The Secret Ending

Is more always better?

When Uncharted 4 released in 2016, it was made very clear that this was supposed to be the end. The game references all the previous games in the series and was meant to be a satisfying send off for long time fans. Considering the fact that the series had gone on for nine years, it made sense that Naughty Dog had decided to move on. This story was meant to be a culmination of Nathan Drake's adventures. Even the games title, A Thief's End is a clear indicator of the purpose of this game. The Uncharted story was over.

Well... Not quite.

While Uncharted 4 was being worked on, some of the development team was dedicated to The Lost Legacy, a DLC expansion to Uncharted 4. It's not uncommon for larger games to have DLC adventures, additional stories that aren't usually necessary to the main narrative but can provide a few extra hours of entertainment. As Lost Legacy was being developed, the creative team realized that the initial idea had largely expanded from the original plan. As such, they decided to make Lost Legacy its own separate title instead of a simple digital add on. Uncharted : The Lost Legacy was released in August 2017 and was a critical and commercial success.

         This game follows two protagonists - Chloe Frazier and Nadine Ross. Chloe had been a previous adventurer with Nathan Drake in Uncharted 2 and Uncharted 3, while Nadine was a secondary antagonist in Uncharted 4. Set some time after the events of A Thief’s End, Chloe and Nadine team up to search for the Tusk of Ganesh, a mythical artifact said to be located somewhere in the jungles of India. Also on the hunt for the tusk is Asav, a revolutionary who hopes to use the Tusk to start a civil war. With an impending war hanging in the balance, Chloe and Nadine must learn to work together to find a treasure that may or may not exist.

This game is absolutely stunning and definitely took cues from its predecessor in terms of design.

         In terms of gameplay and visuals, there's not much different from Uncharted 4. The developers went for a photorealistic style that looks gorgeous and the changes made to traversal, most notably the grappling hook, carry over here. It should also be noted that unlike the previous games in the series, Lost Legacy focuses on one specific area of exploration rather than going all around the globe. Having the game take place in the jungles of India brought me back to the first Uncharted game in a good way. The developers did what they could to make the jungle look continuously vibrant and interesting. Combat is mostly the same, consisting of firefights and some stealth sections. Puzzles are still prevalent, but there aren't nearly as many as previous installments. The puzzles that exist definitely requires some brain power.

         The story follows a lot of the same beats of previous games, which is both a blessing and a curse. If you've played the Uncharted series before, you know what to expect. It's more of the same and if you were a big fan of Uncharted 4 like I am, it feels familiar. But there's no denying the biggest change being the different protagonists. Neither one of these characters had much of a backstory,  so getting the chance to explore different sides of them is an interesting storytelling choice. I particularly liked that Nadine Ross was given center stage. While her story is not a redemption arc, it does allow for greater character depth then Uncharted 4. Chloe Frazier is familiar enough that it's not too much of a deviation from Nathan. But there's no denying that something feels off, especially considering the story beats that were chosen. I won't spoil anything here, but it can feel as though they're trying to tell a Nathan Drake story without Nathan Drake.

It's a simple mechanic, but opening locked boxes is a trait that remains exclusive to Chloe.

         The other detriment to this game is its length. Most people could probably finish the game between seven and ten hours. It's extremely clear that this was meant to be side content, and if it had remained side content, this wouldn't feel like much of an issue. However, considering that Uncharted is known for epic tales of adventure, having a game that is half the length of the average makes the game feel unfinished. Just when the player is starting to get invested in the story, it's over. To be fair, the first Uncharted game had a similar length. But it was very clear that there was more to the story. With Lost Legacy, this story is meant to stand on its own and unfortunately it doesn't have enough time to do so.

         Despite being a massive Uncharted fan, I was hesitant when Lost Legacy was announced as a separate game. I avoided picking it up for years -until the release of The Legacy Collection on PS5. This collection came with a remastered version of Uncharted 4 and a remastered version of The Lost Legacy which featured haptic feedback from the PS5. I figured that would be the best version to have, so once the price went down, I swiped it up. Having it be bundled with Uncharted 4 makes it conform more to its original purpose as additional content for that game. It doesn't feel as jarring, especially after having just played the previous installment.

         At the time of writing, Naughty Dog has stated that there are no plans to further continue the Uncharted series, making The Lost Legacy the final game in the franchise. It's certainly not a bad game and I still enjoyed it, but it struggles from trying to be more than what it is. If you are an Uncharted fan, I would say that it's worth taking a day to check this out. If you're just getting into the series, I would say it's player's choice whether or not to play through this installment.

        This post was written by Vanessa Hart, creator of Deep Dive Gaming.