The story of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Uncharted The Lost Legacy is the latest addition to the Uncharted series and the first game where Nathan Drake is not the main character. It presents a shorter story compared to the previous four main installments as it was originally developed as an expansion for the fourth part before being turned into a standalone project.
Players control Chloe Frazer, who is on a quest to find the Tusk of Ganesh in the Western Ghats mountain range in India, aided by former mercenary Nadine Ross, and they must stop a ruthless warlord and his army from igniting a civil war in the country.
Bounty hunter Chloe Frazer decides to embark on a journey to India in search of the legendary tusk of Ganesh, the son of the Hindu god Shiva, who lost the tusk while defending his father’s temple. Chloe’s father was killed by a warlord while searching for the tusk, which explains her determination to pursue that rare artifact.
Chloe sneaks past the rebels and meets former mercenary Nadine Ross, and together they infiltrate the office of rebel leader Asav, a former acquaintance of Nadine’s who aims to use the tusk to rally India into a civil war. Chloe and Nadine steal a map leading to the tusk inside the ancient Hoysala Empire and a disc that serves as a key.
In the Western Ghats region of India, Chloe and Nadine trace the remnants of several temples adorned with Hindu weapons, including Ganesh’s spear, Shiva’s bow, and Parashurama’s axe, with the latter used to remove the tusk. Their search leads them to one of the Hoysala Empire’s capitals, Halebidu, which was abandoned as it was seemingly invaded by the Persians out of pride.
They realize that the emperor left a false trail behind; the tusk is actually in the old capital, Belur. On their way there, they manage to escape from Asav and his men, but lose the disc. While spying on Asav’s forces, Nadine sees her old foe Samuel Drake, realizing he is Asav’s expert whom he uses to access the artifact. Chloe reveals that she was working with him before his abduction and, due to feelings of anger and betrayal, Nadine separates from Chloe, but they eventually reconcile.
In Belur, they navigate through various puzzles before being captured by Asav, who realizes that Sam is not an expert and has been deceiving them all along, forcing Chloe to use the disc to reveal the tusk. In the process, she discovers that Ganesh allowed Parashurama to cut his tusk; as Shiva gave him the axe, Ganesh did not want to embarrass his father by proving the axe worthless. Asav sets a trap, leaving Chloe, Nadine, and Sam to drown. Chloe grabs their handcuff locks and they escape, and despite tensions between Nadine and Sam, the three chase Asav to retrieve the tusk. Nadine is enraged to find Asav working with Shoreline, the mercenary group she used to run and was ousted from.
Asav threatens to blow up the city with the tusk in exchange for a mercenary Orca, Nadine’s former lieutenant who now runs Shoreline. Orca aims a gun at Nadine, but Sam saves her, allowing her to kill Orca, and they then hijack a jeep and chase the train carrying the bomb.
Chloe and Nadine board the train and fight Asav’s men. Chloe and Sam change the tracks, diverting the train away from the city. In the locomotive car, Chloe and Nadine confront Asav, who gets his leg caught under the bomb. They jump to safety before the train falls off a collapsing bridge and explodes, resulting in Asav’s death. Chloe and Nadine decide to team up, while Sam reacts with horror to their intention to donate the tusk to the Ministry of Culture instead of selling it.
And here ends the events of the standalone game that was supposed to be released as an expansion for the fourth part before becoming a separate project. Since its launch in 2017, the Uncharted series has been absent from the spotlight for over 7 years, and it is uncertain whether it will return with a new installment or not. However, it is confirmed that even if it returns, it will no longer be under the supervision of Naughty Dog and is expected to be transferred to a different development team.