Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

"You have to know when to get off the stage" - this well-worn phrase from a popular Polish song fits the fourth installment of Uncharted , which, according to the announcements of its creators, is the last episode of Nathan Drake's adventures. American developers have decided to abandon their series after the best product in its relatively short history, just like the CD Projekt Red studio does with the adventures of Geralt of Rivia. The analogy to The Witcher 3 is not accidental here for one more reason, because both heroes say goodbye to their fans in installments. Warsaw residents have already managed to fry one extensive addition to the "three", and the premiere of the other is a matter of several weeks. Uncharted 4 will also receive an appropriate extension (for the first time in the history of the series!), Which may prove to be an interesting experience, given the rather surprising ending of the Thief's End.

That's it - the end. From the very beginning of the story presented in the game, you can feel that Naughty Dog is preparing us for the inevitable parting with a nice thief. The first chapters put a lot of emphasis on the main characters and although their adventures are interrupted by various arcade sections, it is hard not to get the impression that the latter are only the background for scenes watched on the screen with the participation of well-known characters. A lot of space is occupied especially by Drake's dilemmas, who after marriage with Elena want to lead a stable, danger-free life, but succumb to the temptation of another crazy adventure, when his brother Samuel appears on the horizon. The introduction of a missing relative into the game further complicates the private life of the treasure hunter, because he forces him to make decisions that are clearly not his. Probably no game from this series focused so strongly on what Nathan thinks and feels like the "four", thanks to which in the initial phase it has a completely different genre weight than the previous parts. I must admit that I like this approach to the subject.

Getting a lost brother out of existence could be considered a cheap service, but the creators of Uncharted 4 coped with this task in a masterly way. In the initial phase of the campaign, Samuel devoted a lot of space, thanks to which every player is able to easily determine his attitude to this character. Importantly, the motivations of both characters seem justified and convincing. Yes, we are still chasing here great treasures in the style of Indiana Jones, but this time there is something more than just a desire to reach another mythical location, which no one was able to find for hundreds of years, even in an era combing every scrap of Earth satellites. I have no doubt that this is the most mature storyline in this series, although of course there is no shortage of typical for Uncharted funny things . It is even more painful to know that after the Thief's End the story will not be continued, apart from the addition mentioned at the beginning. I really got to know these heroes.

Before the premiere of the game a lot of space was devoted to its technical aspects and in fact U4 performs sensational in this respect. Although the graphics looked better in the fragment of the fight in the jungle, shown a long time ago, but the level of visual setting is still very high, in addition, the game has no problem maintaining a constant 30 frames per second in full HD resolution. Of course, all cut-scenes look the best, in which you can even count the hair on Nathan's chin, but during classic gameplay it is also great. The thief in Kres is impressed by the design of the locations, which are extremely rich in details (Libertalia breaks his head), as well as the fact that during the whole adventure we will not experience a single loading! This is a feat worth emphasizing, considering that Uncharted 4 contains not only smaller spots, after which we move in a corridor style typical for the series, but also more extensive, open areas, where you can not do without the help of cars and boats.

Much more important, however, are changes in the construction of arenas and the very specificity of clashes with Shoreline mercenaries. The developers have made sure that the locations are full of different types of passages that help the hero change hiding places, take other shooting positions or simply bypass opponents. There are several areas in the game where you don't have to shoot a single shot! Thanks to the high grass, Drake has a chance to pass right next to unsuspecting rivals and although this solution is not perfect (allies accompanying the thief can run right in front of the opponents' noses, without causing any reaction on their part), this nod towards stealth is also a plus. Moving around locations also makes it easier to have a rope with a hook, which is the only significant novelty in Nathan's inventory, because thanks to it we are not only able to quickly move from place to place, but also to attack non-airmen. Unfortunately, sky acrobatics make sense only when we play on one of the lower levels of difficulty, because when the animation of swinging the rocking rope starts, Drake accepts missiles like a sponge and usually dies before it reaches its destination. It is worth remembering, however, that both new products quite significantly change the face of traditional Uncharted battles. Playing in this mode forces you to watch the patrol paths of your rivals, allows you to eliminate opponents quietly, and thus, reduce their numbers before the bullets start flying in the air. It is also of great importance for another reason. A thief's end is an extremely difficult game!

Speaking of fighting, it's worth devoting a few sentences to the available arsenal and the enemies themselves. We have not seen any revolutionary changes in either of these aspects. Despite other names, the poppers slightly differ from the murder tools available in previous versions and can be divided into several basic types (pistols, machine and sniper rifles, rocket launcher and grenade launcher). The same applies to rivals. The developers did not reinvent the wheel and threw against known Drakes against him , dressed only in other clothes. The most dangerous types are, of course, heavily armored soldiers with miniguns in their paws, and they are the ones who give the most fire at the end of the game. It is worth noting, however, that there are no supernatural opponents in the game. The authors apparently came to the conclusion that putting in a series of bizarre freaks that do not exist in reality is pointless, and I am extremely grateful to them for that, because it was the only aspect of the cycle that I honestly did not digest.

The shooting mechanics are absolutely perfect and although we are dealing with a TPS, we perfectly feel every gun that Drake takes in his hands . Moving between covers, the above-mentioned attacks from the air, allowing you to immediately capture the weapon held by the rival, infinitely smooth melee - Naughty Dog refined each of these elements to perfection. Only the dullness of computer opponents hurts, who show no signs of intelligence. Opponents are mobile and it's nice to watch them try to occupy convenient positions, but when the exchange of fire does not tip the scales of victory to either side, strange things happen. Misiek with a shotgun in his paws stands in the same place and sends a bullet behind it from the bullet, although none has a chance to reach the target, and snipers patiently monitor the position of Nathan, without trying to, for example, approach him from the side, although the arena creates such a possibility. This is actually the only major drawback of the game, visible especially on the last level of difficulty, where frontal attacks are avoided.