UNCHARTED 4: A THIEF'S END (PS4)
More than eight years after its release, Uncharted 4’s legacy, both in terms of where it sits in its series and the wider PlayStation catalogue, now seems more concrete. For Sony, it was likely their best first-party exclusive to release during the PS4’s lifecycle. It was also Naughty Dog’s most complete video game, finding the most convincing balance between showstopping presentation, superlative storytelling and action-packed gameplay. As an action/adventure experience, it’s absolutely extraordinary. After so many years aspiring to Indiana Jones’s magic, UC4 delivers something that truly captures it.
Uncharted 4 is, quite simply, a complete triumph. A rare one too, amongst mega-budget games, with such titles increasingly believing the route to excellence (and possibly artistic acceptance) lies in mimicking film or TV. UC4 tells a fantastic story, undoubtedly one of the most enjoyable popcorn flick narratives ever to feature in a video game, and unsurprisingly, this proves a massive plus. The Last of Us placed a heavy reliance on its story, unquestionably framing it as the driving force behind the experience, to such an extent that there were times when the gameplay was seemingly used as a vehicle to link cinematics. Naughty Dog haven’t fallen into this trap with Uncharted 4. The gameplay’s just as exciting, just as important, as the storyline that helps frame it. The settings, the platforming and the exploration are all exemplary, whilst a fantastic narrative proves the icing on the cake.
Uncharted 4 delivers numerous breathtaking landscapes, with Madagascar perhaps the most amazing of all
So good is A Thief’s End, that it tops even the excellent Uncharted 2 with room to spare. Everything is better this time around. Nate, voiced brilliantly as ever by Nolan North, is as charming and magnetic a hero as ever, but now he’s a little older, a little more nuanced. His aquatic salvage job pays the bills, but isn’t sating his hunger for adventure. Enter his long-lost brother, Sam, voiced with equal vim by Troy Baker. He brings with him promises of finding legendary pirate Henry Avery’s treasure and the lure of a mythical pirate paradise is one quest Nate can’t turn down. With returning personalities Elena, Chloe and Sully all as good as ever, there’s a triumphal feel to proceedings, reminiscent of The Last Crusade. A Thief’s End is also one of the few first-party titles of its time to draw a definitive line under its story. No tired cliffhangers or sequel-begging, it provides a brilliant, satisfying conclusion that deserves a great deal of credit.
Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest difference, and the best place to start is with the fixes Uncharted 4 enacts on long-standing series’ foibles. Perhaps given the series’ exceptional presentation and first-party standing, previous entries tended to be given a free pass on a couple of recurrent issues. Whilst the shooting and platforming aspects have been synonymous with the series since day one, they’ve always been a bit unsteady, especially when compared to its less-lauded contemporaries. There was always the feeling Nate would randomly miss a ledge grab, or blunder over the edge of a precipice, with wayward platforming mechanics. It’s much tighter now, with some heart-in-mouth rope swings so adrenaline-charged, they’d have made a certain Dr Jones blush. Similarly, the combat enjoys a significant upgrade, and the shooting sections are a genuine pleasure. Aiming is sharper, more precise and more reliable, with fewer errant bullets. Thanks to the explosive, real-time evolution of the action scenes and the destruction of cover and scenery, these sequences feel incredibly exciting.
Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest difference, and the best place to start is with the fixes Uncharted 4 enacts on long-standing series’ foibles. Perhaps given the series’ exceptional presentation and first-party standing, previous entries tended to be given a free pass on a couple of recurrent issues. Whilst the shooting and platforming aspects have been synonymous with the series since day one, they’ve always been a bit unsteady, especially when compared to its less-lauded contemporaries. There was always the feeling Nate would randomly miss a ledge grab, or blunder over the edge of a precipice, with wayward platforming mechanics. It’s much tighter now, with some heart-in-mouth rope swings so adrenaline-charged, they’d have made a certain Dr Jones blush. Similarly, the combat enjoys a significant upgrade, and the shooting sections are a genuine pleasure. Aiming is sharper, more precise and more reliable, with fewer errant bullets. Thanks to the explosive, real-time evolution of the action scenes and the destruction of cover and scenery, these sequences feel incredibly exciting.
UC4 gets pretty much everything right, even when it takes the odd gamble on the otherwise evolution-led approach to development. A sequence that sees Nate, Sully and Sam haring around the rocky canyons of King’s Bay, Madagascar in a pick-up truck, feels especially significant. It’s perhaps the first instance of non-linear gameplay to feature in the series. The developers realised that the Uncharted series as a whole thrives on structure, because it’s driven by a movie-like, pitter-patter pacing. Shoot-outs must be interspersed with platforming, and puzzling. Light and shade, quick and slow. With King’s Bay, things are never allowed to go too far off-piste, as it could easily have drained the game of its impetus. Instead, it recognises the value, the sense of wonder, that comes with rewarding players who go in search of treasure or hidden paths. The same fine judgement is displayed in the chapter “At Sea”, where the player pilots a boat around a sequence of small inlets and islands, evoking magical memories of when Tomb Raider delivered wondrous exploration in gorgeous, exotic locations.
