BENGALURU : The Uncharted franchise has been a true PlayStation juggernaut over the years, with the first game launching barely a year after the PlayStation 3 itself did. Uncharted 4 represents both a beginning and an end for the series. It was the first Uncharted game to debut on the PS4 back in 2013, but — as its title, A Thief’s End, would indicate — also serves as a conclusion to the adventures of Nathan Drake. So how does it measure up?
Uncharted 4 begins with a somewhat-happily retired Drake living a civilian life with Elena Fisher sometime after the events of Uncharted 3. When his missing-and-presumed-dead elder brother Sam shows up out of nowhere begging him to help find a legendary pirate treasure, Nathan’s pulled back into the life he thought he left behind.
If you’ve played any Uncharted game — and really, it’s unlikely you’d be playing this if you haven’t! — you’ll feel right at home with Uncharted 4. Over the course of the series, Naughty Dog has developed and honed a particular formula; one they don’t stray far from with this entry. At its worst, it can seem a little formulaic (how many brittle ledges and boosts are there going to be, exactly?) but at its best, it’s the same fast-flowing Uncharted that you know and probably love.
That’s not to say that Uncharted 4 is without its refinements, though; chief among which is the open-world level and the greater use of vehicles. Previous games have had vehicular levels, but they were always extremely linear. Uncharted 4’s linear levels are quite spectacular in their own right, but there’s also an open-world section (which dumps you in a gorgeous African country with a 4x4 and lets you get on with it) which is truly mindblowing. That peek at what Uncharted would look like as an open-world game is thrilling, and I hope Naughty Dog’s taking notes. Although this is the end for Nathan Drake, the Uncharted series could still carry on (and already has, but more on that in a minute) and this would be a fantastic direction for the series to go in.
As for the story, it’s hard to say anything without verging into spoiler territory. Suffice to say that, in between all the gunfights and explosions and larger-than-life setpieces, Uncharted 4 actually manages to tell a compelling and moving story. We’ve been following these characters for nearly a decade now, and so we’re invested in a way that Naughty Dog appreciates and uses to bring the curtains down.
Should you play Uncharted 4? Yes, unless you hated the previous games. It is the culmination of a series that knows exactly what it is and is comfortable in its own skin, and it’s been made by a studio at the peak of their powers. Goodbye, Nathan Drake. It’s been a pleasure.