Uncharted 4: A Thief's End: Let's go treasure hunting one last time (hands-on)
Wise-cracking Nathan Drake returns for one last outing, and we got an early peek at the game and its new vehicle gameplay.
Nathan Drake and his band of merry fellows will be back on your PlayStation 4 on May 10, and the fourth instalment (not counting the Vita releases) will be the last one in the series. You play as Nathan Drake, a wise-cracking, gun toting, Indiana Jones-ish fellow (minus the whip) who goes around hunting for treasure for profit, though it often doesn't work out that way for him and his friends.
If you haven't yet played this PlayStation-exclusive series, you should. There's a remastered HD box set version for the PlayStation 4 called The Nathan Drake Collection which features the previous three games, and they are tons of fun with great storytelling to boot. Trust me, you'll want to catch up and you have about a month or so to do it.
So what's Uncharted 4 like?
Combining a mix of action, adventure and exploring, you'll climb, sneak around enemies (or shoot them) and find collectibles, while hunting for lost treasure. In the last instalment of the series though, developer Naughty Dog has also introduced vehicles, and you'll be driving around the beautiful scenery of Madagascar.
It's great fun driving around in a 4x4 Jeep with your old sidekick Sully and another character (who I shall not name to avoid spoilers) as the three of you go on -- you guessed it -- a treasure hunt.
The world of Uncharted 4 is what Naughty Dog calls "wide-linear", which is really fancy speak for a much bigger map with heaps of things to see, but still keeping you moving towards the next story point.
They weren't kidding when they said there's a lot to explore.
I'll be honest, the large open world of Madagascar is certainly a visual treat, and because the game has collectibles hidden everywhere, serious collectors will have to explore every nook and cranny, or in my case, a waterfall and ruins located off the recommended route.
The 4x4 isn't just for exploring. You'll use the Jeep for solving puzzles, its mounted winch capable of pulling down broken bridges to open paths. There was also an amusing bit of dialogue on Nathan Drake's financial priorities when it came down to choosing features for his ride.
The Jeep also serves as a weapon, if you're skilful enough to run over enemies. If you want a quieter approach to combat, Uncharted 4 has a new system that lets you track how alert enemies are to your presence.
I tried the stealthy route, though that didn't work out too well when I was spotted after taking down a guard in full view of another. That meant I had to go in guns blazing. My allies whipped out their guns too, but if you choose to go at the enemy with your fists, you'd be surprised by some very cool double-team action that your inner wrestling fan will celebrate.
A new feature, the grappling hook, lets you play Batman, so to speak. You can swing from point to point to get across platforms, and Naughty Dog says certain areas will let you use the grappling hook to skip enemies, if you chose not to fight them.
Let's go for a ride.
Sadly, my short preview ended really quickly just after reaching a new area. I wanted to explore more, but I had to give up my session there for someone else to have a shot. If this slight teaser is anything to go by, I can't wait for May 10 for the full game. Don't forget to check out the video above for a glimpse of why Uncharted 4 will likely be the best of the whole series.