I'll be tentatively reviewing videogames, but not very often, since I don't buy them that often, and I don't like them as much. But I do like them. My brother and I grew up playing the original Uncharted games, and the multiplayer is still our go-to when we have a few hours. I've still replayed them in my spare time because they're so darn fun, and finally getting to play the fourth entry instead of watching a walkthrough is a fun experience.
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The best way to look at this game is like a Netflix series. Most games try to make their campaigns last about twenty hours. Subtract minutiae and gameplay and you probably end up with about twelve hours, so we're really just looking at a miniseries that you can play through. Play it in maybe two-hour chunks over the course of a couple weeks, and you're recreating the process of watching a show.
So, in the spirt of that, what is this show?
Notorious explorer Nathan Drake has retired from treasure-hunting with his wife Elena, but when his thought-dead brother Sam shows up with a sword over his head and a need to find a pirate hoard, Nate jumps back into action to save his family. From Italy to Madagascar, the brothers fight their way through their shady world to seek out the treasure that'll save Sam's life, and start to put together the pieces of their own crooked history.
It's a pretty good show. Naughty Dog's kind of in a league of its own when it comes to this thing, and they have the signature banter, gunfights, and characters that populate their games. The puzzles are fun, the action is stellar, the graphics are setting the bar, and the characters are all likable. They throw in a new twist - Nathan Drake has a brother! - without it feeling too sudden and retconned, and they use it to make some pretty interesting stories. The reveals of Nathan's childhood, which we had seen only briefly in flashbacks before, casts a whole new light on this Indiana Jones adventure franchise, and it comes to a satisfying conclusion without feeling the need to go grimdark or off-book. It's a fun game, great on a gameplay and technical level, and gets a nine out of ten.
On a story level, there are some qualms. You could argue the story is a little cliché, and takes too long or does too little to innovate on its formula. The smaller number of locations in comparison to 2 or 3 feels a little disappointing, like they didn't want to travel too much. And while the new, semi-open-world situation most levels have is exciting, it almost feels like it's distracting from the core story. I want to get right into the action, and driving for ten minutes doesn't feel very action-packed. The set-pieces feel underdone in comparison to 3's non-stop action (the Yemen chase, the sinking cruiser, the convoy chase, the airplane fight), although this is a quibble. But considering this was the creators' first title all on the PS4, it's forgivable. Most of the magic is in the graphics, when they let the characters breathe and show you how a-mazing the people and environments look. Giving you space to appreciate the setting is the other thing that makes it like a TV show.
So, overall, very good. Nine out of ten, if not a nine-point-five, and it's available for $20 or less on everything. Recommend
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