While I mostly enjoyed my time with the first three games, I wouldn't say that I'm a big Uncharted fan. The set pieces are amazing, but fucking them up once can suck all the thrill out of them. Movement, puzzle-solving, and combat are serviceable. Their stories feel like Naughty Dog could have done a little more to make them matter. I can say with certainty though that I'm a big fan of Uncharted 4, and it has made me appreciate having played the series leading up to Nathan Drake's final adventure.

A Thief's End puts the spotlight on what kept me going through the previous titles - the core cast that I grew to love - and reveals truths about them that they can't wisecrack their way out of. I never imagined I'd identify with Nathan Drake, but there I was, sympathizing with this ruggedly handsome swashbuckling treasure hunter when Elena caught him zoning out of their dinner conversation to dream of going on another adventure. All the lying to get his escape from the hell that is a normal home life under the pretense of a noble cause is Drake at his most unlikeable, and it's also him at his most human.

The previous games all have points where they let the player breathe. Uncharted 4 does it with the confidence that its audience would enjoy the longer, quieter stretches where the characters play off each other just as much as the car chases, gunfights, and explosions. In fact, those muted moments also made me look forward to the much improved action/stealth combat sections, which I thought I'd grown tired of by the end of the third game. I've developed a deep admiration for a franchise I had written off as a one-note, one-hit graphical showcase.