There was a lot of very cool stuff at PAX AUS this year, but for my money, Uncharted 4’s multiplayer being playable for only the second time publicly was a huge deal. It was an opportunity I was very keen to take up. So, at the very end of PAX AUS Day 2, I made my way into a tiny room and for the first time, saw with my very own eyes, Uncharted 4, running on PS4.
Let’s forget for a second that this was just the multiplayer and focus on what I was actually getting to play. Naughty Dog’s first current-gen title. Naughty Dog, who has created some of the most iconic and memorable characters and moments of the past 20 years. Naughty Dog who arguable created the best game of last-gen; The Last of Us and Naughty Dog who created the terrible third entry in the Uncharted series. My anticipation and skepticism were equally high. I was hoping that the memory of Uncharted 3 could be replaced with something superb in Uncharted 4 and from the brief time I’ve spent with multiplayer, that portion of the new title will at least be hugely successful.
Building on the excellent (and more moderately paced) multiplayer from The Last of Us, Uncharted 4’s MP is every bit as much a team affair. While MP in previous Uncharteds has had a slant, it feels much more heavily focused this time around. As usual it’s the goodies versus the baddies so my round was a handful of Drakes, a Sully and an Elena versus several Lazervics, a Harry Flynn and a random goon. Obviously in the final version players will be able to choose from a range of characters, but it’s important to note that regardless of who you choose, every character plays the same. They all have Drake’s uncanny climbing abilities, can run, jump and swing (from the brand new grapple hook) and are all deadly with whatever weapons you happened to select for your loadout.
Yep, loadouts are back and since they worked so well in previous titles, it’s unsurprising that they’re mostly unchanged. You select two main weapons, a skill, a heavy weapon and the newly introduced mystical powers. I was running a .45 hand gun, an AK-47, grenades, a grenade launcher and the El Dorado mystical. The handgun has infinite ammo and although the AK-47 had a limited amount, there was plenty to collect from the corpses of my enemies. Grenades are in short supply, but can be purchases prior to respawning from the in-game store. Each and every kill grants cash, as does collecting treasure on the map and looting bodies.
To use your heavy weapon and mystical, you’ll need to build up a chunk of cash. The heavy weapons and mysticals are a one time use, but considering they can easily turn the tide of battle in your favour they’d be unbalanced otherwise. Using El Dorado is a blast, especially near a group of enemies, as it shoots out supernatural missiles that obliterate your opponents. Importantly, shooting in Uncharted 4 feels the best of the series and has no trace of the sluggish, slow issues that have plagued the series from day one.
New to Uncharted’s multiplayer is the ability to revive team mates, something straight from The Last of Us. It’s important because it rewards you with cash and also gets your squad back to full strength much faster. Much of Uncharted 4’s multiplayer feels similar to The Last of Us’ but it’s more than a reskin. It’s faster and more exciting, but still more restrained and cerebral than either mode in Uncharted 2 and 3. Additionally, it’s an absolute treat for the eyeballs, with so much colour and depth to the environment and the character models looking better than ever before.
Multiplayer in Uncharted has never been the main event and the same will be true of A Thief’s End, but when it’s this good it just has to be played. Teamwork is more key than ever before and with gun play that actually feels fast, fluid and responsive it’s less work and more fun. The new mystcials add a strategic twist and the in-game store cleverly forces players to carefully choose whether they need more ammo, a grenade or want to go all out and cause some devastation. If you purchased The Nathan Drake Collection, you’re in for a treat when the multiplayer beta launches. Everyone else will just have to wait until next year.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End will be available for PS4 from 18 March 2016.
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