Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is a 2016 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It is the fourth main entry in the Uncharted series. Set several years after the events of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, players control Nathan Drake, a former treasure hunter coaxed out of retirement by his presumed-dead brother Samuel. With Nathan's longtime partner, Victor Sullivan, they search for clues for the location of Henry Avery's long-lost treasure. A Thief's End is played from a third-person perspective, and incorporates platformer elements. Players solve puzzles and use firearms, melee combat, and stealth to combat enemies. In the online multiplayer mode, up to ten players engage in co-operative and competitive modes.

Development of Uncharted 4 began in 2011, soon after the release of Uncharted 3. It was led by creative director Amy Hennig and game director Justin Richmond. Development was hampered in 2014 due to Hennig and Richmond's departure from Naughty Dog; they were replaced by Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley. The team sought to incorporate elements of open-world gameplay, with larger levels to encourage free-roaming exploration and combat. The relationship between Nathan and Elena was central, and Naughty Dog attempted to humanize them more than in previous games. A Thief's End was released in May 2016 for the PlayStation 4. It was the first Naughty Dog game developed specifically for the PlayStation 4. The team took advantage of the hardware to process larger dynamic environments.

Following its announcement in November 2013, A Thief's End was widely anticipated. The game was acclaimed by critics, praising its gameplay, narrative, emotional depth, visuals, and multiplayer. Several reviewers found the game a worthy conclusion to Nathan's story. Considered one of the greatest video games ever made, it won year-end accolades, including Game of the Year awards from several gaming publications, critics, and award ceremonies. With over 15million copies sold, it is the highest-selling Uncharted game and one of the best-selling PlayStation 4 games. A standalone expansion, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, was released in 2017. A remastered version, alongside The Lost Legacy as part of the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, was released in January 2022 for PlayStation 5, and will be released later in 2022 for Microsoft Windows.

Gameplay
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is an action-adventure game played from a third-person perspective, with platforming elements. Players traverse several environments, moving through locations including towns, buildings and wilderness to advance through the game's story. Players use firearms, melee combat, and stealth to combat against hostile enemies. For most of the game, players control Nathan Drake—a treasure hunter who is physically adept and is able to jump, sprint, climb, swim, scale narrow ledges and walls, swing with a rope, use a grappling hook and perform other acrobatic actions. Players also drive vehicles during some gameplay segments.



In combat, players can use long-ranged weapons, such as rifles and shotguns, and short-barreled guns such as pistols and revolvers; handheld explosives such as grenades and dynamite are also available. The game's melee combat system was also reworked to avoid the presence of quick time events. The grappling hook allows players to leap over gaps, often giving them a tactical advantage in combat. Though players can attack enemies directly, they have the option to use stealth tactics to attack undetected or sneak by them. While the game is linear, environments feature multiple paths for players to explore; maps are significantly larger than earlier entries in the series.

The game features an artificial intelligence system in which hostile enemies react to any combat situation they are placed in; they respond to players' actions, coordinate tactics, and cooperate with each other. Players' companions are also controlled by the artificial intelligence. The game introduces a dialogue tree, allowing players to decide the outcome of some conversations, though it does not affect the story's progression. Extra visual filters and modes, such as a zero-gravity mode, bullet time gameplay, and a cel-shaded art style, can be unlocked by using points players collected in the main game.

Multiplayer
The game's online multiplayer allows up to ten players to engage in competitive gameplay in recreations of multiple single-player settings. Players control different characters from the series, and are tasked to defeat their opponents. The game features five multiplayer game types: Command, in which players capture sites to attain points; Ranked and Team Deathmatch, which are deathmatch game types where players kill their opponents; Plunder, a capture the flag game mode in which players seek the idol; and Trials, where players cooperate to defeat non-player characters. Treasures can be found in all maps, which can be used to purchase items and weapons. Multiplayer features "Mysticals"—supernatural power-ups that boost players' ability; for example, the "Wrath of El Dorado" damages all opponents standing next to it, while the "Cintamani Stone" can heal both players and their teammates. Companions, known as Sidekicks, can be summoned to assist players, and have different functions: Hunters immobilize their closest opponent for an easier kill, Saviors provide medical support and ammunition to players, Snipers defend locations with a sniper rifle, and Brutes attack enemies using a heavy machine gun. A cooperative survival mode, released in December 2016, features three players fighting against waves of enemies that continually increase in difficulty.

