Even though it doesn't have the incredible depth of Uncharted 4, The Lost Legacy nailed the combination of gameplay and narrative. I was really disappointed that we never got to see Chloe again after the earlier games, so I was pretty happy with her being the main character here. She's older now, and you feel that with almost every movement you make. Well, almost—she can still climb like a monkey—but when the game wants you to notice that she's hurt, you notice. I loved Nadine as well. She's such a nice character and has pretty good character development. Together, they make an overall nice team, both in terms of narrative and what they symbolize to the player in terms of gameplay. India is a fantastic location, and the open-world sections of the game perfected the gameplay of Uncharted 4 into an enjoyable sandbox. Yes, it's pretty narrow for an open world, but I see it like the Wild Area in Pokémon Sword and Shield: it was an experiment that, in my opinion, was successful and could be expanded for a full game. You just can get lost in it for a while and then it's over and you continue your main-business. I think it's probably the best Uncharted game gameplay-wise and second-best narrative-wise. Oh, and the antagonist is incredibly cool—I wish we could see more of him. Good stuff.
Uncharted 2 was touted as a massive improvement over the first game, but I still found it lacking. The set pieces are bigger and the graphics are better, but the core issues remain, especially with the writing. Once again, characters miraculously appear exactly where they need to be, and the plot progresses through a series of unbelievable coincidences. The absurdity of stumbling upon hidden locations by pure luck without any real direction is just too much. It breaks immersion and makes the whole experience feel contrived. The gameplay is still overly linear, and the combat doesn't feel satisfying. While the characters start to show a bit more personality, it's not enough to overcome the glaring issues in storytelling. It's a step up from the first game, but not by much.
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is where the series began, but honestly, it hasn't aged well at all. The gameplay feels clunky and outdated, with repetitive combat and linear levels that offer little in terms of exploration or challenge. But what really drags it down is the writing. Everything happens at just the right time, and characters are exactly where they need to be, no matter the distance or circumstances—it's insane. The story relies heavily on coincidences that strain credulity, making it hard to get invested in the plot or the characters. The visuals might have been impressive back then, but now they just highlight how far games have come. Overall, it's a rough start that doesn't hold up against modern standards.
I think you need to have played the previous three titles to truly appreciate the massive improvements in the fourth entry. Uncharted 1-3 are, simply put, some of the most badly aged games I have ever seen. Yet this game surprised me with how much better it is. The story is extremely well-written. There are still some occasions where the characters simply stumble into the next event (albeit it is much less obvious this time around), and just as in the previous games, our ultimate location is again almost completely off the human radar while still being relatively obviously placed on the surface of the planet. However, the depth of Nathan and the other characters is just astonishing to me. I loved every second of watching them behave like real people. The antagonist is also incredibly charming and fun to watch—pretty good stuff here. The only problem I noticed was with Elena; her voice actor always sounds kind of hollow and uninspired.Audiovisually, it's pretty good for the time. The climbing has been much improved, with multiple routes instead of a single obvious one, and new interesting mechanics. However, the mid part was a bit boring to me, even though it has nice ideas. But the real highlight was the stealth sections. I just loved them. They used all the cool mechanics and made them into something great. It feels engaging, challenging, and overall like some sort of "combat"-puzzle. They reminded me of the Arkham games, and I think that's a great **** also had the best and most polished ending I have ever seen in a video game, and more games should look at this one as an example. Overall, an insanely good game with a few minor pacing issues, perfectly written characters, a perfect ending, very well-done stealth sections, good shooting mechanics, and enjoyable exploration.
