As thrilling as the next adventure may be, in the end, you're always left with that same feeling.
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection is a remaster of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, and The Lost Legacy. It’s a 3D platformer that combines action-based gameplay with some puzzle-solving thrown in to mix things up. This is the first Uncharted game that I have played and I have to say, I had a lot of fun with this one.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Extremely fun story packed with action and fun characters
- Very fun gameplay, with nice weapons to use and exciting stealth sections
- Puzzles that are interesting and were trial and error based
- Impressively gorgeous graphics
Cons
- Not enough flexibility during stealth sections
- Limited ammo that you can carry during firefights
Story
Nathan Drake is enjoying his retirement of being a treasure hunter. One day he receives a knock on his office door for him to only find out, it’s his brother Sam Drake who he thought had died in a prison that he, his brother, and another treasure hunter Rafe Alder, snuck into. They did this to learn about the pirate Henry Avery’s treasure but ended up with a semi-failed escape attempt where Sam didn't make it out. However, Sam was able to escape again thanks to another escape attempt by a drug lord named Hector Alcazar.
Sam says that he told Hector that he wanted to find the treasure of Avery, which is worth 400 million and after the escape attempt he gives Sam three months to find it. Nathan is of course hesitant at first but eventually decides to join his brother in finding the One Piece so he can save his brother.
The story for this game is extremely fun, I liked the humor elements but I also liked the action that the story contained. The characters are charming and it eases you in so you don’t have to play any of the other Uncharted games to understand them.
Gameplay
The gameplay I found very fun, there are some very nice guns for you to use and enjoyed the puzzle-solving elements. I really like how Nathan can climb on cliffs and wall climb to reach ledges as it makes for some interesting platforming sections. Nathan can also use a rope during these sections and swing around to get to other platforms, which he uses to take out enemies. This adds some spice to the gameplay.
You can either take out enemies by going in loud or by being quiet with stealth, if you are spotted while being stealthy everyone who is an enemy will be alerted to your presence and will try to take you out. There are some nice guns for you to use but every gun had a use that will help in some way. The only weapon I had an awkward time using was the grenades, this is because I actually played the game on my Steam deck and the grenade button had to be pressed at the same time as the screenshot button. Other than that, everything else was fine and I had no complaints about the controls.
The puzzle solving was also another thing I enjoyed as they were not too difficult and were trial and error based. I never hated doing a single puzzle and it was all very fun. My two favorites had to be the water bucket puzzle and the clock tower puzzle, both being very interesting and clever. I don’t want to spoil them by explaining but they were really creative in what they presented.
Although despite everything I said about the game I do have two issues with Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. The first issue would have to do with the fact that you are somewhat limited in stealth sections. For some reason, Nathan can’t distract enemies, so you can’t throw a rock to make a noise and take out enemies that way. You can only hide and do sneak attacks but that’s really it and if you get caught you are in a gunfight for good and you can’t lose the enemies that chase you. There is a way to get a silenced pistol by searching through chests but you have to find them and you can’t get it anywhere else.
You are also limited on the amount of ammo you can carry. While I am not expecting Nathan to carry 320 bullets, I just wish I had a little more extra ammo because there are times when you will be left stranded with not a lot of bullets and you only have a pistol left. As you either have to pray that there is ammo for the gun you are using from enemies or a different gun that is just as useful. This is especially the case in chapters that require large amounts of combat and you aren’t given a lot of options, especially in chapter 20 where you are forced to fight a bunch of enemies.
Graphics and Performance
Uncharted 4 is a very gorgeous game with many sights to see that are really amazing. It does an outstanding job at providing the feeling of being in another country. I tested the game on my Steam Deck and it ran really well with no issues. If you have a Steam Deck then this game would be a great choice to play it on.
Final Verdict
If you are looking for a fun adventure game, then Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection is definitely a game worth your time. It comes with two games packed into one and it’s a fantastic game to play on the Steam Deck. It’s a great game for existing fans and newcomers to the series.