.

Sam Drake, the lesser Drake brother, also shows up halfway through the game. Since the theme of this game is "girl power" he usually just says a few quips and gets left behind. It's not too awful since in the main game Sam is characterized as the schlubby brother. The villain of this game is pretty interesting given the short time to develop it. His unique trait is that he looks like a more "brains over brawn" villain, but it's a facade he puts on to hide the fact he can throw down.

The game is only a few hours long, so it runs through the usual Uncharted staples, but at double time. Nadine goes from cold & professional to best buddy quick. You get a crash course on Chloe's backstory, as it relates to the treasure she's seeking. I was also not sure when this game was set in the Uncharted timeline, it is after Uncharted 4. And it's been awhile since I've played Thief's End, but I don't remember Nadine losing Shoreline. Sure, they were in shambles, but she was in charge still. Here in Lost Legacy, they seem to be operating without her. They never really explain why this is.

All in all, this game is another fun Uncharted game that delivers the whole experience in a condensed package. The game looks beautiful as is Naughty Dog's standard, and there's lots of fun to be have here.

I played this game back when it was originally released in 2017. It was “fine” and I must have had a good time with it. Other than that, there wasn’t a lot I remembered aside from some of the characters and set pieces. One of my distinct memories is collecting treasures in the open area (Chapter 4) and watching Sam Totman be interviewed about power metal on a YouTube video. I think that sticks with me because it shows how little attention I paid to it - I was playing it whilst consuming other media.

Prior to this replay, I’d listened to a chunk of a podcast episode from Triple Click where Kirk described Lost Legacy as “lowkey the best Uncharted game” and that’s a sentiment I didn’t consider the first time through. It undoubtedly colored my playthrough, where I found myself more appreciative of everything and tried to consider it through the perspective Kirk has, of being the best of the Uncharted games; asking myself “How is this the best?” And finding lots of ways to justify it. At the time of writing this paragraph, I'm about halfway through and I can see why Kirk thinks that. It’s hard to point to one, or even a few, reasons as to why; maybe it’s the pair of Chloe and Nadine, with their working relationship a bit tense with their friendship slowly developing over the opening chapters; maybe it’s the setting, more grounded in authenticity and realism rather than the outlandish. Lost cities, grand artifacts, sure, but something that feels a little more grounded than Drake’s adventures regardless, where he's being chased by hundreds of years-old zombie monsters in a lost Spanish colony. It’s also interesting to have the opening level play out in the backdrop of a wartorn city in India (actually, the city is a downright warzone rather than just being wartorn). There’s a sequence where Chloe observes bombers drop their payloads on a cityscape that I didn’t appreciate the first time through.

Chloe and Nadine are such a strong pairing. It’s something I think Naughty Dog would benefit from exploring further. The ups and downs of their partnership are engaging and feel authentic. And the game is full of plot points and set pieces that are more impactful and memorable than previous games. With Nathan, his connection to Drake is so distant that you can only feel so much when he finally comes across Drake’s corpse in the first game. And then when you find out in the fourth game that he isn’t actually related to Drake, it pulls the veil off that moment even further. But the fact that Chloe is following in her father’s footsteps carries a lot more weight with it. The moment when she and Nadine discover her dad had been in the library gave me goosebumps and I don’t recall the other Uncharted games having any moments that solicited that level of reaction from me. Also, it might be my bias for elephants talking, but I think the elephant sequence is better than the giraffe moment from The Last of Us.

I think this is the best-looking Uncharted game as well. I played through Uncharted 4 on PS5 prior to this most recent playthrough and there really wasn’t a lot that stood out to me. In fact, it looked inferior to what I remember. But I haven’t had any kind of disappointment with Lost Legacy. It’s gorgeous from start to finish. The tropical setting and the ornately detailed Indian architecture edge out the settings of the previous games. It does remind me a lot of the first game aesthetically, which is a huge bonus for me since it’s my favorite of the series.

Having reached the end, I have to conclude that it’s definitely the best Uncharted game. Kurt wasn’t wrong. I don’t know if I can say I like it more than the first but I can see myself wanting to replay this one in the future. Sam’s entry into the story was a really nice change of pace and his and Nadine’s bickering-come-banter was a nice growth. It’s also cool that Sam acted as comedic relief without being too over the top. There are some genuinely laughable moments in this game, like when Nadine climbs on Sam and tells him not to move, and when she knocks the cigarette out of his mouth. The acting is so solid, the ending scene is so wholesome. The music as well, I’d argue it’s more memorable than the previous games with the exception perhaps of Nathan’s theme. I also really liked Asav as a villain, he’s probably the most developed bad guy in the games. Rafe comes close, maybe they’re equal, but still.

Also love the mid-credits scene where they’re eating pizza in the market with the girl from the beginning of the game. So fucking wholesome.

At the time of writing, it would appear Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann has ruled out any follow-ups to the Uncharted series. If true, that makes Lost Legacy the last entry in the series. It's a shame because there is a lot more adventure to plumb from these two characters. I can accept the end of Nathan Drake's story, but this game feels more like the first of a new working relationship that would take us to some great places.

This game started really slow for me. I hated the opening. I understand wanting to set the scene in war-stricken India, etc., but introducing an Uncharted game by putting the player through a really slow walking simulator is a bad choice. Then, we're immediately thrust into the "open area with map a la The Last of Us 2 but done way worse" part of the game. Go to a fort, murder some people, climb some shit, solve some shit, and push a button. But wait, there's three (cuz it's always in threes), so go do it again and again. The design of the open area was poor, too, and I frequently found myself opening the map to orient myself instead of being driven by well-placed visual cues. It was just not a good time. Not to mention there hadn't been much characterization or plot or relationship strengthening at all up to that point, so I didn't feel a drive to participate.

I had to tell myself to finish the open area portion of the game and then see if it picked up, otherwise I was dropping it.

I'm glad I didn't drop it.

I'd argue all of the game's charms and strengths come in the back 2/3. None of it is surprising, nor does the game do much on a fantastic level. The aiming is poor. I got so frustrated trying to take out moving things while on another moving thing. Typically, the moments I found myself dreading the most were the firefights. The driving sucks. I hated being forced to drive through the jungle in a sluggish vehicle that could barely avoid the haphazardly placed obstacles.

But, you know what? I somehow don't hate the game. The game is actually aggressively fine. The characters are good and at least a little above two-dimensional. There are moments where their humanity genuinely shines. The dialogue can be punchy and fun. The landscapes were incredible to look at (I don't fault them for making one of the collectibles be pictures you take throughout the game). The pacing was great after the open area. And then it ended. Right on cue. The game didn't overstay its welcome, which I greatly appreciated.

So, all in all, 3 stars. Horrible start that I'm willing to overlook because hey, it's more Uncharted, and that's just fine.

Oh, but F*** scripted fist fights. So clunky, dumb, poorly telegraphed moves and terrible response to dodge input.

Overall, fine game. If you like Uncharted, give it a go when it's on sale. If you haven't played Uncharted...... go play Uncharted.

7/10