So much of Uncharted 4 is unforgettable. The flashbacks to Nate’s childhood with Sam, so often a questionable or disposable aspect of many games aiming to pad the longevity, feel instead relevant to the complexity and value of their brotherhood. These sequences are told with care and afforded as much weight and quality as the main storyline. Then there’s the climbing of the clock tower which, even by the standards of Uncharted’s usual climactic, complicated set-piece history, is awe-inspiring. Another huge highlight is a heist that sees the gang planning to swap out and pilfer St. Dismas’s idol from an auction house in Italy. Hobnobbing with guests, sabotaging the power and enacting a daring escape makes it feel an incredibly accomplished venture. Maybe it’s the tuxedos, but there’s definitely some James Bond secret agent vibes to be found here.
So much of Uncharted 4 is unforgettable. The flashbacks to Nate’s childhood with Sam, so often a questionable or disposable aspect of many games aiming to pad the longevity, feel instead relevant to the complexity and value of their brotherhood. These sequences are told with care and afforded as much weight and quality as the main storyline. Then there’s the climbing of the clock tower which, even by the standards of Uncharted’s usual climactic, complicated set-piece history, is awe-inspiring. Another huge highlight is a heist that sees the gang planning to swap out and pilfer St. Dismas’s idol from an auction house in Italy. Hobnobbing with guests, sabotaging the power and enacting a daring escape makes it feel an incredibly accomplished venture. Maybe it’s the tuxedos, but there’s definitely some James Bond secret agent vibes to be found here.
After all the big moments, what about the little touches? There’s so much to appreciate. Nate granting the player a gentle shooting tutorial with a toy gun in his attic. Elena introducing a bemused Nate to a chase level from Crash Bandicoot and then having the player tackle the mini-challenge to decide who’ll be on washing-up duties. The fact you can annoy Sully by pointing a camera phone at him instead of the artefacts you’re meant to be capturing.
If there’s a better-looking PS4 game than A Thief’s End, I’ve yet to see it. Indeed, so remarkable are its production values, that the game still looks fantastic, almost a decade later. The scale of the backdrops is just ridiculous, there are countless moments where a vista so beautiful stands before Nate, that you can’t help but stand and appreciate it. The animation is smooth and refined, the fantastical locations are brought to life in astonishing style. UC4 delivers beauty everywhere it visits: the foreboding Scottish highlands, the impossibly-blue skies of Africa and the spellbinding colour and activity of Madagascar’s port city market. Libertalia’s interiors help make for some of the most memorable moments I’ve experienced in a video game, evoking wonder and foreboding in equal measure. You’re left feeling that all the exploring and apparent investigative dead-ends finally come good, rewarding the player with a concluding phase beyond what you could have dared hope for.
If there’s a better-looking PS4 game than A Thief’s End, I’ve yet to see it. Indeed, so remarkable are its production values, that the game still looks fantastic, almost a decade later. The scale of the backdrops is just ridiculous, there are countless moments where a vista so beautiful stands before Nate, that you can’t help but stand and appreciate it. The animation is smooth and refined, the fantastical locations are brought to life in astonishing style. UC4 delivers beauty everywhere it visits: the foreboding Scottish highlands, the impossibly-blue skies of Africa and the spellbinding colour and activity of Madagascar’s port city market. Libertalia’s interiors help make for some of the most memorable moments I’ve experienced in a video game, evoking wonder and foreboding in equal measure. You’re left feeling that all the exploring and apparent investigative dead-ends finally come good, rewarding the player with a concluding phase beyond what you could have dared hope for.
UC4 blends action/adventuring and cinematics with a seamlessness that's unrivalled
No game is perfect of course, but there’s genuinely very little to point the finger at here. A swordfight late on in the game is especially tedious on Crushing difficulty and perhaps for some, the three of four chapters for the main adventure to getting going might seem a little lengthy. This would seem a little harsh though, given how skilfully the game beds in the player, and the early chapters certainly aren’t short of quality. There’s ample replay value thanks to four difficulty settings and an online suite, with cooperative waves mode once again proving its strongest suit. It’s the first playthrough that holds so much worth, however, as one remarkable setting follows another, it’s incredible how events knit together, with wow moments coming thick and fast. With much being made of the merits and pitfalls of modern gaming, it’s heartening to see a title affect so positive a gameplay and story combination, that the two together deliver a level of immersion that’s on a different planet to most other action/adventures.
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