Note: I am aware that this game has been out for a year now but A) it is still worth talking about and B) a student’s budget and time doesn’t exactly let me keep up to date with every new release. So expect reviews for both things new and old on this blog. I enjoy writing them and I hope you enjoy reading them.
As I climbed to the top of a tower to gaze at yet another stunning view, all while listening to the cheerful banter between characters, I realised that I hadn’t stopped smiling since starting Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. As the final chapter in series’ protagonist Nathan Drake’s story, it is a worthy send-off for one of gaming’s beloved characters, and it is an excellent game in it’s own right.
Story
Uncharted 4’s story finds Nathan trying to live a normal life following his previous adventures when he is reluctantly pulled back into the game by his brother Sam. The pair then sets out to find the lost pirate treasure of Henry Avery, all while competing against an old colleague and the mercenary group Shoreline.
It all sounds like your typical treasure hunting movie on paper, but the strength of Uncharted 4’s story is that it is driven by its characters rather than by the plot. The game does assume that you have played the previous entries in the series, as there are several references made to past events, and it also assumes that players are invested in the characters. The game is still accessible to newcomers to the series, but the payoff by the time of the game’s ending is that much sweeter if you are a long time fan. Personally I would recommend that you get The Nathan Drake Collection on PS4 first if you are interested in getting into Uncharted for the first time.
Regardless of whether you have played the previous games or not, the characters and story in Uncharted 4 are all still great. The story explains why Nathan’s brother Sam has been absent from previous games, and the brothers Drake make for an enjoyable partnership. Elena and Sully are also involved, and the game does a good job of balancing the screen (and game) time afforded to each of the side characters.
What sets Uncharted 4 apart from its predecessors is the shift in tone. The first three Uncharted games all focused on a young Nathan Drake and his friends exploring exotic locales in search of fame and fortune. They were fun, light-hearted and had the air of a summer blockbuster film about them. Those elements are still present in A Thief’s End, but they take a back seat to what is a more mature story about a character who is starting to realise the true cost of his actions. That’s not to say that the game plays it straight-faced now, as there are still plenty of laughs and fun moments to be had.
It is also substantially longer than previous games. Uncharted 1, 2 and 3 each took around eight hours to beat, but by the time I finished Uncharted 4 I had 15 hours on the clock. This may be because it is better paced, and quite a few of the game’s chapters don’t even have any action – instead focusing on interacting with the environment.
It’s a well paced story that delivers on what I’ve come to expect from Uncharted: great characters, impressive set pieces and interesting locations.
Presentation
Uncharted 4 is the best looking game I have ever played, on console or on PC. The graphics are simply stunning. The level of detail is impressive and really helps with the game’s immersion. Rocks tumble down alongside you as you slide down a hill, water sprays against a cliff side during a thunderstorm and foliage sways realistically in the wind or when brushing past it. The locations are impressive and diverse, with the story taking you everywhere from Scotland to tropical islands in the Indian ocean.
The performances of the characters are excellent. The game uses full motion capture technology to render its scenes and the result is that we get to see every detail of the actor’s facial expressions. Nolan North once again nails the role of Nathan Drake but everyone delivers a good performance, especially Emily Rose and Troy Baker as Elena and Sam respectively.
Gameplay
Gameplay in Uncharted can be broken down into three main categories: climbing, shooting and puzzle solving. Each of which has been improved substantially.
Nathan’s climbing movements look far more smooth and natural, and the environments feel more natural and much less linear. The previous games had the same problem as Assassin’s Creed where climbable paths were aggressively linear and quite predictable. While the game is still essentially linear, there are a few areas which open up substantially for you to explore, and climbing a cliff actually feels like climbing a cliff rather than following a convenient series of footholds. You also have a grappling hook now, which makes for some impressive platforming sections, aids in a few puzzles and even makes combat more fun.
Most of the puzzles in Uncharted 4 are much better than in previous games. They actually made me think in advance to solve them and Nathan’s notebook actually fleshes out many of the puzzles, rather than acting like a solutions book. They are not difficult by any stretch of the imagination, but the puzzles in Uncharted have usually been fun distractions that help to sell the story instead of being actual brain teasers.
Combat is also improved. The shooting feels more precise than before, and like in all Uncharted games it integrates nicely with the climbing – letting you shoot while hanging onto the side of a building or while swinging from a rope. Moving from cover to cover is improved now the game gives an indication of where Nathan will move once you leave. Stealth is much more viable now, as enemies have detection meters and you can tag them to track their movements. Foliage now conceals you letting you sneak up on enemies for a silent take-down. Level design is well done and gives players options for moving around in a shoot out.
My biggest complaint with the gameplay, and with the game overall, is that there is much less action than in the previous games. The primary reason for this is because of how much the game emphasises the story. As mentioned there are a fair number of chapters which have no combat at all, and these sections can drag on if you just want to get back to playing the game – especially if you haven’t played the previous games and don’t know why some of the things you are interacting with are supposed to be important. It doesn’t hurt the experience very much on a first play-through, if at all depending on how patient you are, but the previous games are still stand out as fun and frantic third person shooters in their own right once the story is done. This is the least re-playable Uncharted game yet if you wanted to get back into the action quickly. Even without the story moments it still felt as if I spent much more time climbing than usual instead of shooting.
Multiplayer
While I might not have gotten as much action as I’d have liked in single-player, the multiplayer does offer a lot of it. Full disclosure: I have not played much of Uncharted 4’s multiplayer but I did enjoy what I saw.
Like in single-player, you are able to shoot while climbing and this leads to some thrilling and cinematic encounters as you shoot from a ledge before stealing an artefact and making an impressive jump to another building. The small lobbies of five vs five make each game feel intimate with you trying to out-think your opponents as you scurry across the map to the objective and use the environment to your advantage.
The main game modes are all fun. Team Death-match is your straightforward competitive fun but Plunder and Command are more interesting and encourage teamwork. Plunder is a capture-the-flag style mode where each team needs to steal an artefact from the enemy and return it to their base while command emphasises territory control. You can revive teammates and money earned from kills during matches can be used to buy bonus items.
Which leads to the two new features in multiplayer: Mysticals and sidekicks. Money can be used to buy mystical items themed around previous Uncharted adventures. These let you do things like teleport short distances (at the cost of not being able to take cover) or instantly heal two allies at once. Side-kicks let you buy AI controlled helpers like a sniper or medic for the team. It is all a lot of fun and one of the better multiplayer experience out there. Check out its other features here.
Performance
As mentioned the game is gorgeous and it runs at a rock solid 30fps in single-player at 1080p. The multiplayer however, is set at 900p but runs at 60fps which is a fair trade off for much smoother action.
The game has PS4 Pro support for 4K at 2160p but single player is still capped at 30fps which is a little disappointing.
Additional Information
- Initial Release Date: 10 May 2016
- Genre: Action Adventure, Third Person Shooter
- Platform/s: PlayStation 4
- Reviewed on: PlayStation 4
- Developer: Naughty Dog
- Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
- Website: https://www.unchartedthegame.com/en-us/games/uncharted-4/
Verdict
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is a game that left me feeling sad, but the good kind of sad. The kind where you remember that all good things must come to an end. While it may not be the last Uncharted game, developer Naughty Dog has stated that it will be the last chapter in Nathan Drake’s story. In this regard it’s a fitting and heart warming ending to a cast of characters players have grown to love, whether it be from four games in the series or only one. The game’s epilogue in particular managed to bring out a tear of joy in me. I only wish that the gameplay had kept pace with the phenomenal story telling.
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