Characters
The main character of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is Nathan "Nate" Drake (Nolan North), a veteran adventurer and explorer who, following the events of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (2011), has retired from fortune hunting alongside his wife Elena Fisher (Emily Rose), a journalist, to a more normal life, and taken up employment with a salvage company in New Orleans. The game introduces Samuel "Sam" Drake (Troy Baker), Nate's older brother, who was presumed dead. Drawn back into his old life of adventure by his brother, Nathan is aided by his long-term friend, fellow adventurer, mentor and father figure Victor "Sully" Sullivan (Richard McGonagle). Their journey to find and recover the long-lost treasure of pirate Henry Avery brings them into conflict with wealthy and dangerous businessman and treasure hunter Rafe Adler (Warren Kole), his partner Nadine Ross (Laura Bailey) who runs the private mercenary group Shoreline, and drug lord Hector Alcazar (Robin Atkin Downes). The child versions of Nate and Sam are portrayed by Britain Dalton and Chase Austin, respectively.

Plot
Several years before the events of the first game, Nate and Sam hunt for the treasure of pirate Henry Avery, who plundered a fortune during the 1695 Gunsway heist. Alongside Rafe, the Drake brothers infiltrate a Panamanian jail to access the former cell of Avery's first mate, where Nate discovers a hollow St. Dismas idol. When the prison warden who aided them demands a cut, Rafe impulsively kills him, triggering a frantic escape. Nate and Rafe successfully escape, but Sam is shot by guards, presumed dead.

Fifteen years later, following the events of the previous game, Nate has retired with his wife Elena but misses the excitement of his old life. He is visited by Sam, who survived the gunshots and has spent the intervening time incarcerated. He explains that he escaped with drug lord Hector Alcazar, who demands that Sam find Avery's treasure or be killed. Nate agrees to help Sam, lying to Elena that he has accepted a salvaging job in Malaysia which he had actually refused. Aided by Sully, the Drakes steal a duplicate Dismas idol from an illegal auction in Italy, bringing them into conflict with South African mercenary boss Nadine Ross and her employer, Rafe, who is still searching for Avery's treasure. A map inside the idol leads the Drakes to St. Dismas' cathedral in the Scottish Highlands. There, they discover a hidden temple and a map highlighting King's Bay in Madagascar.

In King's Bay, the Drakes and Sully learn that Avery, Thomas Tew, and ten other pirate captains pooled their treasures. Following clues to a tower in the city, Nate uncovers a map to Libertalia, a fabled pirate utopia founded by the other captains. The group returns to their hotel to find Elena waiting. Upset at Nate's deception and the appearance of Sam, whom Nate had never mentioned, Elena leaves. Nate sends Sully after her. The Drakes follow the map to an island and discover Libertalia. They find evidence of a civil war; the founders stole the city's treasure and moved it across the island to New Devon, an extravagant and well-fortified town built for them. The brothers are cornered by Rafe, who reveals that he released Sam from jail two years ago and that Sam's Alcazar story is a lie, he actually double-crossed Rafe to resume the search with Nate. Deciding that he needs Sam, Rafe prepares to shoot Nate; Sam shields him, but Nate is knocked off a cliff and falls unconscious.

Elena rescues Nate, who reveals his past: as teenagers, he and Sam discovered that their mother, a brilliant historian, was researching Libertalia. The boys, after nearly being caught by cops due to breaking into the house of the person associated with their mother, decided to start new lives by changing their surname to Drake to honor their mother's theory about Francis Drake's descendants. In New Devon, Nate and Elena learn that Libertalia descended into conflict over the treasure. Tew and Avery poisoned the other founders and absconded with the hoard, but Tew betrayed Avery.

The group rescues Sam and convinces him to escape with them, but he soon decides to pursue the treasure. Following Sam's trail, Nate finds Avery's treasure-laden ship in a cavern. Having collected a large amount of treasure, Nadine refuses to risk more of Avery's traps, but Rafe coerces her by bribing her men. Aboard the ship, Sam triggers a trap, starting a fire and pinning him beneath rubble. Nate confronts Rafe and Nadine in the ship hold, where the skeletons of Avery and Tew lie, having killed each other over the treasure. Nadine betrays Rafe and leaves him with Nate and Sam to die. Rafe challenges Nate to a sword fight. Nate drops a bundle of treasure on Rafe, killing him, and frees Sam. The pair return to Sully's plane, and the group escapes.

