Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (PS4)

Now I've completed this game I can say it really is a most excellent and very worthy addition to the Uncharted franchise. I got a great price pre-ordering this game and also got the code for a free Jak and Daxter game via email as promised. Plus a code with the game itself for additional multi-player content. So all good in that respect.Following up Uncharted 4 A Thief's End, is a pretty tall order and I was aware that this game was more of a spin off rather than a full Uncharted game. But this does not mean that it is a lesser experience. The Lost Legacy is a stunning addition in it's own right. The graphics are beautiful really stunning as we've come to expect since Uncharted 4 and the gameplay is all there. It's another great adventure with two important distinctions. 1. Different principle characters, Nathan Drake is retired and the focus throughout the game is squarely on Chloe and Nadine and this works brilliantly. 2. The game is shorter than the others and is based entirely in India.All the controls are familiar so there is a very easy learning curve here. Shooting, reloading, rope swings and jumping are all the same as before so it's easy for the muscle memory to get you right into the game. The story is solid and builds rapidly into some quick fire action. There is a great balance of action and exploration. None of the puzzles are too challenging. If anything one criticism is that a few puzzles of a more challenging nature could have added to the mix a little. But it keeps the game flowing as the story progresses. At every turn there is something new and impressive to behold. Making for a gaming experience that is a real joy. A one point in the later levels I found myself experiencing the sense of wonder that I last felt many years ago when discovering some of the beautiful level design in the very first Tomb Raider game. For a while I just wanted to sit back and take in the gorgeous level design and beautiful artistry on show.The enemies are as before not so intelligent but they do go and search for you when spotted. And the character control is fluid with the same small occasional trip ups as before but this is superficial criticism. The stealth element of the gameplay is slightly more apparent which is nice as you can challenge yourself to avoid a full on fire fight and progress through a level stealthily. There is a big hidden extra in the middle part of the game that makes for a very satisfying additional component and I would have liked to have seen a few more sub plot/items like that, but that really is nit-picking.The game took me 7h 40m to complete at the first go, so quite a bit shorter that the other Uncharted games but it was worth every penny. It's priced just perfectly for the experience you get and is a fantastic new addition. I really hope that Naughty Dog decide to make more spin off's like The Lost Legacy. It's a barrel of fun and a sweet surprise. Definitely going to get played over again and again.

This game is is a standalone version of Uncharted which for the first time in the franchise, shifts attention away from protagonist of the first four games, Nathan Drake (whose story was concluded in Uncharted 4).Instead the game protagonist this time around is Chloe Frazer (who featured as one of Drake's companion treasure hunters in Uncharted II and Uncharted III). Chloe is funny, brave, educated, athletic and relatable - very reminiscent of Lara Croft - so if you've never played uncharted before but are a fan of tomb raider, this might fit you.Chloe has hired ex-merc and former and former Uncharted 4 antagonist Nadine Ross to help her find a legendary artefact in India that her father had died looking for. The two have something of a strange chemistry with each other which works rather well and makes Nadine more relatable as her story was fairly vague previously. For the first time we get to know Chloe's back story and get to really know her too.The gameplay features the usual mix of climbing, gunplay, stealth, logic and puzzle solving and exploring you find in Uncharted games, and for the first time ever, this Uncharted game features a completely open map for the entire game as opposed to the slightly linear pre-determined sets of the previous games (so you can decide pretty much which place to go exploring first and can keep exploring until the bitter end as there's a ton of collectibles to find).A lot of gamers claim to be able to complete this in about four to six hours but I spent days on it just really enjoying the gorgeous scenery, the fun puzzles and the banter between Chloe and Nadine. There's also an appearance from Nathan Drake's brother later.The story is easy to follow and the start is quite compelling as we begin in a war torn city and the game really makes you notice and experience how it feels to be in the middle of bombs going off and random gunshots in the night.All in all, I think this is proof Naughty Dog are well capable of continuing the franchise without its main Protagonist - the heart of the game is still there (although some complain there wasn't enough innovation in gameplay).I hope there's more games and I hope to see Chloe and Nadine return as well as some returning faces like Charlie Cutter and good old Sully.