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How to get the most out of Uncharted: Lost Legacy
Lost Legacy is shorter than other Uncharted games, but there's so much fun to be had treasure hunting in India – enjoy the best experience with these five top tips.
With its wonderful storytelling and narrative, fluid combat and level design, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is the best game in Naughty Dog's much-loved action-adventure series. While it was the end of the Nathan Drake saga, the developers aren’t ready to let go of the hero's legacy just yet and have slowly been trickling out downloadable content to keep the flame alive just that little bit longer.
That’s where Uncharted: The Lost Legacy comes in. Originally planned to be a segment of Uncharted 4 DLC, it has evolved to become its own standalone expansion starring familiar characters from the series. You adopt the role of Chloe Frazer – a gritty treasure hunter and thief-for-hire who was last seen in Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception – as she embarks on an adventure to war-stricken India in pursuit of the fabled Tusk of Ganesha. In tow is her trusty partner and ex-mercenary Nadine Ross, who has been hired by Frazer to assist with the search and prevent Indian rebel leader Asav from getting his hands on the Tusk.
Boasting the biggest open-world segment the series has ever seen, plus updated combat moves and exploration moves, The Lost Legacy should be in every Uncharted fans' collection. It may be shorter than its predecessors, but there's so much fun to be had if you take your time. These five top tips will help you get the most out of the experience.
1. Absorb your surroundings
Take the time to enjoy your surroundings
© Sony / Naughty Dog
The first thing you’ll notice about The Lost Legacy is how breathtakingly gorgeous the game is, especially when you get out into the open world of the Western Ghats in Chapter 4. Your first instinct will probably be to dive straight in without a second thought but we’d recommend that you take time to appreciate everything that rural India has to offer – from the wildlife to the ancient ruins and vast plains. If you’d prefer a view from above, there’s a giant tower slap bang in the middle of the map that you can scale with the help of your trusty grappling hook… Who knows what awaits you at the top?
If travelling on foot isn’t your jam, Chloe and Nadine can also marvel at the sights from the comfort of their vehicle. You’ll also get to hear some interesting dialogue between the two, so if you’re interested in the characters' relationship developing, make sure to get behind the wheel often. There’s also an easy reward to be gained with the vehicle if you’re a trophy hunter – simply drive off the edge of the waterfall at the beginning of the open world area. Plummeting to your death isn’t exactly ideal but you’ll bag yourself a bronze trophy for it.
2. Get camera-savvy with Photo Mode
Selfie culture has made its way into video games in recent years, with many a character being able to strike a pose for their front-facing camera. The Lost Legacy is no different and has an optional Photo Mode that you can enable from the pause menu, allowing you to snap selfies by pressing L3 and R3 simultaneously. If this isn’t enticing enough, there are also a variety of different facial expressions and poses that Chloe can pull, adding an element of silliness. Hiding from an enemy? Whip out your cellphone, pull a wacky face and snap a selfie with your foe in the background. They’ll be none the wiser and you’ll have a hilarious photo to share with your friends.
Photo Mode is also fantastic for getting an otherwise unattainable angle when taking screenshots with the Share button. It enables you to change the brightness and depth of field too, so you can improve your snaps of those perfect moments. Just remember to change the image quality from JPG to PNG in your PlayStation 4 settings for the highest quality screenshots possible.
3. You don’t have to rush into combat
You don't have to go in all guns blazing
© Sony / Naughty Dog
As with other Uncharted games, combat is a big part of Lost Legacy, but you don’t have to rush in all guns blazing if you don’t want to – try using stealth tactics instead. Whilst sneaking, you can mark enemies to keep tabs on them at all times, making it easier to take them out silently from behind. If stealth melee kills don’t appeal to you, don’t fret – you can shoot your attackers quietly with a silent pistol if you time your shot right.
Aiming isn’t everybody’s forte though so if you’re a little rusty with pointing your crosshair, you can turn on assisted aiming in the settings which allows you to mark enemies instantly and be more accurate when using a firearm. If you’re still not satisfied, try quietly placing a sticky bomb near a group of unsuspecting foes or using your silent pistol to ignite a gas canister and watch as chaos ensues. It’s a hoot.
If you time your attacks correctly, it is possible that Chloe and Nadine will team up and perform combo partner takedowns, which are great to watch. Getting Nadine to aid you can prove a little tricky though as her AI isn’t perfect, but one trick we’ve learned is to try this with a single pair of insurgents – stealth-kill the left foe first and she should assist you by taking out the other. You’ll also net yourself a trophy if you successfully perform 10 partner combos.
4. Keep an eye out for collectables
There are loads of things to collect in India
© Sony / Naughty Dog
There are a multitude of hidden gems littered throughout India that are available for the taking – if you can find them. The most common collectables are treasures, which are typically easy enough to spot as they emit a sparkling glow. Some are cleverly stashed away though, which is why we recommend acquiring the Queen’s Ruby, a beautiful beaded bracelet that flashes red and gives you an audible cue when a treasure is nearby. There are 68 treasures to find in total so it’s worth setting aside time to retrieve the Ruby in Chapter 4 after collecting 11 Hoysala tokens, which are conveniently marked on your map.
On your travels, you’ll stumble across several photo opportunities in which Chloe will whip out her smartphone and take a photograph of her surroundings. Some are difficult to spot at first glance but to make it easier, keep an eye out for dragonflies as they flock in each photo opportunity spot. Her photos can be viewed at any point by using her cellphone.
More often than not, taking a photo opportunity will encourage some optional dialogue between Chloe and Nadine, which is worth listening to if you’re interested in the story. A speech bubble with a button prompt will appear over Nadine’s head when the girls have something extra to say. Optional dialogue also pops up naturally as you progress through the game and it’s easy enough to recognise when there might be more to a conversation than meets the eye.
If you’re unsure whether you’ve managed to collect everything, don’t worry – treasure hunters aren’t expected to find everything on their first try. Luckily, the Chapter Select menu shows exactly what you’re missing from each chapter and allows you to replay them so you can jump back in to locate forgotten loot.
5. Check out the post-game unlocks
Once you’ve completed The Lost Legacy, a whole host of extra content becomes available via the main menu, some of which allows you to enhance the game further with additional playthroughs. Each add-on can be bought with points accumulated by gathering collectables and can be enabled/disabled accordingly. From skins and weapons, to render modes and gameplay modifiers, there’s hours upon hours of added fun to be had here. If you’re a sucker for concept art and character models, there’s also an entire gallery to be unlocked for your perusal.
Much like Uncharted 4, changing the game’s render mode offers a hilarious, yet unique way to play. Ever wondered what Uncharted would look like in 8-bit? Pop on the 8-bit render and go to town in a pixel paradise. If you prefer a kookier look, try cel-shaded or rainbow, or go the whole hog and invert the colours to negative. There’s an entire library of modes so play around and see what works best for you.
Gameplay modifiers are the greatest feature post-game. Think of them as cheats that blow the game wide open in the best way. There’s plenty of different modifiers, each providing hours of entertainment. For example, forget your grappling hook and climbing gear – you won’t be needing them in no gravity mode. Floating around the Western Ghats is something that everybody deserves to experience.
There’s also an unlimited ammo mode which is perfect for gamers who prefer to head straight for the bloodbath without having to stop and search for bullets first. Again, it’s a case of chopping and changing to find what tickles your fancy the most.
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