Justin knocks out a rock solid review of Uncharted 4.
Naughty Dog has come a long way since Crash
Bandicoot. The studio once famous for goofy humor and talking animals has spent
the last decade delving into world of realism and human stories. The Uncharted
series was a mainstay of the PS3 era after the surprise hit that was Drake’s
Fortune, and The Last of Us wowed players and critics alike with its
emotional storyline and adaptive gameplay. Many people, myself included, didn't
really know what to expect from a fourth installment of the series, especially
considering how Drake’s Deception wrapped up. To my surprise, Uncharted
4: A Thief's End nailed it on nearly every level, and its compelling
story and cinematic action are sure to cement its place as not only one of the
best games of 2016, but also the best title the Uncharted series has to
offer.
Considering the series’ history, it goes without
saying that A Thief's End is visually stunning. Naughty Dog set the bar
for graphical fidelity countless times throughout its history, and continues on
that trend with Uncharted 4. There is no doubt in my mind that as of the
time of this review there are no games from the current console generation that
are more graphically impressive than Uncharted 4. The textures and
lighting are a technical masterpiece, and I often found myself stopping to
‘smell the roses’ to take in the beauty and realism of the environment. In an
era where console games are plagued with frame rate issues and long load times,
especially in comparison to gaming on the PC, it’s a breath of fresh air to see
such beautiful vistas and smooth animations from a console game.
As far as the story goes, I wasn’t sure what to
expect considering creative lead and writer Amy Hennig’s departure from Naughty
Dog in 2014. Coming off the success of Naughty Dog’s previous title The Last
of Us, Uncharted 4 was placed in the capable hands of the Neil Druckmann
and Bruce Straley who lead the project to smashing success. Their
influence shows, and the story is the best it’s been in the series. The story
still has adventure movie written all over it, to no one’s surprise, but more
so than in past titles it played out in a satisfying fashion that made the game
hard to put down. In general I appreciate a good story in a game, but the
unfortunate truth is that so many games have throwaway narratives that are
clearly shoved into the game to fulfil an obligation. This could not be further
from the truth in Uncharted 4. Despite being the final entry in the
series, it does the best job of any Uncharted game at developing Nathan
and his companions as characters. The sarcastic quips and banter between
characters have returned, but the addition of Nathan’s estranged brother to the
mix allows for further, and surprisingly well-executed, character development.
The fine tuning of things like facial animations
and voice direction go a long way in making the characters feel as if they are
actual humans that don't just exist in the video game uncanny valley. The voice
acting in particular is outstanding, and the addition of Troy Baker as Nathan’s
previously unmentioned elder brother Sam only typifies the talent of the new
and returning cast. The story jumps around different timelines in Nathan and
Sam’s lives in a way that not only provides motive for Nathan’s actions
throughout the series, but also cleverly justifies Sam’s absence prior. I was
pleasantly surprised to find myself the most excited for the quiet moments of
the game. Whether it was seeing Drake in his ‘unnatural habitat’ as a free man
making an honest living, or cruising across the plains with Elena taking in the
environment and just talking, it all just felt so real. Most my favorite parts
of A Thief’s End were far removed from gunslinging and rope swinging,
and I think that is really telling of the cinematic and character-driven nature
of Uncharted 4.
While it is by no means bad, I found that the
combat and new stealth portions were the most disappointing part of the game. I
respect that they nailed the feel of the shooting from the past games in the
series for the sake of consistency (and maybe to a lesser extent, safety) but,
with the improvements made in other shooters in the years since Uncharted 3,
I expected more from the combat. A grappling hook has been added to your arsenal
which is useful for the aforementioned rope swinging, but I rarely found it to
be any more effective than engaging in ground combat, although I can't argue
with its fun-factor. When you aren't in the fray, the grappling hook adds new
elements to puzzles, but where it seems to shine the most are the new
opportunities for Uncharted’s famous moments of spectacle. The stealth
mechanics are also new to the series and a welcomed change. Using stealth and
careful play you can skip some encounters entirely, but more often than not I
found it to be more of a means to thin the herd before getting spotted and
going in guns blazing. You are given the ability to mark targets akin to games
like Far Cry 4, and they supplemented your abilities with silent stealth
kills and new hiding places. The companion system integrates with it as well,
as Sam and your other companions can mark targets and execute stealth
takedowns. Naughty Dog clearly took notes here from The Last of Us with
self-sufficient companions that never reveal your location, and there were
countless times they saved my ass with a well-timed warning or takedown. As a
whole the combat and stealth is well designed, but it just didn’t do it for me
in the climate of action games in 2016.
There is a multiplayer mode in Uncharted 4
as well, though it’s a perfunctory attempt at best. Naughty Dog created a
gorgeous world with tight controls and a fun shtick for the main story mode,
and it feels like they just threw in a few new mechanics and said “Ship it!”
for the multiplayer. I know that I am biased because I’m not in love with the
combat in the series as a whole, but even looking past that it wasn't
particularly compelling. It has the kind of modes you would expect (Deathmatch,
CTF, Point Control), and unlockable mods and upgrades to earn as you play, but
doesn’t do much to break the mold. The climbing and shooting still hits the
good notes it did in single player, but the lack of the strong narrative hooks
from the single-player campaign made it feel meaningless. Some characters from
past Uncharted games make an appearance as unlockable characters, which
is a nice touch for fans, but has no particular effect on the gameplay. New
moves are available online to mix up the gameplay from the single-player mode,
including an oddly satisfying charge attack with the grappling hook, but the
gunplay being what it is I didn't feel compelled to keep playing.
Uncharted 4 is a
fitting end for what was the titular action-adventure series of the modern ‘HD’
era. The story concludes in an emotional and satisfying way, despite the third
entry having already tried to put a bow on the series in the PS3 Era. Naughty
Dog set quite the precedent with The Last of Us and still knocked it out
of the park with Uncharted 4 despite that. There is no news yet
regarding details of the rumored single-player DLC to come for Uncharted 4
at the moment, but I have high hopes considering the success of the Left
Behind DLC for The Last of Us. I would highly suggest A Thief’s
End, even if you’re new to the series, and if you like it there is an HD
remaster of the previous titles available for PS4 to check out as well. I am
not sure what the future holds for Naughty Dog, but if you weren’t already on
board with their particular flavor of action this is a great place to jump on,
and I’m excited to see what comes out of their studio next.
SCORE: 9/10
Developer:
Naughty Dog, Inc.
Publisher: Sony
Interactive Entertainment
Platforms:
Playstation 4
Release Date: May 10th, 2016
Reviewer’s Platform: PS4
-Justin Wicker