Game
unexplored 4 does not differ too much from the original formula of the series. This includes cover-based third-person firefights, vaulting over anything Drake can grab, and even the occasional puzzles to solve. It is a reliable mix of action and adventure mechanics that opened the franchise to a large audience. Naughty Dog ensures that it has enough game variety to rely on, thus keeping the momentum going during the 14-hour journey.
Despite that, there is a pervasive conservatism to Uncharted 4’s gameplay. It doesn’t work much differently than a game released in 2007. I felt a hollow relationship with the game’s uninspired choice of weapons. And the half-cooked stealth mechanics kept me from really appreciating the effort that had been put into the open level design of the combat encounters.
Finally, multiplayer returns. It continues to work at a level that is fun enough to keep me coming back after the credits. Furnishing my character with equipment, mystics and helpers added a level of customization based on the standard modes and weapons offered.
Structure
The creativity in playing Uncharted 4 comes from how Naughty Dog structured the game. The first two hours are content to slow things down by establishing the brotherly bond between Nate and Sam. They also focus on the married life of young Drake and Elena. I enjoyed this change of pace for an introduction. It served the story well and subverted my understanding of how Uncharted’s typically spectacular openings should play out.
The traditional game cycle of shooting, climbing and solving puzzles only takes hold after a while. I have welcomed some of the new additions to this well-worn formula. For example, feeling like Tarzan as I cleared precarious cracks with my rope close at hand was always a rush. And the handful of exploration levels scattered throughout are the most compelling sections I’ve ever seen in Uncharted.
However, there is an obsession with combining the sensational with the mundane. I started to lose count – and my mind – from the number of times I’ve been forced to push a crate, tie a winch, or slowly wait for an ally to come and help me open a door.
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