This is the best game of the PS4 right now. Hands down. Naughty Dog always deliver the goods! With this fourth installment, Nathan Drake and company wrapped up the whole series with a bang. This is the debut of the series on PS4 and it exceeded a lot of expectations, A LOT! This is their ‘omega’ from their ‘alpha’ game, The Last of Us.
Uncharted 4 brings you back to treasure hunting with the retired Nathan Drake. Nate’s retirement was cut short when his brother knocked on his door and brought him back to the field. Almost everything you love about Uncharted is present here. They also improved the stealth gameplay that help players avoid gunfights. And with the added aid of the rope item, the Indiana Jones package is now complete!
Naughty Dog always pushes the limit of its system when they’re developing games. The visuals are mind-blowing. The lighting shaders, the animation and the in-game physics are all awesome. Playing Uncharted 4 is not just playing your typical third-person shooter game. With the voice acting of Nolan North and Troy Baker, it transcends into a cinematic experience. An experience that Naughty Dog never fails to deliver.
GRAPHICS
Naughty Dog showed us the big leap of their capability by developing this game. They chucked out their pre-rendered cut scenes from their previous games and replaced it with in-game/real-time cut scenes this time. This is the only game so far that showcases the PS4’s true graphical prowess.
From the swinging animations of the vegetation to the shiny water droplets on Nate’s body, from the rag-doll physics to the astounding scenery. Name it, everything here is so detailed. Even the mud physics are great!
The Uncharted series is full of beautiful terrains to traverse. Naughty Dog brings outside adventures to your couch’s comfort. The game will reward you with stunning scenery once you climb and reach the peak of a level. With the help of ‘Photo Mode,’ you can snatch up that shot and be creative with it.
GAMEPLAY
Naughty Dog added more mechanics to the core gameplay. Instead of the usual jumping and climbing, they added the rope. An item necessary for your Indiana Jones getup. Using rope to rappel and swing towards your destination while enemies are shooting at you is just one of the many intense experiences of the game.
Players are also welcome to go into ninja mode. The much improved stealth mode is your way to speed run this game. Areas are cleverly crafted for the players to give more opportunities to sneak. Also, the hand to hand combat is better. Nate can use his surroundings to simply knock off his enemies and go straight into a Rambo shootout.
Puzzle-solving is back. It serves as an ice breaker to the game’s intense atmosphere. Collecting treasures earn you points for unlocking weapons, graphic filters, character costumes and even game modifiers. Some of these modifiers are bullet time, no-gravity and infinite ammo that’ll make the game more fun to beat. It makes the hardest difficulty a piece of cake.
The game has a lot to offer when it comes to exploration. Unlike the linearity of the previous games, Naughty Dog made some levels enormous. The Madagascar and jungle chapters feel like an open-world game. To jazz it up, they included a four-wheel drive vehicle for you to use.
STORY
The facial animations are impressive too. It adds emotion to the game that makes its narrative remarkable. Lovable characters such as Sully and Elena are also present. They make a comeback as your partners during some point in the game. Spending hours with them is so satisfying, making you feel like you don’t want the series to end because you’re so attached to them.
The inserted dialogues with Nate’s partners are heart-warming especially with his wife, Elena. The quips of Nate when he’s in trouble are also enjoyable. Story telling is so immersive up to the end. And that epilogue chapter is the excellent way to end this series. We have Neil Druckman to thank for that.
OVERALL
Action sequences has made Uncharted the game we all know and love. The collapsing towers, explosions and car chases in-game are perfectly fitted for the player’s immersion. The intensity of gunfights leading to these action sequences are well directed.
Though the game has minor issues like easy puzzles and lack of unique weapons, it doesn’t take away the immersion that players always want. The majority of great features compensate that.
This game is the proper send off for Nate’s last adventure.