Lost Frontier

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The game begins with Jak and Daxter escorting Keira on her journey to become a Sage and help find the reason for a worldwide Eco shortage. After an encounter with Captain Phoenix, an Eco-seeking Sky Pirate, Jak crash-lands on an island at the Brink (the edge of their world). The duo meet a Castaway who knows Jak has been touched by Dark Eco but can't remember who he was or why he was on the island. The Castaway later reveals he is (or once was) a Dark Eco Sage and built a facility for the Aeropans. Phoenix reveals he was once commander of the Aeropan Air Forces, put in charge of a secret weapons program to make a new kind of warrior. When he found out what they were doing, he refused and tried to stop the program, kidnapping the program's chief scientist (the Castaway). The Castaway took a blow to his head and suffered amnesia; he was marooned on Brink Island to hide his work from the Aeropans. The Castaway says Jak can be used to undo the damage the Aeropans had done, being 'a warrior who proves that Dark Eco can be controlled, or at least managed.'

In Their Own Story

Jak and Daxter escort Keira on her journey to become a Sage and find the reason for a worldwide Eco shortage. After an encounter with Captain Phoenix, Jak crash-lands on an island at the Brink. Jak must fight off Sky Pirates attacking the ACS Behemoth, an aerial warship captained by Duke Skyheed of Aeropa. Jak is given an instrument called the Eco Seeker which would lead to an 'Eco Core.' Daxter falls into the sewers of Aeropa and discovers Dark Eco in the city, becoming temporarily transformed into 'Dark Daxter.' Captain Phoenix attacks and steals both the Eco Seeker and Keira. The Castaway offers to fix Jak's Hellcat but requires a Velonium Power Pod from the Uber-bot 888. After retrieving it, Jak and Phoenix argue and tip the Eco Seeker overboard, forcing both to return to the island to retrieve it from a volcanic crater. Keira intervenes and makes them call a truce. At an old research rig, Jak comes across a testing table and realizes someone has been experimenting with Dark Eco, vowing to destroy those responsible. After finding the Light Eco, Daxter is separated and transformed into Dark Daxter once more. The group eventually finds the Eco Core, but Skyheed attacks. Keira activates an energy discharge from the Eco Core, killing Klout and stunning Skyheed while the heroes escape. Jak eventually confronts Skyheed, who absorbs massive amounts of Dark Eco and transforms into a giant Dark Eco monster. During the final confrontation at the Eco Core, Phoenix sacrifices himself by flying the Phantom Blade between the Eco Core and Behemoth. Keira installs a Light Eco Beam in the Hellcat to finish the Behemoth, destroying Skyheed and the Aeropans. The balance of Eco is restored, and Keira finds she is now able to channel Eco, with Tym (the Castaway) informing her that she may be turning into a Sage.

Reader's Guide

Similar to other games in the series, The Lost Frontier features a Hero Mode where players are able to replay the game. Weapons, armor, powers, secrets, and unspent Precursor orbs are retained through each playthrough. The game was originally planned as a PlayStation Portable exclusive and was in the process of being developed by Naughty Dog when it was cancelled. Evan Wells revealed that they were unable to sustain the game's development alongside Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (2007) and made the decision to pass the project onto High Impact Games. Following the release of Jak X: Combat Racing in 2005, Naughty Dog began development of The Lost Frontier under the working title Jak PSP. The soundtrack, Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier Original Soundtrack, composed by James Dooley, was released for digital download by Sony Computer Entertainment on November 2, 2009. GameSpot gave the game 7.5/10, calling it 'a good addition to Sony's much-loved series' and praising the 'solid gameplay, challenging platform puzzles and wacky humour' though felt that the 'Dark Daxter levels feel tacked on.' IGN awarded it 7.4/10, saying 'There's fun to be had here, but it could've been polished a bit more to bring out the value.' Eurogamer felt 'Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier is one of the best platformers available for PSP/PS2' and continued: 'It also stands as evidence that there's life in the old Naughty Dog series yet.'

Did You Know?

• The game was announced on April 1, 2009, and released November 3, 2009.
• Daxter can temporarily transform into 'Dark Daxter' after being tainted by Dark Eco flowing out of a pipe in the sewers of Aeropa.
• The Castaway is revealed to be (or once was) a Dark Eco Sage who built a facility for the Aeropans.
• The game was originally developed by Naughty Dog under the working title 'Jak PSP' before being passed to High Impact Games.
• Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier was made available for purchase on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in March 2024, featuring new unlockable trophies.