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A few of the things that have us hooked this week.
Image credit: Naughty Dog
10th May 2024
Hello! Welcome back to our regular feature where we write a little bit about some of the games we've been playing over the past few days. This week, we celebrate one of the best characters in the Uncharted series, and perhaps in games; we live out our Star Wars fantasies; and we try a new Metroidvania in a well regarded series.
What have you been playing?
If you fancy catching up on some of the older editions of What We've Been Playing, here's our archive.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, PS5
I reckon Chloe Frazer from the Uncharted series is one of the most well-developed characters in video games. I was thinking about this again over the weekend, when I restarted and subsequently finished The Lost Legacy.
When Chloe was first introduced in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, she was an almost callous 'survivor' sort. She was meant to be seen as a darker counterpart to series hero Nathan Drake, and someone you could never be fully sure you trusted. However, between Uncharted 2 and Lost Legacy, she grew both professionally and personally, resulting in, in my opinion, one of the greatest character arcs today. Chloe went from being an often egocentric and unreliable ally in Among Thieves, to a fully fledged - if still flawed - heroine by the series' conclusion.
In Lost Legacy, Chloe willingly endangers herself to prevent the destruction of a city, despite not necessarily receiving any financial gain or recognition for her endeavours. This is something she would never have done at the start of Among Thieves. She also shows more self-awareness in Lost Legacy, admitting she can be a “selfish dickhead” during one of my favourite exchanges between her and Nadine. Chloe has her faults but she owns them, and it is refreshing to see.
I still have a small hope that Naughty Dog will do another Uncharted game one day, with Chloe in the lead. I love how Nate and Elena's story finished in A Thief's End, so I understand the studio not wanting to bring those two characters back into the fold - unless maybe their daughter finds herself in a situation that requires mum and dad's expertise. But I reckon there is still room to tell more of Chloe's story, and if she happens to be joined by Nadine and Sam once again, well, I would be more than happy with that.
-Victoria
Star Wars Battlefront 2, Xbox Series X
Star Wars day - May the 4th be with you - always excites me, but this year I found myself unsure of what to do. Do I build the Star Wars Lego set staring at me with what I imagine to be utter contempt for not having touched it in a year? Do I watch a Star Wars movie or series? Nothing felt quite right until I stumbled on a game I've not thought about in years - one that lets you play as iconic heroes and villains from the Star Wars series. Star Wars Battlefront 2.
Snacks at the ready, I began, and quite literally flew into my first fight with an X-Wing and crashed it, but the game wasn't over so I chose another ship and got back to it - death, after all, is not the end, it's really just the beginning. Not only that: it's necessary for getting at the game's best bits.
One of the reasons I've spent so much time in Star Wars battles over the last few days is the more you fight and cause damage in multiplayer or co-op scenarios, the more points you earn, and once you die, you can spend these points on becoming legendary characters on whichever side of the battle you happen to be on. For example, if you're a Clone soldier fighting the Clankers, you can upgrade to Obi-Wan Kenobi, whereas if you're on the Empire's side fighting the Rebels, you can change from a Stormtrooper into Darth Vader. As long as you've got enough points earned from the thick of battle, you can become anyone.
I'll admit I spent all of my time hopping into quick matches rather than focusing any energy on the campaign - it's just too tempting to let the servers choose my next move. I may try the story in the future but, for now, I'm more than content jumping into battle as a Clone and running circles around the Separatists until General Grievous arrives. Wheezy breathing.
-Marie
Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist, PC (early access)
Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights is one of those Metroidvanias that's been stuck in my Steam backlog for years, but when I heard back in February that it was imminently getting a sequel, that proved to be just the impetus I needed to finally move it to the top of my play pile. Sure it took me until April to actually play it, but readers, I rinsed through Ender Lilies in little over a week and immediately felt hungry for more. Its mysterious, melancholy world is stuffed full of character, secrets and fearsome, blighted monsters to slice, and the way you can repurpose certain enemy powers for your own meant I actively wanted to seek out its lightly Soulsian bosses rather than run away in fear of them.
It's a brilliant game if you're in need of a chunky Metroidvania to sink your teeth into, and happily, its sequel Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist is more of the same, albeit with some neat new twists. Set decades after the first game and with a new protagonist in tow, I immediately put the muscle memory I'd gained from Lilies to good use. You're still harnessing boss powers to bolster your own crop of abilities, but now you're collecting special materials to craft items for their upgrades (and your own armour) rather than simply pumping them full of "spirit residue" that you collected fighting regular baddies. Developers Adglobe and Live Wire have also mixed up the cadence of its exploration, just straight up giving you a double jump within 30 minutes of the game's opening. And it's so very brilliant.
Strange thing is, this is a Metroidvania that's still in early access, and man alive, I want more, pronto. There's about four hours' worth of playtime here in its current form, which still sees you tackle a handful of bosses, get a bunch of cool powers, and explore a variety of different locations. And you get more of Mili's wonderful music score, too. But it is quite odd approaching the end of an area and getting a pop-up effectively saying, "Please turn around, we haven't finished making the rest of the game yet." That desire to poke around its farthest, most secretive edges is still strong having come fresh off the back of Ender Lilies, and it was with some sadness when I realised I'd exhausted everything currently in Magnolia. Still, it's an incredibly strong start, and I just hope it's not too long before we get another big update.
-Katharine
