DRose Uncharted 4: A Thief's End Review

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is one of the best video games I have ever played. There was no exaggeration in that sentence. From the graphics, to the story, from the voice-acting, to the action, this videogame is absolutely fantastic. Sure, there might be a few little cons that keep it from becoming a “perfect” game, but the game’s pros far outweigh them. I’m very excited to share my review of the game. If you don’t know what the Uncharted videogame franchise is, it’s basically National Treasure mixed with Indiana Jones. The first game released in 2007 on the Playstation 3, the games are all about Nathan Drake, the main character (apart from Uncharted: Lost Legacy, which is a stand-alone game) who embarks on adventures with his friends to seek out long-lost historical treasure before his opponents do. The games feature wild jungles, ancient temples, historical artifacts, booby traps, car chases, gunfire, rope-swinging, and a whole lot of climbing. The games also feature so many cutscenes that it feels like you’re just watching a movie for half the game. Now let’s cut to the chase. Released in 2016 for the Playstation 4, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is about Nathan Drake, once an adventurous and cunning treasure hunter, who has now retired from his life of adventure. He’s settled down with his wife, Elena, and is living the sweet life. But he still longs for adventure and treasure-seeking, wishing he could get back in the action. That’s when Sam, Nate’s brother, who he thought was dead, came back to meet him and bewildered him. Sam said that while he was in prison in Panama, a drug lord and some other prisoners broke him out in a crazy gun-fire rebellion. But just before Sam could leave, the drug lord told him that if he didn’t find and hand over Pirate Henry Avery’s long lost treasure, he would be killed. This really weighed on Nate. He didn’t want to lose his brother, not a second time. But on the other hand, Nate had already promised Elena that he wouldn’t go on another treasure hunting adventure that could get him killed. He didn’t want to lose Elena either. Torn between the two, Nate chose to lie to his own wife, telling her that he was going to leave for a little while to take up some job. Nate was going on one last adventure, an adventure of a lifetime. However, a rival from the past, named Rafe, was also after the treasure. Rafe, being a very wealthy man, hired a private military company known as Shoreline. So, Nate and Sam, later accompanied by Victor Sullivan (called Sully) were in a race against Rafe and Shoreline, discovering clue after clue, leading them closer and closer each time. They traveled all over the world, including Italy, Scotland, and Madagascar, in heavy pursuit of Henry Avery’s lost treasure. At one point in Madagascar, Shoreline captures Sam and Nate goes on a long car chase to get him back. He eventually does, but after walking into their hotel room for the night, he encounters Elena waiting for him, who had been tracking him the entire time. She was furious with Nate, frustrated that Nate didn’t tell her the truth. Nate said that Elena “wouldn’t understand.” It went back and forth until Elena eventually left, leaving Nate down in the dumps. Later, Sam and Nate (no longer accompanied by Sully, who quit as well) found the legendary pirate utopia, Libertalia, that held the key to discovering Avery’s lost treasure. That’s when they encountered Rafe and a whole fire squad of Shoreline. Rafe revealed the actual story behind Sam’s alleged “prison break.” Sam’s “drug lord” story was just a hoax. In reality, Rafe bribed the warden to let Sam go, and told him to find Avery’s long lost treasure. It was Rafe who got Sam out, not some drug lord. Nate’s realization that Sam had been lying to him the entire time and had been working for the enemy really hit him. Sam said that he was a changed man, that he still wanted to find the treasure with Nate. But in all the drama, Nate was knocked off the cliff, fell in the water, and was knocked unconscious. That’s when Elena saved his life. Nate was caught by surprise, but was very thankful. He was also very sorry and tried to explain his perspective, but Elena told him to save it for after they make it off the island. Eventually, Nate, Elena, and Sully (who flew Elena to the island on his plane) rescued Sam, who was captured again by Shoreline. They were all ready to leave, exhausted from dodging bullets and scaling mountains. But Sam still wanted to find the treasure, knowing they were all very close. Nate tried to tell Sam that the riches didn’t matter, but that getting home safely was the best thing to do. Regardless, Sam ran away to seek out the treasure, frustrating Nate even more. Nate ran after Sam and eventually found him and Rafe in Avery's pirate ship inside of a giant cenote, full of riches. In an epic duel of sword-fighting, Nate and Sam won against Rafe and fled out of the cenote, just as the explosives sent it crumbling down. Nate and Sam made it out alive, getting back to where they used to live thanks to Sully’s airplane. Nate and Elena were a little disappointed that they didn’t bring back even a penny from their adventure, but were still relieved that it was all over. However, Sam managed to get a whole pocket-full of riches, making a way for Nate and Elena to buy a company that would allow them to go on more treasure-hunting expeditions and adventures. Story-wise, the game is fantastic. The story is very complex and well-thought-out. Despite my summary taking about two pages to write, there is still so much that I skimmed over. I’ve barely scratched the surface on the characters’ backstories and personalities. I cannot stress how good this story is. And I’m not just talking about the story itself, which is still very good. I’m also talking about how they tell it. The writing is absolutely fantastic in this game. One example is its comedy. There are so many good jokes and funny moments that really give the game life. I can’t stand games that are too serious. I get bored of the story very easily. But with this game, the comedy adds to the story super well, making it a laugh-out-loud experience, which is something I think everyone enjoys. The voice-acting is also fantastic. Voice-actors such as Nolan North (Nathan Drake), Troy Baker (Samuel Drake), and Richard McGonagle (Victor Sullivan) bring the game to life. Their talented spectrum from having casual-sounding conversations to heated dialogues really creates a sense of realism to the game. It almost feels like you’re watching a movie with really good actors. I guess it’s mostly like that, since the game is 25% cutscenes. Some people, like my dad, dislike games that have too many cutscenes. But I think that they help tell the story very well. Gameplay-wise, the game is a cinematic masterpiece. The gunfights are sweaty and intense. The car chase (for example, in Madagascar) has Nathan jumping from car to car, shooting down motorbikes and blowing up drivers. If you’re not shooting or being shot at, you’re scaling towers and grapple hooking across chasms. There’s so much action in this game that it actually feels like you’re in a movie. Not to mention the various puzzles that you have to solve, which might be annoying if it wasn’t for the stellar voice-acting and funny lines. The game is full of weapons to choose from, from tiny pistols to submachine guns to sniper rifles. There are also grenades and rocket launchers that add even more intensity to the game. One issue I have with it, however, is that you can carry at max two weapons, and you can only carry one kind of pocket gun and one kind of back-sling gun. There are so many different weapons that I want to equip at once, and it frustrates me that I can’t have a shotgun and an AR-15 at the same time. But I guess it adds to the realism of the game, since in real-life, you can’t really carry a bunch of heavy weapons all at once (especially considering all of the climbing and jumping that you have to do). So there are definitely some considerable trade-offs, but I guess I would rather have more fun and less realism. But that’s just my opinion, and I know that play-styles and preferences vary from player to player. Stealth is also a very fun element in the game. Sure, you could charge right into a crowd full of Shoreline troopers and get killed in five seconds, or you could take the stealthy approach and sneak your way to victory, taking down each enemy one by one. The game is very versatile in that manner. The gameplay is truly fantastic. So what is my overall rating of the game? I think it’s fairly obvious. The game is one of the best, if not the best games I have ever played. The combination of a complex story and intense gameplay make the game cinematic and immersive, two elements that, in my opinion, make an incredible game. I highly recommend this game to any of you who are reading, and I hope that this information will give you a big enough reason to play the game. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End gets a 10/10.