Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (2016)

TL;DR - The pinnacle of the Uncharted franchise. Truly a masterpiece in every department; from its presentation, sound design, gunplay, performances, and character development. The campaign has slower pacing, but it pays off with some great character drama and the unraveling of Libertalia's mystery. It is a perfect conclusion to Nathan's story, and to this day, remains my favourite game of all time.

ACTION-ADVENTURE - Follows retired treasure hunter Nathan Drake as he is drawn back into a perilous quest for the lost pirate treasure of Henry Avery.

PROS:

++ Story of Sam & Nathan. As I mentioned in my status, stories about brothers are my weak point. Anything surrounding the bond between brothers (see LiS 2 and A Tale of Two Sons) is up my narrative alley. Uncharted 4 is personally my favourite of this type. Although it would've been cool to have gotten hints in the previous games that he had a deceased brother, I still loved how they handled his inclusion into the series. This new dynamic reveals a completely new side to Nathan and he becomes more vulnerable than ever. Sam himself is a terrific character. You like him, then you get annoyed at him, and end with loving the big idiot. Seeing the brothers' past and why they became the way they are was much needed and made Nathan Drake a more interesting character. Oh, and I also loved the banter between the two of them! It's a different dynamic from all of the "sidekicks" Nathan has had. All in all, this is one of the main reasons why U4 is my favourite game of all-time (for now).

++ Elena & Drake's relationship. ELENA IS THE BEST! I have never had a fictional crush in movies, mangas, or games, but Elena is the only exception. She's smart, bold, selfless, strong, faithful, ambitious, head-strong, and supportive! Her and Nathan's relationship is by far my favourite romance in gaming and I just think their relationship is so realistic and believable. That scene near the beginning where they just chat and play Crash together was wholesome and such an ideal picture of what a relationship looks and feels like. But then Nathan lies to her and withholds information (which is the reason why she was mad, and not because Nathan went back into a dangerous lifestyle) and it leads to one of my favourite cutscenes in all of gaming! Seeing the sheer disappointment and betrayal in Elena's eyes, the guilt of Sam and Sully, and Nathan's hopeless attempt to weasel himself out of the situation, just hit close to home for me. It was a wonderfully written and believable cutscene that provided an immense amount of character development all around. It ends with Elena leaving Nate, and players are left to assume that their relationship is over. But Elena being the amazing wife she is, and Sully being the amazing father figure that he is, returns and saves Nate when he was at his most vulnerable. I just loved the fact that instead of Nate saving the princess, it was the princess that saved Nate. I'm rambling I know, but I truly admire the way their relationship developed throughout the series and it is, in my opinion, the standard for how romances should be written.

++ Significantly better gameplay. FINALLY! The gameplay feels truly great! Guns always sounded wimpy and weak, but in this game, they feel phenomenal to fire. They handle great too. But on top of the improved gunplay, they also added two new features. The grappling hook and an improved stealth system. Grappling hooks are just fun to use no matter what game they're in and it just made U4's gameplay much more dynamic and exciting. Stealth is finally viable now in this game, too! Obviously it's nowhere near the levels of MGSV or Dishonoured, but the stealth system in place was serviceable and allowed me to clear out many encounters without alerting anybody. Also, the stage design is to be commended since it maximizes what makes Uncharted's combat so great. U4 has the best level design for combat ecounters in the series so far, since it departs from the linear shooting corridors of past games.

++ Amazing visuals. What is there to really say? It's the most beautiful game I've personally played. So many times I was left in awe because of the vistas, and it was really this game that made me use PlayStation's screen capture for the first time. Environments are bursting with colour, and it is just drop dead gorgeous.

++ Performances & animation. Vocal performances are just top-notch. And the motion and facial capture was equally great. Without these two factors, a lot of those emotional moments would have missed the mark. But because they hit a homerun in this category, those moments are now more impactful and weighty. From Nate to Sam to Elena to Rafe to Sully. Every single one of them did a phenomenal job.