Sam and Sully team up for a new job while Nate and Elena return home. Elena explains that Sam recovered some of the gold and gave it to her. Realizing that they both need adventure in their lives, she buys the salvage company for which Nate worked, installing Nate as the owner, and plans to revive her old exploration show. Years later, Nate and Elena have become successful salvagers. After their teenage daughter Cassie (Kaitlyn Dever) discovers relics from their adventures, Nate decides to tell her their story.

Development


Naughty Dog began developing Uncharted 4: A Thief's End in 2011, following the release of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. The developer had split into two teams in 2009, to develop Uncharted 3 and The Last of Us concurrently; the former team, led by creative director Amy Hennig and game director Justin Richmond, began preliminary work on Uncharted 4 in November 2011. Hennig and Richmond led development for several years, until their departure from the company in March 2014. Shortly after, Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley were working on the game as creative director and game director, respectively; Druckmann and Straley had previously led the development of The Last of Us. Initial reports claimed that Hennig was "forced out" of Naughty Dog by Druckmann and Straley, though co-presidents Evan Wells and Christophe Balestra later denied this. After taking over development, Druckmann and Straley scrapped about "eight months of [Hennig's] story". They faced great difficulty after Hennig's departure, due to the more limited development time and significant story changes.

Druckmann co-wrote the story alongside Josh Scherr. Tom Bissell and Ryan M. James also provided additional writing on the game, particularly contributing to companion, enemy, and multiplayer dialogue; Bissell and James also performed the game's historical research. The writers challenged themselves to "tell a meaningful human story with complex relationships ... in this more lighthearted drama". The narrative pacing of the game was seen as a benchmark for several of its environments and gameplay beats. Despite adding some nonlinear gameplay allowing freedom and player decisions, the writers wanted to tell a specific story and explore specific emotional moments, avoiding features such as multiple endings. The game explores the theme of family: both Nathan's surrogate family in Elena and Sully, and his blood family in Sam.

The relationship between Nathan and Elena was a central focus of the game's development, as Naughty Dog attempted to humanize the former more than in previous games. The team considered Nathan as a reflection of their own mentalities; as they have grown older and matured, Nathan has also matured in age and wisdom. The game's actors regularly contributed to the development of the characters; Druckmann found that the actors were more familiar with the character motivations, and took their advice while writing. Straley wanted to explore character relationships deeper than previous Uncharted games, taking inspiration from the story of The Last of Us. The announcement of Laura Bailey, a white actress, portraying the character of Nadine Ross, who is of Black South African descent, led to some backlash. Druckmann explained that when the character was conceived, her ethnicity was not yet determined; Bailey was chosen from the audition of casting calls from actors of several heritages. Druckmann also noted that a Caucasian character in the game is voiced by a black voice actor.

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End was Naughty Dog's first original game developed for the PlayStation 4, having re-released The Last of Us for the console as The Last of Us Remastered in July 2014. Remastered allowed the team to become accustomed to the architecture, having previously suffered great difficulties switching from PlayStation 2 hardware to PlayStation 3 during development of Drake's Fortune. The game's texture resolution is at least four times larger than Uncharted 3's. While the team initially aimed for the entire game to run at 60 frames-per-second, restrictions in the environment limited the single-player mode to 30 frames-per-second; the multiplayer mode runs at 60 frames per second.

For the game's environment sounds, the team performed outdoor recording; they ensured the environments "felt alive but not overbuilt" by introducing several ambient changes as players progress through the locations. The variation of in-game locations introduced several challenges for the team, as they attempted to make each location very different for players to feel as if "they were being propelled to different locations across the world". The game also uses quadraphonic sound, which senior sound designer Jeremy Rogers described as more "intricate" than previous games, due to availability of memory while developing Uncharted 4. The game's original score was written by Henry Jackman, with additional music by Alex Belcher, replacing former series composer Greg Edmonson.

