I recently finished the Drake's Uncharted Collection, so what's next? Well naturally I need to test the power of the Playstation 4 & a great way to do that is to play the conclusion to the Uncharted Series. I remember the E3 trailers & watching some of the gameplay thinking, damn I want to play that. For the most part I have enjoyed the Uncharted series, lots of great action, entertaining story & some great visuals. That being said Drakes Deception really soured things for me, not as much with regards to the story but the gameplay I felt was rather weak & was hoping a Thief's End would not make the same mistake.
Who likes pizza? Everyone that's who. When it comes to pizza I think its hard to have an out & an out bad pizza, mediocre sure but truly bad I don't think so. Even a plain cheese pizza has it place especially if you have some sides with it. Then there are truly awesome pizza's like Duck Hoisin. The pieces of meat are soft & both moist & dry, smothered in hoisin sauce, sprinkled with spring onion & cucumbers, even the thought of it makes my mouth water. So playing Uncharted 4 I had to....sorry I will be right back I wanted to see if there was any Duck Hoisin pizza left from last night. No, no there was not, might have to go to the shop later, hmmm. Anyway back on track, I had to decide while playing Uncharted 4: A Thief's End was I eating a mediocre pizza or one cover in duck, hoisin sauce & other goodness.
So, let's discuss the story a bit. Two words; yes, yes - that is all. Alright fine I will offer a little more detail. The story is fantastic & as a whole is as close to perfect as you can get. This time around the games focuses on Nate's past which deals a lot with his family. The intrigue & mystery that is Nathan Drake's life is revealed more than it ever has before & really helps to answer some questions I had.
After a loss early in the game we see Nate 15 years later working for a salvage company, for lack of a better word he is now retired from his adventurous life. We get to see what regular life looks like for him playing the chapter 'Normal Life'. I found this to be great not only because of the story but it also gave you time to enjoy some the visual details that normally running around may cause you to miss.
As you can imagine Nate gets dragged back into the fray. Unlike previous times it is not just about the glory, but how much is he willing to sacrifice in the process? Nate is on the hunt for Henry Avery's treasure but he won't be alone, I can't say much more than that as it would spoil the story for you. The new bad guy is Rafe Adler, the problem I had with him is that he acted like an insolent child through out the game which made me really dislike him. Being fair I think that was the idea but I guess I like my bad guys to be more....bad.
The story has a nice sprinkling of comedy from all characters especially from Nate himself & as we all know; once a wise ass always a wise ass. Overall there were only a few minor bumps along the way. I really liked the ending, including the epilogue. Right, that's all your getting from me, story wise anyway.
Where do I begin when discussing the visual masterpiece that is this game? The back drops are amazing & often breath taking. The lighting & attention to small details is simply inspiring. While I expected it to be better visually than Uncharted 3 I did not realise simply how much better it would be.
There are so many great things to discuss about the visuals, let's take for example the scuba diving chapter. As you majestically traverse the ocean floor schools of fish pass you buy, the coral feels like it is bustling with life & as you glide over the seabed the sand is kicked up around you in a cloud. It all looks so fantastic. I really loved the art style used for the opening credits, watching it reveals the adventures Nate has had so far & made me feel nostalgic. Madagascar was so visually impressive, the mix of terrain was beautiful I could barely believe I was playing a video game.
Normally I worry about revealing too many details about the story in my reviews but being honest this time I worry about discussing too much about how great the game looks. If you own a Playstation 4 & haven't played it yet go out & buy it now.
This time around Henry Jackman helmed the musical score. I think as a Thief's End was the conclusion in the series the studio wanted something more epic, well they got it. Jackman has worked on many scores & has also worked closely with the legendary Hans Zimmer. His works include; Captain America: Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Kong Island & the Kick-Ass movies.
There is heavy use of strings & horns to help create an action packed score. Listening to the music again I could certainly hear the influences of some of the larger film scores Jackman has worked on. Some of my favorite pieces included; 'A Thief's End', 'Lure of Adventure', 'Cut to the Chase', 'The Twelve Towers', 'New Devon' & 'Nate's Theme 4.0' which is a beautiful piece with some great piano work.
Additionally there is some music used during the Auction House mission which was really good & is described by one character as European Dub Step. I have seen many posts online asking why it was not included on the soundtrack but perhaps they will add this in the future to a definitive edition.
There are some great sound effects in the game, my favorite is example of this is when Kid Drake is sliding down a roof & kicks a shingle loose. The sound it makes when sliding down the roof & the breaking as it hits the ground is amazing. These sound effects help give the game a very rich atmospheric feel.
I found the score to be truly enjoyable & is easily my favorite score of the year so far, it has an epic sound accompanied by some pieces that are simply beautiful.
Onto the awesomeness that is the gameplay. How would I best describe it? Balls out I think, think of Uncharted 2 but with so many extra balls you could fill 6 meatball foot long subs & still have balls left over. That is how much balls the gameplay in A Thief's End has.
A lot of the issues I had up to this point with the series & more specifically with Uncharted 3 Drakes Deception have been well & truly quashed. This time around Kid Drake's movements don't feel over exaggerated & he even needs help from time to time getting to areas which feels more realistic. The hand to hand combat is what it should have been previously; balanced, brutal & fun. The journal this time felt useful & was actually used like one rather than being tacked on there for the sake of it.
There are new weapons & accessories including a grapple hook. This is great not only for swinging across large areas but also for climbing, dragging objects & looking cool while shooting. Switching weapons looks realistic & the aiming system is a lot more accurate.
While the gameplay overall is fantastic there are a few standout areas like; during the heist at the auction & the driving sequence in Madagascar - enter the unstoppable armoured truck. There are less puzzles then before which I feel is a good thing & the ones that are there are much more enjoyable than in previous installments.
The big downer for me was Scotland, nothing against Scotland but some of the gameplay was not great, especially all the unnecessary sliding. It may seem a small thing to complain about but when the rest of the gameplay was so great it really stood out as the weak link. All in all though the gameplay was amazing & I am sure I will revisit the game at some point in the future.
So after 15 hours plus of the main campaign & finishing the final chapter in the series what did I think? I thought it was fantastic & inspiring, it was all I could want from a sequel & more. I am sad that this will likely be the last adventure I will have with Nate but we will always have El Dorado, Shambhala & Ubar.
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