It's been almost impossible to avoid the chiselled features of
PlayStation's very own exclusive tomb raider of late. Billboards, buses,
cinematic advertising and the PlayStation Store have all been bombarded with
Nathan Drake's grinning mug as his latest outing (and more importantly first of
the next-gen machine) has finally landed. After a few delays and what seemed
like an eternity he's finally here and he's brought his big brother along for
the ride...
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End sees our plucky hero living a normal everyday
life and still yearning for more high adventures. Now married to series
regular, Elena Fisher, Nate is struggling with his new mundane existence.
Enter: Samuel Drake. Nate's older and long thought dead brother with clues as
to the location of a lost treasure of legendary buccaneer Henry Avery. This
gives Nate the not-so-big-of-a-push he needs to get back out into the
field. As always with the Uncharted series there is a strong emphasis on
characterisation and plot with this instalment being no exception. Naughty Dog
have set themselves the difficult task of introducing a new character into a
familiar fold established over the last three outings. They tackle this head on
and for the better part handle it excellently.
The voice performances are all played to perfection bolstered by some
truly incredible motion capture. Naughty Dog have made this into both a stand-alone
adventure for new comers and the culmination of a well-loved series for the
long term fans. A challenge for sure and they sadly fall just short of this. The main issue is Sam Drake, the new crook on the block. The amount of
back story required to slot him into proceedings believably stretches the game’s
first act unnecessarily. While it's never dull there is a long way to go before
the usual Uncharted feeling kicks in. Likewise towards the end of the game
there is a flashback that lasts almost an hour and is just completely
unnecessary. The fact that it occurs in the middle of something much more
interesting and is then followed by a further change in pace only hurts
proceedings more. It actually gets boring. While the story and the characters
are important here some sections border on Heavy Rain or Until Dawn style
gameplay leaving you feeling as if you're just walking through a cutscene
rather than simply watching one. It's an odd choice to implement this
into a series known for its great action and fast paced encounters.
There are also some inexplicable cuts in certain areas. The melee combat
has been stripped bare, removing the counters and grabs from Uncharted 3's
excellent brawling. Then there's the multiplayer which has had the majority of its
customisation options removed and all of the co-op modes have been removed
making it a less meaty offering than before. On the positive side of things though when Uncharted is doing what it
does best it truly shines supreme. The action and set pieces will grab you, fire
an adrenaline shot straight to your heart and shake you until you're literally
left gasping for air. Shooting sections now take place in much more open areas
allowing you to pick your own play style much more effectively. Hole up and
blast everyone in sight, run and gun, brawl or stealth your way through. There
are always myriad options. The stealth has been given an overhaul with spotting
and tracking mechanics implemented but you never feel forced to use them unless
it's what you want to be doing. New firearms keep the gunfights fresh and
entice you back to try a different approach for each encounter. Then there's the grappling hook. Oh my god the grappling hook... Used
for navigation at first and then seamlessly integrated into combat it proves a
total game changer in the already frenetic action. The first time you gun
someone down mid-swing and then drop into a flying right hook takedown you can’t
help but fist pump the air like an 80's rock star. These little self-created
moments are what will keep you reaching for the Replay Encounter option long
after the credits roll. Had this games' runtime been
shortened (this runs a good 4 or more hours than any other title in the series)
this could have been the great send-off that Nathan and Co. deserved. Sadly it
does fall just short of this. While this is doubtlessly a 10/10 piece of
entertainment it just isn't a 10/10 game. Do not let this take away from the
fact however that this is truly an exceptional game on so many levels and an
absolute must play for adventure fans and newcomers alike.
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is out now on Playstation 4