Release and promotion
Uncharted 4 was announced on November 14, 2013, alongside its debut trailer. The full title was unveiled on June 9 at Sony's E3 2014 press conference. The announcement ignited widespread anticipation within the gaming industry, which journalists owed to Naughty Dog's reputation and the series' significance. The game missed its original projected release date of late 2015, pushed several times to May 10, 2016 for further polishing. Naughty Dog announced single-player downloadable content, due to the success of The Last of Us: Left Behind (2014). Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, a stand-alone expansion, was released in August 2017 for PlayStation 4, featuring Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross. Uncharted 4's multiplayer received several updates and free downloadable content after release, including Lost Treasures in June 2016, followed by Bounty Hunters in September, Survival in December, and King of the Hill in March 2017.

To promote pre-order sales, Naughty Dog collaborated with several retailers to provide special editions of the game with extra content. The game received several trailers, which debuted at events such as Paris Games Week, The Game Awards, and PlayStation Experience, as well as preceding select screenings of Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and 10 Cloverfield Lane (both 2016). After the release of the game's story trailer, Ubisoft's Aymar Azaïzia noticed the use of a piece of art from Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (2013); Naughty Dog replaced the art in a new version of the trailer, and released a statement apologizing to Ubisoft.

In May 2021, it was reported that the game would be released for Microsoft Windows, according to an investor presentation by Sony. In September, a remastered version of the game for Windows and the PlayStation 5 was announced as part of the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, with The Lost Legacy. It was released for PlayStation 5 on January 28, 2022; the Windows version, developed in collaboration with Iron Galaxy, will be released later in 2022. Owners of either original games on PlayStation 4 can upgrade on PlayStation 5 for US$10 or €10. Purchasing or upgrading the game in some regions through the PlayStation Store granted a voucher code for a ticket to the film Uncharted (2022). A launch trailer for Legacy of Thieves Collection was released on January 21, 2022.

Critical response
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End received "universal acclaim" according to review aggregator Metacritic. It is the joint sixth-highest rated PlayStation 4 game on Metacritic. Reviewers praised the gameplay mechanics, narrative, emotional depth, visual design, and the multiplayer mode. IGNs Lucy O'Brien wrote that the game is "a remarkable achievement in blockbuster storytelling and graphical beauty"; GameSpots Mike Mahardy similarly named it a "breathtaking marvel of a game". GamesTM considered it "a masterful piece of storytelling", and Electronic Gaming Monthly's Nick Plessas declared it "a true work of art".

Giant Bomb's Dan Ryckert considered the game's graphics to be the best on any console, particularly praising the character details and open environments. Steven Hansen of Destructoid described the art direction as "stunning", while Andrew Reiner of Game Informer described the game as "a work of art". GamesRadar's Leon Hurley praised the minute graphical details that made the game's characters feel more alive. GameSpot's Mahardy noted that the game's cinematography, both in gameplay and during cutscenes, "amplifies the wonder of this gorgeous world". The Escapist's Liz Finnegan described the game as "painfully beautiful", and Sam Loveridge of Digital Spy lauded Naughty Dog's ability to create "cleverly crafted stunning vistas".

Griffin McElroy of Polygon felt that the game's narrative was nuanced in contrast to its predecessors. Destructoid Hansen praised the game's writers for bringing the narrative to a cohesive conclusion. Game Informers Reiner particularly appreciated the writing for Henry Avery, lauding the writers for turning his secrets into "tantalizing story material"; conversely, Ars Technicas Kyle Orland found that the enthusiasm of the characters "fails to be infectious for the player". Mahardy of GameSpot wrote that the game's set pieces are the best in the series and among the best in video gaming. Finnegan of The Escapist felt that the "action never feels unnaturally halted in order to relay relevant pieces of the story". Plessas of Electronic Gaming Monthly found enjoyment in the game's subtler interactions more than the overall narrative. Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club lauded the game's dramatic moments. Steven Burns of VideoGamer.com felt that, while the game's story was better than its predecessors, it had too much padding that slowed it down.



The game's characters and relationships received particular praise. Hansen of Destructoid felt that the character relationships were not overshadowed by the game's action, particularly praising the performance of Emily Rose as Elena for "perfectly and subtly conveying the intricacies of her relationship". Polygon's McElroy felt that the chemistry between the two characters was at its best in Uncharted 4. Giant Bomb's Ryckert echoed this sentiment, adding that the conversations between Nathan and Sam Drake felt "more natural than hammy". GameSpot's Mahardy wrote that the additional details revealed about Nathan are "painfully human", helping to bring the characters to life. Hurley of GamesRadar felt that the addition of Sam and his backstory crowded the narrative, and that removing the character would have improved the game. Stephen Totilo of Kotaku considered Sam to be "more of a plot device for others to react to than a compelling character on his own".

