PlayStation Magazine UK - 12.2019

O PL N W

026

01

While this is very much an

Uncharted game, what’s

marvellous about the series’

fourth entry is how in many

respects it marches to the

beat of its own drum, how it

stands apart from the

original PS3 trilogy. For starters, this is a

game about an older Nathan Drake, who at

the beginning has abandoned his treasure-

hunting adventuring ways and settled down.

And, of course, how he can’t quite give it all

up. When the past catches up with him, he

has to confront it – and in the process

re-examine who he is and what it is he

wants. For a series that’s always put the

fun pulpiness of the adventure at the

forefront, Uncharted 4 really showcases

some mature chops too.

There’s plenty to love in the series’ step

forward to PS4 as well. Some set-pieces are

truly bombastic. Toppling clock towers,

fast-paced car chases across multiple

vehicles, and a prison breakout – it’s a game

that can leave your mouth hanging open with

spectacle (and then put on the brakes at just

the right moments to drive home the

fantastically acted story beats). A couple of

chapters even take the traditionally linear

adventure in a new direction with small open

environments (dubbed “wide linear” by the

studio). These are well designed and the

change of pace is welcome, having Nate and

co searching Madagascar in a jeep and

across islands in a speedboat.

But it’s when the moment-to-moment

gameplay widens out that Uncharted 4 really

impresses and stands apart from its

predecessors. Enemies can now lose track

of your location in firefights, and coupled

with a grappling hook that Nate can use

dynamically in most arenas, you can

constantly outwit the enemy and fight them

on new fronts. Nate’s final adventure is the

first game you should play on PS Now.

Uncharted 4:

A Thief’s End

A grap plesswing andda hit! This cl assic i s esse ential

FORMAT PS4 / YEAR 2016 / PUB SONY / DEV NAUGHTY DOG / ISSUE OPM #123 / SCORE 10/10

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