By Kelsey Cameron
First published August 29 2017, Edited 2023
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is the fifth game in the Uncharted Series that continues to push forward to reach new levels of design success.
The Lost Legacy was developed by Naughty Dog who sought to develop an Uncharted game that didn't feature it's usual protagonist Nathan Drake. Instead, The Lost Legacy follows the journey of Chloe Frazer, a treasure hunter and Nathan Drake's former love interest, and Nadine Ross leader of the for-profit military organisation Shoreline. The Lost Legacy wastes no time in setting up the central story mission to obtain an ancient Indian artefact the "Tusk of Ganesh".
Throughout the previous games, Chloe and Nadine are morally ambiguous characters in place to contrast Nathan Drake's heroism. This time, they are the heroes. A similar narrative formula is used where Chloe and Nadine start their journey looking to make a profit. However, the journey transforms into a more personal one when Chloe reveals that her father was also looking for the Tusk and had actually been through the ancient city too.
It is difficult to resist the urge to compare The Lost Legacy to previous Uncharted games. The gameplay remains largely the same as the fourth, A Thief's End. The major mechanics center around climbing, shooting, and driving with lock picking and different puzzles dotted throughout. Perhaps my favourite aspect was the ability to use the silencer pistol throughout the campaign on first play-through which allowed for stealth takedowns from a distance.
Chapter 4 - 'The Western Ghats' had a larger open-world feel, which took up a large portion of the game. The objective in this section was outlined well with an optional side-mission to obtain 'the red ruby' bracelet that helps to find hidden treasures. Collecting the tokens for this side-mission included a series of navigational gameplay and various puzzles. The reward was worth it too, which gave meaning to the player's actions.
Personally, I could have done with a driving map and tracker in this area for fluidity of play. It was hard to pick at the logic with some of the more laborious tasks even if they were frustrating, because they simulated realistic situations well. I did find some gameplay logistics did not support the 'crushing' difficulty. My impatience with climbing/dropping and in hand-to-hand combat was as the game described – soul crushing. It also took me an embarrassing amount of time to realise you could use lock-on aiming in crushing mode.
The structure and temporal sequencing of the story was incorporated well with gaming elements. As a shorter game, Chloe's and Nadine's motivations were not established in detail initially. At the beginning I thought needing to understand their motives was essential, but as the game progressed and intimate details about Chloe's past and family were revealed it became clear that a larger introductory sequence was not needed. As new participants in this particular adventure, players were able to relate easier to Chloe and grow with her from a for-profit treasure hunter to living through her father's discoveries.
The appearance of Sam Drake was not unsurprising given some of the dialogue cues throughout the game. However, he is used as symbol for the nice guy–casual sexist and although it highlights just how fragile that aspect of masculinity can be, I also thought that it was unrealistic that both Chloe and Nadine would not shut that right down. In one particularly frustrating sentence Sam mansplains Chloe, mentioning in a fleeting comment that is was odd seeing modern architecture after having been in an ancient city. Sam then points out that this architecture would not be considered modern. An eye roll moment and I desperately wanted Chloe to address just how pointless his clarification was in the context of her statement. Chloe does however bite back with some great one-liners such as "buckle-up buttercup" when Sam criticises her reckless driving and "punching a dickhead" when asked what fighting style she uses.
What I found most refreshing was the representation of women as the protagonists. Their bodies were muscular and realistic. There were points particularly when Chloe was climbing where the camera pans behind her; a view usually to used to peak male players interests. But in this instance, Chloe's physique was realistic. It contorted and had a weird angular shape when she was climbing underneath something and along the ground. This is a very small detail that has a major impact on young women and the bodily expectations imposed on them by different media sources.
Chloe and Nadine's relationship was equally wonderful. As a new partnership players can see how their relationship grows. Initially, they were both hesitant towards one another. Chloe rejects Nadine's help up a cliff and likewise Nadine refers to Chloe as "Frazer". As the game progresses Chloe eventually accepts this help and Nadine starts to call Chloe by her first name. This subtle acceptance creates a sense of mutual respect and equality.
It was welcomed that Chloe and Nadine did not fight or bicker to validate their position as business partners and demonstrated maturity on Naughty Dogs part. They establish strong female characters that can work well together as a team. I also liked that this representation of women was not exploited as a selling point to show their audiences how diverse they can be. Chloe and Nadine are female simply because they are, and they weren't disadvantaged for it.
