- "Every treasure has its price."
- ―Tagline.
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is a 2016 action-adventure third-person shooter video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. A 2022 remastered edition was released for the PlayStation 5 and PC as part of Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection. It is the forth main installment in the Uncharted series, and the final entry to feature series protagonist Nathan Drake as the playable character.
Set several years after 2011's Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, A Thief's End follows former treasure hunter Nathan Drake as he is forced out retirement to save his long-lost brother Samuel from debt. To this end, Nathan, Sam and returning characters Elena Fisher and Victor Sullivan search for clues for the location of Henry Avery's long-lost treasure. A Thief's End combines elements of third-person shooters, platform games and puzzle solving. The game is broken into several chapters in which Drake can use firearms, melee attacks and stealth against enemies, as well as solve environmental puzzles and collect various collectibles. The game also features an online multiplayer mode, with a cooperative survival mode added in a December 2016 patch.
Uncharted 4 began development soon after the release of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception in 2011, under the leadership of series creator Amy Henning and creative director Justin Richmond, and was announced in late 2013. The game's development was troublesome, with Henning and Richmond departing Naughty Dog in 2014; The Last of Us creators Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley were brought to complete the project, which caused 8-month worth of Henning's work to be discarded. Core design philosophies during the game's development included more open-ended level design and flexible combat options. Druckmann and Starley attempted to humanize the characters more in comparison to previous games, with Drake and Elena's relationship serving as a central element.
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End was critically acclaimed, and was considered one of 2016's best games. Praise was directed at its narrative, characterization, emotional depth, gameplay mechanics, open-ended design and visuals, though its pacing and multiplayer mode drew mixed responses. Multiple outlets found it to be a strong conclusion to Drake's story arc and Naughty Dog's work on the Uncharted series. It was nominated for and won multiple end-year awards for its writing, visuals and design, including Game of the Year accolades. A Thief's End was a massive commercial success, selling over 15 million copies by May 2019 and becoming the best-selling Uncharted installment. A standalone expansion pack, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, was released in 2017.
Gameplay[]
Uncharted: A Thief's End is an action-adventure third-person shooter video game that includes elements of platform and stealth games. For the majority of the game's duration, players control protagonist Nathan Drake as he and his allies traverse through a variety of locations across the globe, usually in opposition of the Shoreline mercenaries, who serve as the game's main antagonistic force. Similar to previous games, A Thief's End is a level-based game whose single-player campaign is segmented by chapters, defined by their unique scenarios and environments.
Retaining the basic framework of its predecessors, A Thief's End is separated into three distinct gameplay elements of combat, platforming and puzzle solving. Drake can gain access to a variety of weapons based on real-life firearms, including handguns, assault rifles, shotguns, explosives and sniper rifles. In addition to long-ranged combat, Drake has an access to a melee system, which was reworked from previous titles to avoid the usage of quick-time events ("QTE"). Drake can use the environment and objects for melee combat, including pinning an enemy against a wall or utilizing his currently-held firearm as part of a combo. If Drake is fighting alongside an AI-controlled ally, they can perform a melee takedown together. Outside of direct confrontations, players can use stealth, which unlike previous titles can be resumed if Drake hides after being found out, and Drake can also perform aerial stealth takedowns.
A new major item in Drake's arsenal is the grappling hook, which can be used to complete gaps which Drake normally can't leap to, or scale vertically. The grappling hook is also used for several puzzles throughout the game, and may be used during combat sequences for tactical advantage, with players being able to use handguns or perform aerial takedowns from the hook's spot. An additional climbing tool is the piton, which Drake uses while scaling slippery surfaces without defined ledges. In several segments throughout the game that feature larger environments, Drake can also drive a vehicle.
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