Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End | REVIEW

Uncharted is probably one of the most well-respected franchises within the PlayStation brand so that means that developer Naughty Dog had their hands full in creating the perfect send-off for the adventurous franchise. Were they able to give gamers what they wanted, or did it fall short of our hopes and dreams?

IT BEGINS

From the moment I started Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, I could tell I was in for a treat. Without spoiling too much, you’ll get to walk through memory lane and inspect some of the iconic items that you recovered in previous games of the franchise, and you’ll reminisce about some of the feats you pulled off on those adventures. You’re married to Elena Fisher now, you have a quiet life, but in your blood you’re still a thrill seeker.

THROWBACK TO THE PAST

Sometimes I’m on the fence when games decide to put you into the past, but part of the intro sequence to A Thief’s End puts you in the shoes of Nathan Drake as a child, working alongside your brother to learn a little about your past. These sequence occur a few times and they’re actually quite fun and interesting, and there’s even some emotional moments. You don’t just play in one time period of Drake’s life but rather in a few different moments of the past, all of which play a notable part of the overall story.

COOL GUYS DON’T LOOK AT EXPLOSIONS

Screw that. It’s fun to watch and see stuff going up in balls of flames around you. Uncharted has been well known to feature some over the top action in the previous games. The same goes for Uncharted 4 but there’s not quite as many of those moments in A Thief’s End, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing because it takes more time to really attach you to its characters and engross you in the story. However, the action sequences that you do encounter in this game are really quite phenomenal… and some comes up unexpectedly to the point where it will actually make you leap to the edge of your seat. It’s really just like a movie experience but you are the star.

HUMANITY SUCKS

Part of what makes any story-based game great is its characters, their personalities, and your relationships with them. This is a huge factor in Uncharted, not only because it’s a heavily story-oriented franchise but because it’s the final game, and all threads need to be tied up [in a perfect world]. You’ll encounter some exciting moments, happy times, fear, sadness, and pure anger and frustration. It’s a myriad of emotions through the game, and you can’t help but hate some characters because they are made out to be absolutely terrible people. People change, and you’ll see this through some of the sequences where you play in the past, versus the situations you’re encountering in the present time. Sometimes, you just can’t wait until it’s somebody’s time to get what coming to them.

UNCHARTED 4 IS A PERFECT BLEND OF ACTION, EMOTION, AND STORYTELLING.

MULTIPLAYER

Of course the multiplayer is something you want to play. It’s become a staple in Uncharted with its mix of action of stealth-based combat, plus all upcoming maps and modes are going to be free according to Naughty Dog. What’s truly amazing about the multiplayer is the fact that it runs at a steady 60 frames per second, double that of its single player counterpart. This is a huge factor because it feels silky smooth when you’re running ‘round the map, but it comes at a [minimal] cost as the game is downscaled from 1080p to about 900p.

Multiplayer has you using your guns, grappling hook, and all your parkour still to get around the maps quickly to sneak up on enemies or to try and get away from an attacker. The overall multiplayer mode does feel a little barebones when you first start, but Naughty Dog has promised content over time to really help it along. When you first start out though there are only four modes: TDM, Ranked TDM, Plunder, and Command…. Which really could be consider three modes as ranked just ups the skill level of the players.

The multiplayer is really quite fun to play but it’s not quite as engrossing as the gameplay in The Last of Us Remastered, but I feel like it could get there with the proper content updates. Luckily, those are updates are supposedly going to be free. The multiplayer does offer microtransactions though, but it’sonly to buy in-game currency which can be earned just by playing the game. I’d like to assume that it’s mostly the ranked players who are purchasing currency to kick up their game and equip their characters earlier on in, rather than the average player.

EXPLORATION AT ITS PEAK

A Thief’s End is by my favorite game in the series, and there are a few reasons for this. Firstly, it doesn’t put you in those endlessly frustrating gun battles too often. There are a few but just enough that it’s not boring, and they are passable with a few attempts and you just have to figure out your best path to take. Secondly, the puzzles in this game aren’t over-the-top hard to figure out, in fact, most of them are actually fun to do. From scaling a massive clock tower to opening up a light-activated doorway – Uncharted 4 really aims to impress with its puzzles. Finally, my favorite part of this game is the exploration. It’s always been a strong point in the franchise but it really, really shines in this game. From catacombs to lush tropical islands, to ancient castles and treacherous mountains – Nathan Drake really gets to traverse some stunning terrain this time around. There are some really great moments and sights to see in this adventure, and it’ll be jaw-dropping on many occasions.

A PROPER SEND-OFF

Naughty Dog seems to have pulled it off and I’ve been super impressed with this entire experience. A Thief’s End is a really well-rounded experience and there’s just so much emotion, and they’re managed to tie up all major threads and complete the story of Nathan Drake as well as his friends and family. It’s a little sad to know that it’s all over, but after all is said and done it ends the series on a high note, whereas many franchises these days don’t know when to die, but you can blame this on corporations. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is a stunning send-off for an already amazing franchise – you really owe it to yourself to experience this game.

Naughty Dog, on behalf of all your fans, thank you.