++ Strong antagonists. Rafe is by far my favourite antagonist in the series. He wasn't one-note like Ataq or Gabriel. He wasn't just some madman warlord like Lazarevic. And he wasn't undercooked like Talbot and Marlowe. Throughout the game, you can really see what drove Rafe to such great lengths. He was a spoiled kid who wanted to make a name for himself and he was completely envious of what Nathan was able to accomplish. That final fight with him cemented Rafe as one of my favourite antagonists. I don't want to exclude Nadine either. I think she was a solid secondary antagonist and I loved her strong attitude and physciality. Excited to see more of her in Lost Legacy.

++ Slower pacing. At first I was taken aback. Where are the bombastic setpieces? Where is all the gunfight? Where is all the explosions? And although the game still has many examples of those three things, there are also many chapters that are deliberately slower and calmer in tone. The chapter in Madagascar comes to mind specifically. And although some might not like this, I really appreciated this change. It really made the whole experience feel like a grand adventure. And the slower pace makes it a more distinct experience compared to the first three games.

++ Libertalia. El Dorado and Ubar was cool. Shambala was great. But Libertalia was amazing. Yes, this lost city wasn't filled to the brim with gold buildings or supernatural guardians, but it was a city with a rich history. And uncovering that history through the lens of the Drake brothers made the whole adventure so intriguing and mysterious. The sub-story surrounding Henry Avery and Thomas Tew was fantastic and it greatly aided the overall experience. And I honestly had so much fun just exploring every nook and cranny of Libertalia and hunting down all the notes since I just found this sub-story so interesting.

++ Perfect conclusion. That epilogue was the best ending an Uncharted fan could have asked for. Nathan and Elena are still happily married. On top of that, they become world famous, uncovering long-lost treasures and cities one after the other without having to be in danger. They have a child together who inherited many of their qualities. And Sully becomes that kid's lovable grandpa and Sam becomes the fun uncle. It was an incredibly wholesome and happy ending to Nathan's story. It very nearly made me shed a tear of joy which is a very rare thing for me to do. And although I'm saddened that Nathan's story is over, I really can't think of a better ending for one of my favourite characters of all-time.

++ Personal bias. It's my favourite game of all time. Of course I'll be biased and speak highly of it! It was also the first game I played when I got my PS4 and I still remember how amazed I was when I first played it. Even after all these years, this second and more recent playthrough evoked all those same emotions of awe, joy, and every other emotion in between. In fact, I think I appreciated it more this time around. It's going to be very hard for any game to top the impact this game has had on me.

CONS:

-- Short combat encounters. Especially after playing the first three games prior to playing this game, there seems to be much less combat and gunfights that take place in the game. It's not a major complaint, but it is noticeable. It's a slight shame because the combat feels so much better.

-- Overreliance on climbing. Unlike the combat encounters, I feel like there was more reliance on climbing sections in the game. And although the vistas are beautiful, and though I do feel personal satisfaction in the game's climbing, it is quite trivial in difficulty. I can definitely see why some would be turned off by the amount of climbing done in this game.

Yeah so I had attempted to replay the whole series, but after grinding through 1 and giving up on 2, I thought I was done. They aged horribly to me, but I decided to give 4 a shot and it is pretty dang fun still.

It just does a few things really well - incredible set pieces and locations, some really fun climbing, good writing, competent combat. The game is completely on rails besides a few branching paths and optional treasures, but it’s a fun enough ride.

It feels like candy, not very challenging or thought provoking or dynamic, just a fun carnival ride. Which sometimes is what you want.

If you love a good story, amazing graphics, and a cinematic feel in your games, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is a must-play. Nathan Drake’s final adventure pulls you in with a captivating narrative that’s perfectly paced, blending intense action with heartfelt moments.

The visuals are stunning, from lush jungles to ancient ruins. Every detail is meticulously crafted, making exploration a visual delight. The seamless cutscenes, lifelike animations, and top-notch voice acting make the whole experience feel like an interactive movie.

In short, Uncharted 4 is an epic, story-driven game that hits all the right notes for anyone who loves immersive and beautifully presented adventures. If you’re into gripping tales and gorgeous graphics, don’t miss this one.

