Uncharted: The Lost Legacy’s Difficulty Changes Based On The Lead Characters’ Relationship

The Uncharted series has always been big on sidekicks. Whether it was Sully, Chloe, or somebody else, Nathan Drake pretty much always had somebody else tagging along on his adventures. That said, those sidekicks never really effected the game much – they were basically just there so Drake would have somebody to banter with. Well, it seems that's going to change somewhat in Uncharted: The Lost Legacy.

In a recent interview, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy creative director Shaun Escayg talked about why Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross were chosen to be this game's duo:

"When we settled on Chloe we tried pairing her up with different characters: Sullivan, Cutter -- and then we thought, okay, who'd be the best and worst person to pair with Chloe Frazer? Nadine Ross was the obvious choice.

You will learn some stuff that you would have never known about Nadine – there's a side of her you really wouldn't expect. Chloe has a very interesting past – there's a struggle there coming from some very deep-rooted pain. Seeing Chloe's perspective of the world opens up the world itself – in my opinion it's the best of Uncharted."

Interestingly, it sounds like you'll have more freedom to explore your dynamic duo's backstory this time around, and their relationship will actually have an effect on the core gameplay:

"There are some side quests where you can get treasures and emblems that give you a little more context of the region. It also gives you a little more time to spend with these characters and build that bond – or splinter it. In this open world space you have options. You can go straight across it, moving from point to point, or you can spend many hours in one spot and learn a lot more about the world, the characters and their relationships.

If the characters are doing well – if they're having a good time and bonding – then gameplay is at its most efficient: you're fighting and Nadine is there kicking some ass. If the characters are at odds, though, you may have more difficulty. Your partner may be upset with you, may leave you – abandon you – to do her own thing and this is really exciting for us at Naughty Dog because we're always trying to blur the line between cut-scene and gameplay."

I doubt Naughty Dog is taking it this far, but I'd love if your partner could straight up bolt, permanently, partway through the game if you're too much of a jerk. Maybe in the next Uncharted!

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy swings onto PS4 on August 22. Amazon Prime members can save 20% when they pre-order.

[via PlayStation Blog]