Uncharted 4: A Thief's End Review

"Greatness from small beginnings." -Sir Francis Drake

The Latin quote inscribed on the ring of Sir Francis Drake—"Sic Parvis Magna", in English 'Greatness from small beginnings'—would be a good fit for our protagonist Nathan Drake, self-proclaimed descendant of Sir Francis. In his first adventure, Drake's Fortune, I only thought of him as something of a mix between Indiana Jones and Lara Croft. Throughout the four games, I have watched Nathan come into his own as a character, and having finished A Thief's End, I am waving goodbye to a developed character and someone I hate to see leave.

Naughty Dog has confirmed that this will be the final game in the Uncharted series. Coming into A Thief's End knowing that this was his last hurrah, did Uncharted 4 live up to my expectations for a farewell deserving of Nathan Drake?

Absolutely. A Thief's End may even be my favorite of the series so far, especially plot-wise. The story begins with Nathan Drake, now retired from treasure hunting and trying to live a normal life with his wife, Elena.

A fun Easter Egg: Elena watches Nate play Crash Bandicoot, Naughty Dog's breakout game for the PS1.

After a surprising visitor brings him back into the world of thieves, the stakes are higher than ever and brought to a more personal level as Nathan fights against the clock to find the treasure of Captain Avery before his cocky, former friend Rafe and his hired muscle Nadine arrive.
 I loved every twist and turn I met throughout this game. The story seemed more grounded in reality than the previous games have; while the first three have focused on bringing you into the adventure with Nate trying to fight off villains and find the treasure, this one focused more on his character, and on his relationships with the other characters. They even expanded his backstory from Drake's Deception and gave us a more in-depth view of his childhood, with more knowledge about his family and the fact that he grew up in a Catholic orphanage (giving him some knowledge that comes in handy for his adventure).

Even if you put the story and characters aside, the gameplay is a step up from the previous games. The graphics are, of course, gorgeous on the PS4, but I loved the extra mechanics they added into the game. The grappling hook was a nice addition. I loved being able to do this:

Climbing cliffs and the like was more easily managed as well. I liked having more control over Nathan's hands and being able to move them from handhold-to-handhold like a puppet. 

If other characters climbed with you and happened to be using the only handhold out of a passageway, you could just climb over them. Simple as that. I never objected to characters deciding to travel with me, because they're actually helpful. If you need to sneak through tall grass, they're quiet as a mouse. If you need to team up against the Shoreline Army, they're right there beside you loading their gun. If you're more of a 'bare fists' kind of person, they've got that covered as well. Characters will double-team with you to take down soldiers. 

The one thing I wasn't too crazy about was the frantic button-pushing to open doors with your companions. That factor came up too much for my taste, and I could have lived without having to press Triangle twenty times to help Sully lift a log for us to crawl under.

Another new inclusion to the series were the parts of the world that were free-roam. Which meant you could sail over the ocean looking for secret alcoves or drive through Madagascar in a jeep.

I loved the liberty of being able to do whatever you wanted in those locations. You even heard special dialogue between characters while you meandered around.

And the detail in this game is fabulous. You can see dust fly from the tires of your jeep while riding through the savannah.
While you're stuck in the middle of a car chase, hanging onto the truck by a rope, you can see the tracks from where you slid in the mud.

Even just looking through Nate and Elena's house, you can see that so much thought and time was put into making this game look real. Pictures from their previous adventures line the stairs descending into their foyer. The bed in their room is unmade, and you can look through the wedding photo album sitting on the desk. Magazines are scattered on the coffee table where Elena rests her feet, writing an article on her computer.

It feels real. And the story itself is more focused on reality, having a deeper level where family is the priority, not the treasure.

 A Thief's End definitely lives up to the legacy set by its predecessors, and Naughty Dog went above and beyond to create a wonderful and engaging story to wrap up the tale of Nathan Drake.
To paraphrase the words of Sir Francis, Uncharted has come from its small beginning as 'a new Tomb Raider game' to become a great series in its own right with a protagonist I love. If you have been a fan of the Uncharted series, you will not be disappointed by this final installment. Uncharted 4 is everything I could have hoped for in the finale of a 9 year series and more.