4.5/5 ★ – Hill417's review of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy.

Just a year after we embarked on Nathan Drake’s final adventure in Uncharted 4, we were gifted a smaller spin-off follow up in Uncharted: Lost Legacy, starring fan favorite character Chloe Frazer who forms a partnership with minor antagonist Nadine Ross as they seek out an ancient Tusk that is also being sought out by a war monger named Asav. It’s a short and sweet experience that serves as both an epilogue and a back door pilot for future Uncharted games (that is if Naughty Dog decides to make another or they turn over the reigns to another studio). I think it was cool that Chloe and Nadine were chosen to headline this spin-off. Chloe is a well established character in the Uncharted world and Nadine didn’t have a lot of screen time in the last game so this is a great chance to flesh her out. They have a great dynamic with Chloe ready with the sarcastic jokes and Nadine as the straight woman. It makes the banter feel more natural when they are sharing details about their past because both the player and the characters are learning a lot about each other. When it comes to gameplay, Chloe plays exactly like Nathan Drake when handling guns, but in hand to hand combat, the animations are are distinct and vastly different so it doesn’t feel like you’re playing the same character. What also makes Chloe stand out is lock picking. It’s a minor new feature, but it’s the little touches that are appreciated. Lock picking will also nab you some sweet rewards like gold weapons. It feels like stealth and quietly sneaking up on enemies is encouraged compared to previous entires (just see the trophy list for evidence) and the set pieces and cover reflects that. While the grappling hook and vehicles make a return and they feel more natural. There is a lot more usage of the grappling hook and for the entirety of chapter 4 a large hub world encourages you to drive around to search for the tokens. You see there is a mysterious guarded jewel that needs eleven tokens to unlock. So it adds to the game length by encouraging exploration. What is this jewel capable of? Well whenever a treasure is nearby the jewel will give off a signal to help guide you to it’s location. Making that extra time all the more meaningful. As is tradition, the more treasures you discover the more modifiers you can purchase for your next play through. So if you want to breeze through the game a second time with unlimited ammo? Go ahead. Want everyone to speak in a high pitch helium voice? Then what’s stopping you? What I find puzzling is that there is seemingly no co-op mode. The entire game features two characters so I really thought it would be a multiplayer experience. Yes there have been multiple characters in the other games, but not throughout its entirety. Really seems like a missed opportunity. Another missed opportunity is the villain Asav. He doesn’t have enough screen time, but the bread crumbs they leave us shows hints of an interesting character. He use to be a doctor, he is soft spoken, he doesn’t seem that threatening, but is an expert in martial arts. I believe he could have been the villain in the series if he just had a little more screen time. If this is the last of the Uncharted games then it ended on a great note, but if someone else comes along and takes the reigns, then Lost Legacy is the potential blueprint for the future of the games.