Fans of the Uncharted series were probably surprised when publishers Naughty Dog announced they'd be making a fourth installment of their hugely successful series.
For one thing the company is known for wanting to work in trilogies (the likes of Crash Bandicoot and Jack and Daxter both cashed out after a threequel). There's also the fact that the previous entry, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception had a sense of finality to it's ending which saw Nathan and his paramour Elena share a tender moment before flying off into the sunset.
The fourth installment sees treasure hunter Nathan Drake (sort of a modern day Indiana Jones for the uninitiated) journey through the jungle and into tombs over sun-baked isles as he chases down a treasure belonging to the pirate Henry Avery (no relation to Steven). There's also time for not one but two prison escapes as well.
Like the previous installments of the series we're thrust into the action from the get go as we're involved in a boat getaway which serves as an opportunity to practice the driving (you also get to drive a jeep around Madagascar later in the story) and gunplay aspects of the game. From there we go through two flashbacks. One takes in a moment from Nathan's childhood in boarding school, while the other ups the ante with a prison escape. The flashbacks serve as a chance for those new to the series to get a lock on the gameplay while also laying some character groundwork for Nathan and his relationship with his older brother Sam.
Players might have mixed feelings about Sam. Those new to the series would be forgiven for initially thinking that Sam is a character that's popped up in previous installments but he hasn't. There's never been a mention of him before which might make the stakes in their relationship slightly less meaningful to seasoned fans of the series. The writing of his character is well done however and almost makes up for it.
Spectacle is pretty much a given in the PS4 age but amazingly, Uncharted 4 manages to raise the bar to a whole new level. From the sweat on Nate's throat to the adding and removing of wrinkles depending on time jumps, so much delicate care and craft went into making the game feel like the most realistic yet. The same goes for the set pieces, each one is so well considered and exquisitely executed. It's hard to think of a game that feels more like being in the middle of a movie. Which of course has it's pros and cons depending on your gaming tastes.
Another new feature is the opportunity to have 'additional conversations' meaning that you can engage the supporting characters in further chat while you're climbing walls or solving puzzles. While it might not mean much for some it's a nice little feature for those that want to get even more out of the story.
Long time fans of the series might find the gameplay a little overly familiar. In which case there the highest difficultly levels will provide enough of a challenge to overlook that fact.
Overall though, the game looks, sounds and plays like one of the best titles in the Playstation 4 era.
Platform: PS4
Developer / Publisher: Naughty Dog