Mahardy of GameSpot wrote that the game's action "flows seamlessly alongside its narrative", praising the addition of stealth combat and its similarity to The Last of Us. Giant Bomb's Ryckert felt that the player's companions were more fleshed-out than in previous entries. Tom Hoggins of The Telegraph described the game's firearm gameplay as "punchy and pleasing", appreciating the fast pace of combat scenarios. Destructoid's Hansen described the game's puzzles as "fluid and dynamic", particularly lauding the addition of the grappling hook. Game Informer's Reiner echoed the latter sentiment, noting that the grappling hook enhances exploration and combat, but felt that the game's set pieces delivered less exciting moments than in previous games.

Game Informer's Reiner wrote that the game's "environments are so vast that they take on the illusion of open worlds". IGN's O'Brien found the addition of choices in the game refreshing. Hoggins of The Telegraph felt that the game's open environments make the player feel like "more of an adventurer". Loveridge of Digital Spy appreciated the additional freedom granted by the new combat options, allowing the player to map their tactics in advance. Hurley of GamesRadar praised the improved gameplay, but felt that some nonlinear moments such as optional interactions and dialogue were "a little overcooked" in comparison to previous entries. Keith Stuart of The Guardian found the game's linearity to be immersion-breaking, particularly criticizing the repetition in traversal. USgamer's Mike Williams felt that the open driving level "robs the game of its pacing" despite granting the feeling of a larger scale.

Critics shared generally positive reviews for Uncharted 4's multiplayer component, but felt that the single-player mode took precedence. O'Brien of IGN wrote that the multiplayer game types "embody the series' most enjoyable qualities", while Hurley of GamesRadar felt that it benefited from the new mechanics introduced in the single-player story. Polygon's McElroy considered the multiplayer mode "extremely easy to pick up on", and Loveridge of Digital Spy found the multiplayer approachable and enjoyable. Game Informer's Reiner described the multiplayer combat as "fevered" and exciting, but encountered issues with loading matches. Giant Bomb's Ryckert considered the multiplayer "basic", noting that players are unlikely to return for long.

Sales
Within seven days of its release, Uncharted 4 sold over 2.7million units, making it the fastest-selling first-party PlayStation 4 game. Three weeks after its release, the game had grossed over US$56 million in digital sales. By December 2016, the game had sold 8.7million copies, making it one of the best-selling PlayStation 4 games. By May 2019, the game had sold over 15million copies. In the United States, it was the best-selling retail game in May 2016. In the United Kingdom, the game topped the charts, achieving the strongest debut of the series with a 66% increase in first-week sales over Uncharted 3. In Japan, the game topped the charts in its first week, with over 128,000 units sold; it remained atop the charts the following week, with an additional 21,000 units sold.

Accolades
Following its previews at E3, Uncharted 4 was nominated for numerous awards, including Best PlayStation Game from several gaming publications. After its release, the game garnered awards and nominations in a variety of categories with particular praise for its gameplay mechanics, narrative, emotional depth, visual design, and multiplayer. At The Game Awards 2016, Uncharted 4 was nominated for eight awards, winning two: Best Narrative and Best Performance for North. The game received ten nominations at the 20th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards and four awards, including Adventure Game of the Year and Outstanding Achievement in Story. It was nominated for four awards at the 6th Annual New York Video Game Awards and seven at the 17th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards.

The game won Outstanding Character Animation in a Video Game at the 44th Annie Awards, Outstanding Visual Effects in a Real-Time Project at the 15th Visual Effects Society Awards, and Outstanding Achievement in Videogame Writing at the 67th Writers Guild of America Awards. At the 2017 SXSW Gaming Awards, the game won five awards out of eight nominations, including Video Game of the Year, Excellence in Narrative, and Most Memorable Character. The game received eight nominations at the 13th British Academy Games Awards, ultimately winning Best Game.

In other media
The 2022 Uncharted film takes inspiration from A Thief's End.