Far and away the best uncharted game. It has the best story, the best gameplay, the best setpieces, the best soundtrack, the best characters, the best stealth mechanics, the best EVERYTHING in the entire series.

It takes some incredibly bold risks when compared to the previous titles, including a much more story heavy experience that (mostly) pays off. There's some loose ends I would have liked to see tied up, but the overall storyline is fun and engaging. Seeing Elena and Sully for only fractions of the story feels a little weird at first, but it makes way for a very satisfying arc between Nate and his brother.

Gunplay across the board is vastly improved from the previous entries. Guns are super accurate now but kick like a mule. All reload and gun sound effects are punchy and satisfying, which is much appreciated. Even the climbing takes huge strides towards being more engaging and satisfying, thanks to a new grappling hook and tons of new ways to interact with the climbable environment.

Even if you weren't a huge fan of the first trilogy of uncharted games, I'd still say that you NEED to check this out. If you get to the mid game climatic action sequence and don't have a giant smile on your face, then you need to get your head examined.

“It’s not my first lost city,” protagonist Nathan Drake says to his brother somewhat late in the game. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is a beautiful, but safe sequel, bringing familiar set pieces, and locales, and characters: it’s a game that tries very hard to marvel the player, who will nonetheless feel like they have seen all of this before.

The game, after a brief action sequence, opens with a flashback, showing the relationship between a young Nathan and his brother, Sam. The protagonist appears to admire his brother, who encourages him to sneak out of his orphanage and teaches him parkour moves while they climb the roofs of the place. Sam doesn't appear to just be an inspiration to Nathan, someone the boy looks up to, but actually acts precisely like Nathan would do later. When the boy asks his brother if he knows where he's going, the answer couldn't be more Drake-ish: “Eh, more or less.” Their relationship is shown to be built around trust, but also around abandonment and loss.

Today, Nathan is living a normal life, together with wife, Elena. However, he still yearns for a life of adventure, and it's no wonder that, when she is talking about her day, his mind drifts away when he looks at a picture of an island. When he brother comes back from the dead and reveals that he is in big trouble, Nathan must embark in yet another adventure to save Sam's life and search for the lost treasure of pirate Henry Avery.

A Thief’s End’s story is well told, but very simple in structure and plot. The protagonist travels to a lot of places in search of Avery’s hidden treasure, finding only clues to next place where it should be hidden. And players will soon become very acquainted to some of the elements that are repeated often – after this game, they will certainly be able to recognize the statue of St. Dismas, for example.

Meanwhile, Nathan lies to Elena about his adventures because he was supposed to have retired, living a common, safe life. The game shows a lack of trust in their relationship. Nathan hasn’t the guts to tell Elena that he has all this time hidden everything about his lost brother from her, and one lie starts to stack on top of the other: Nathan may be fearless when it comes to exploring dungeons and climbing steep cliffs, but he’s a coward when it comes to relationships.

For this reason, for most of the time the protagonist will be stick with his brother. Sam, however, is a not an interesting character for a very simple reason: he is just Nathan Drake 2.0. When they are adventuring together, both will say the exact same things and react the exact same way. He is practically Nathan’s double. They both love what they do, and after each incredible and dangerous stunt they will tell each other how they thought that was amazing and exhilarating: “That's was fun, right?” So, in practice, it is like two copies of the same character talking to each other the whole time.

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PRE-PLAYING THOUGHTS

I have played the Uncharted: Nathan Drake Collection and there's not a single installment from that series that I did not enjoy. And with every title in the series, they keep improving their plot and gameplay. With that in mind, I knew I was in for a treat in Uncharted 4.

GAME PLOT

So my first reaction here was, "Nathan Drake has a brother?!". Naughty Dog did a great job concealing Nate's past, and then introducing a new character where the story revolved around with. I'm quite impressed on how they thought about the plot this far and how they saw the series would end.

I'd say Uncharted 4 was a combination of all the previous Uncharted titles in terms of the environment (from the civilization, through the mountains, through the seas, through caves, through the jungle, and lots more). With a lot of improvement in the graphics, Uncharted 4 had lots of picture perfect views in-game.

