Between Uncharted 3 and the fourth title, Naughty Dog went ahead and made their masterpiece- post apocalyptic The Last of Us. Returning to Nathan Drake's more lighthearted treasure hunting adventures after the seriousness with which The Last of Us treated its world and characters must've been interesting for Naughty Dog's creatives. After an arduous development (which I read about in Jason Schrier's excellent book Blood, Sweat and Pixels), they somehow emerged with to my mind is their very best title to date. Uncharted 4 takes the right lessons from The Last of Us, weaving in gameplay and story without going grimdark and losing the fun that makes this series so special. It's a near-perfect adventure in every way that elevates the series and wraps Nate's tale beautifully.
The premise sounds pretty terrible on paper, as Uncharted 4 sees the appearance of Nate's long-lost (and never before mentioned) brother Sam who draws him out of retirement into one last thrill ride. It sounds terribly conceited, but the fact we've never met Sam before actually works in the game's favor as we the audience aren't sure how to feel about the guy.
Uncharted 3 began to explore the concept of Nathan's addiction to the thrills of treasure hunting at the risk of himself and his relationships, and this fourth game really drives that key point home with a story focused on Nate as a person. It follows the location-hopping structure that weaves characters in and out of the narrative like the second and third games, but the story feels a little more complex and thought out. Uncharted 4 feels like it is deconstructing tropes of the adventure genre even as it lovingly embraces them.
The gameplay is the same excellent cinematic experience we've come to expect, but with some key changes to combat. While you can go into every encounter guns blazing if you want to, it can be much more satisfying to use the game's great new stealth mechanics to slip in and out of cover and pick enemies off around the environment. These combat areas are like mini-playgrounds with so much freedom in how you tackle them.
Uncharted 4 brings back the platforming, light puzzle-solving, and incredible setpieces, but also has some more open areas to give a convincing illusion of exploration in a still very linear and focused experience. Of course the game is a damn technical marvel on PS4 as well with some of the most incredible visuals video games have ever seen.
I love Uncharted 4 and think it's a perfect final chapter for the series that serves as the best wrap-up any fan could have hoped for. If you haven't played this series, do yourself a favor and start from the beginning and enjoy some of the best the medium has to offer.
The premise sounds pretty terrible on paper, as Uncharted 4 sees the appearance of Nate's long-lost (and never before mentioned) brother Sam who draws him out of retirement into one last thrill ride. It sounds terribly conceited, but the fact we've never met Sam before actually works in the game's favor as we the audience aren't sure how to feel about the guy.
Uncharted 3 began to explore the concept of Nathan's addiction to the thrills of treasure hunting at the risk of himself and his relationships, and this fourth game really drives that key point home with a story focused on Nate as a person. It follows the location-hopping structure that weaves characters in and out of the narrative like the second and third games, but the story feels a little more complex and thought out. Uncharted 4 feels like it is deconstructing tropes of the adventure genre even as it lovingly embraces them.
The gameplay is the same excellent cinematic experience we've come to expect, but with some key changes to combat. While you can go into every encounter guns blazing if you want to, it can be much more satisfying to use the game's great new stealth mechanics to slip in and out of cover and pick enemies off around the environment. These combat areas are like mini-playgrounds with so much freedom in how you tackle them.
Uncharted 4 brings back the platforming, light puzzle-solving, and incredible setpieces, but also has some more open areas to give a convincing illusion of exploration in a still very linear and focused experience. Of course the game is a damn technical marvel on PS4 as well with some of the most incredible visuals video games have ever seen.
I love Uncharted 4 and think it's a perfect final chapter for the series that serves as the best wrap-up any fan could have hoped for. If you haven't played this series, do yourself a favor and start from the beginning and enjoy some of the best the medium has to offer.