Uncharted 4 Review
Naughty Dog is, unquestionably, one of the world's most respected developers. This is for good reason, seeing as they have been around since the 80s, and have created some of the industry's most memorable games across the course of their legacy (with the occasional blemish). Among the most celebrated of their series' has been Uncharted - the series which finds players controlling adventurer Nathan Drake across a series of over-the-top set piece action scenes, running-towards-the-camera spectacles, and shooting a ton of bullet-sponge enemies. The games got their start on the PS3, and Uncharted 4 brings the series to a close nearly ten years later. As I sit here reflecting upon my feelings for both Uncharted 4, and Uncharted as a whole, my feelings tend to lean in a number of different directions.
Uncharted 4 is an absolute spectacle to behold. Visually, it is stunning. Not only is it a collection of some of the best art I've seen in a game; but it also has the most art. Every scene has tons of unique assets, and they all have a level of polish that most games could only dream to achieve. The stunning vistas you find yourself exploring are equally breathtaking. From muddy desert areas and caves, to lush tropical forests and beaches. Most stunning were some of the quieter, indoor scenes. There are several of these throughout the game, and I found myself taking the time to slow down and really take in everything presented to me as a player. It is perhaps the best of these types of moments that I have encountered since Gone Home, and I have to applaud everyone who worked on these scenes - they are perfect. Each and every one.
Equally spectacular to the visuals was the execution of the story in Uncharted 4. I always found the storytelling to be effective in the previous entries; but often felt the stories to be a bit contrived. Uncharted 4 finds Nathan in a different mental state, and in a completely different scenario. There is pathos, there is struggle, there are emotions, and there are narrative payoffs. Though there were moments in the story that I felt missed their mark, overall, I had a blast seeing the game through to the very end simply because of the story it was weaving. Neil Druckmann and his team did a great job (and, of course, much love and respect to the great Amy Hennig).
So why do my feelings lean in so many directions? Well, to be honest, it took me nearly a year to finish Uncharted 4. I played about 2/3 of it in a few days; but grew so tired of the combat that I set it down and didn't come back to it for many, many months. Simply put, the gameplay is bad. I frequently found myself fighting to control Nate in the way I had intended. There were many moments of him looking like he was going to grab a ledge, and then plunging himself off of a cliff; refusing to take cover behind an object, despite hitting the Circle button a ton; having the camera rotate in a way that makes you shimmy back and forth on a ledge, rather than continuing; et cetera. I also had an extreme dislike for the gunplay. It just didn't feel good. To be fair, now you could potentially bring down enemies with a well-placed headshot (I felt like the previous Uncharted games did not have the ability to do this), but again, the combat just feels terrible. After I finished Uncharted 4, I questioned if all of the games I'd previously enjoyed felt this bad; but did not want to take the time to go back and check. It was an unpleasant realization, and left a sour taste in my mouth.
My feelings on Uncharted 4 are very split. On one hand, I actively disliked playing it (except for the slower-paced moments); but I can't ignore just how amazing the scope is with regards to the storytelling and visual design. I can safely say that I will not be playing Uncharted 4 again for the trophies; but I cannot say I had a bad time with it. There were moments when I sincerely gave up on the game (for months), but it was a strong enough game to draw me back. I loved Uncharted 4; but I really hated playing Uncharted 4. I think it's safe to say that I would not play another Uncharted game after this, and thankfully, the story wraps up in such a beautiful way that another Uncharted game is extremely unlikely.
Thank you for taking the time to read this =D