The encounters were way more difficult than from the previous titles. They're also really varied which allows you to vary your approach on every encounter as well. Lots of new type enemies, wherein I had to die through their hands not knowing what armor, guns or skills they possess. Lol.

I have to honestly admit that I'm not quite satisfied with the set pieces of Uncharted 4 as compared to the other set pieces in the previous game titles. It wasn't just as thrilling as the previous ones. But there's a lot to praise about the cinematography and the creativity of the set scenes that doesn't stray away from the story-line.

As for the character development, they could've done a way better job to develop Sam's character. I don't know how to put it, but given that the story revolved around him they could've given some time to develop his character or at least tried to make him more interesting. In my eyes, he was just a pain in the ass brother who hasn't matured and loves nothing but danger. I mean, just look at how they developed Elena, Nate and Sully. Even in the game, you could see a brighter and stronger Elena. A more mature and confident Nate. And also an old but still capable Sullivan. The other characters introduced (Rafe and Nadine) had just enough information to know their totality, given that it's their main role of the story as the antagonists.

With all those improved puzzle solving, stealth and brawl encounters, dialogues and set scenes, Uncharted 4 for me has set the standard for an action/adventure game plot.

GAMEPLAY

A lot has improved in the gameplay of Uncharted 4, making it more versatile and realistic. The fist fights have been awesome, the choreography is insane. The addition of the rope made the roaming even more enjoyable. The guns, each and every type, had their own advantages in some encounters. I used to play with a specific left-hand and right-hand gun, but that totally changed in Uncharted 4 as with each type of enemy comes a different approach on how to take them down easily. I also loved how they included most of their famous set scenes in their previous titles in the game (the car chase traversing, the temple run style encounter, the quick action scenes, and many more.)

If you're looking to play Uncharted 4 I would suggest you play the previous game titles first. Because as much as the gameplay is nice, the best part of Naughty Dog's games are their game plot. So it's best to start from where it all started. If you're into action/adventure games that give you thrill and challenge through puzzles and brawls, believe me, you won't regret playing the series. :)

I could not put this game down. I finished it over the course of two days, and I'm usually not able to do that. Even with it being capped at 30fps, it is the best looking game I've ever played. Uncharted 4 takes you through many parts of the world, and showcases plenty of breathtaking environments. The story was also the most captivating in the series for me, and the emotion the voice actors and animations was able to bring out was incredible, which was enhanced immensely by a fantastic score. The actions sequences were also some of the most intense combat scenes I've ever played through in a game. Overall this is one of the best games I have ever played and I would recommend it to anyone. And who doesn't want to go on a pirate adventure??

Score: 10/10

Played on PS4

Finished the game in just over 17 hours.

Pros

* Stunning to look at. Everything from the character models to the environments is beautiful. Must be one of the best looking games ever. The character models are uncannily lifelike.

* Although not as many big set pieces as in previous games the pacing is spot on. I liked the many quiet and puzzle sections just as much as the climbing and combat bits.

* Great cast with some superb voicework. The new characters of Sam, Nadine and Rafe are welcome additions to the cast.

* Great story that neatly wraps the series up, although it wasn’t the ending I expected. The amount of great character moments was unexpected from a rollercoaster blockbuster type game.

* Used the Last of Us Buddy system to great effect although occassionally it felt like it was lifted from that game. There was one level with the brothers that felt a bit like the Last of Us DLC level.

* The more open world combat and driving sequences made the game feel slightly less linear. The new mechanics were a lot of fun. Stealth felt right and the rope made for some fun impressive takedowns.

* Monkey Island Easter Egg for the win. Also noticed how similar one of the later levels was in play style to the PS1 easter egg at the start of the game. Is Uncharted really just a HD Crash Bandicoot in the chase sequences

Cons

* Can sometime feel a bit easy with the climbing etc being a tad automatic.

* Scotland level .... not any part of Scotland that I know.

* No more Uncharted

Not as good as UC2 or LofUs, but still an amazing game.

5/5