Familial bonds. I am true believer of that term. Family makes us whole and complete. But there are times where one is faced with an impossible situation where one is asked 'How far will you go for your family?'. For our beloved hero Nathan Drake?....quite far it seems. So far as to put everything on the line and take that leap of faith of a sheer cliff.....on to that just out of reach ledge, rope or a helping hand. In Uncharted 4 its Nate and his family against the world of pirates and their intricate games. The game is not only Naughty's Dog best game of the series but also the concluding chapter to this venerable franchise. A hat's off to the directors Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley who have kept the sense of adventure alive while instilling family drama into the mix which elevates this white knuckle, hair raising, heart racing and adrenaline pumping action game into more than just your average run of the mill. Its when Lethal Weapon meets What's Eating Gilbert Grapes!!
Uncharted 4 plays exactly like the Uncharted we have come to know and love for almost a decade now. So tons of platforming and cover based shooting. Naughty Dog has added a couple of game play features like a grappling hook for traversal exploration and in some cases during combat. There are also a couple of instances of driving flighty vehicles in some decently open areas which helps with the pacing of the game.
One of the aspect of the game play that I really liked is how expansive the game feels during exploration platforming. Many of the areas are linear but the perception they give off is as if the game world huge. What that did is during some of the most exciting set pieces the action had a robust 'oomph' to it. Basically Naughty Dog didn't fix anything that wasn't broken, they just upped the ante quite a bit, which was quite clever considering this is basically the last Uncharted game the company is making. So power to the player then?
For to me the most fun moment I had during the game is when I was left to my devices in Nathan Drake home early on in the game. I just loved that feeling of normalcy in an outrageous action game. I went in each and every room and marveled at how meticulously Naughty Dog has observed the mundane. The visuals were able to convey that...homeliness...amazingly. The best I have ever felt in any game of any sort. I know I know many people will love some of the amazing set pieces and I know I did too but it was these small mundane moments which resonated with me.
Like with all Uncharted games the visuals are splendid. The motion and facial capture technology that Naughty Dog employs is still one of the best in the business. All the nuanced movement of the facial muscles and the exoskeleton are eerily real. As the plot is more deep than the previous games the visuals are able to telegraph all the expression of the face and body language during cut-scene which kinda got unnerving after a while but made for a wonderfully looking game.
For me the biggest 'wow' factors throughout the game was scenery. Beautiful environments which made me stop for seconds on end to take in the splendor and grandeur and to of course takes pictures. As I might have mentioned earlier in one of my articles the current generation of gaming will have some of the best skies and Uncharted 4 just did not disappoint. Many a times my siblings or my parents would watch me play and they would always comment on the horizons and vistas.
There were just 3 instances during game play which had frame rate snags for maybe a couple of seconds but let the record state that I have finished the game without installing ANY of the update files.
The plot was pretty good this time round. Uncharted games never had riveting stories but they had hooks to get the players on their way but in Uncharted 4 the story is quite personal as it deals with Nathan's brother and how each decision that Nate make has a direct impact on all the loved ones around him. That in itself makes of decently heavy drama. Nothing too crazy but deep enough to make you care. There were quite a few occasions where I would be almost yelling at the characters! Yes there are plot holes here and there but in the end I didn't really care as I was enveloped in one hell of an adventure.
As the story was about family once again the game didn't disappoint at showing off the complex relationship in such a real manner. While the game focus was on the Drake Brothers, the marital relationship of Nate and Elena was as real as they come esp in a medium which has historically struggled at showing relationship of this sort. Wherever you look Naughty Dog has done a spectacular job in this game!!
All the story and characters were of course made alive by motion capture acting and voice work which was of the highest quality. Nolan North, Troy Baker, Emily Rose, Richard McGonagle, Laura Bailey and the new comer Warren Kole must be commended on their sterling performances. Not just in this game but in the entire series. No one was hamming, over acting or....under...acting, all the pitches were spot on and it just created this very Hollywood-esque feel which was fantastic. My voice actor of the year award though will go to Laura Bailey with her amazing performance boasting a really well done Afrikaans accent. We don't usually hear Afrikaans accents in games so this performance by Bailey was a head turner.
Personally though the banter between North and Baker was once the main draw for sure which Naughty Dog and Sony marketed smartly. Here we have argubly two of the biggest voice actors going around putting on a grand show and no one coming off second best! Such chemistry is very hard to show in games but in Uncharted 4 really goes the extra mile in that department. The rest of the cast was great too with a nod to the newbie Warren Kole with a very fine performance.
So as I start to conclude this piece I just have to mention the beautiful epilogue of the game. Don't worry I wont spoil anything but the way Naughty Dog elegantly concluded the entire Uncharted series tells us a lot about how attached the guys and gals inside Naughty Dog HQ were to the series for having created that epilogue. Suffice to say I was misty eyed with great deal of restraint in an effort to not cry. I wont call myself a die hard fan of the series but still consider myself a fan and I totally was enamored by the end. So here's me raising a glass of a chilled Coke on a hot and sultry Karachi night to Nathan Drake and his band of merry men and women. Thank you for the memories!
Game time: 17 hours 14 mins.
Game rating: 9.5 out of 10
