Uncharted Review: Legacy of Thieves Collection

The end of the Uncharted series with the release of the fourth volume in 2016 was met with thunderous applause. Nathan Drake’s latest adventure soon replaced the equally successful standalone Chloe Fraser DLC, giving fans the full adventure of the latest thief saga. With the introduction of new consoles, it’s no surprise that Sony is trying to offer an improved collection that should appeal to both newcomers and longtime fans of the series. Well, that sounds very enticing, top notch treasure hunting on the latest console. So what else to go for?

• Platform: prefix 5
• Publication date: January 28, 2022
• Producer: Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Genre: action adventure
• Czech location: Yes (subtitles)
• Multiplayer:
• Game time: 25 hours (Uncharted 4 + Lost Legacy)
• Sales version: physical and digital
• Price: 1299 CZK (Xzone)

I must warn you in advance that the first part will be focused mainly on those who have not been polished by the last part of the Uncharted series. So if you know Uncharted 4 as well as your shoes, and you are primarily interested in how this version differs from the one on the PlayStation 4, you can in good conscience skip the last part.

One more time for adventure

Sooner or later it had to come. Nathan Drake enjoys “retirement” and does not think about any adventure. Well, at least he didn’t come down without explaining himself first. The truth is that while he shuns all his powers and tries to spend every free minute with his loving wife Elena after a day at work, he can’t just forget his adventurous years. However, the work and the idyllic life must soon be gone. His long-lost brother Sam Drake returns to Nathan’s life. And brings an interesting newspaper. No, Sam didn’t die in a prison break fifteen years ago. He was only recently helped by a drug addict who took a large sum for his help: half of a pirate treasure worth $400 million. So what kind of sibling would Nathan leave his brother in trouble? So it remains only to leave a peaceful life and go on the last adventure.

Of course, we must not forget the story or the second part of the collection, namely The Lost Legacy. Here we find ourselves in the role of the female heroine known to fans of Chloe Fraser. She goes to Indian Western Ghats to find the golden tusk of Ganesha, which has not only monetary but also emotional value for her. However, Asav’s heartless tusk also has a penchant for the golden tusk, so Chloe has to team up with famed mercenary Nadine Ross, as it works better together.

Admittedly, the Uncharted series boasts an almost Hollywood form, and Uncharted 4 is no different. The beautifully written characters are a pleasure to listen to, but even more fun to watch. The facial expressions of the characters are at an excellent level, and if I turned off the sound and subtitles, I could appreciate what emotions the character is currently experiencing. An example is the situation when Nathan returns tired from work and when talking with his wife Elena, you can directly see how he looks at her lovingly.

Both Uncharted 4 and Lost Legacy keep a great pace in action passages, and at times you really feel like you’re watching a new movie version of Indiana Jones. Naughty Dog once again proves that they are true masters in the field of action adventure.

A little different climbing

If you’ve played the previous episodes, you probably know what gameplay skeleton Naughty Dog uses in Uncharted. Of course, even here you will be climbing countless buildings and all sorts of obstacles in large numbers, just as you will mow down an army of enemy idiots countless times with a pistol. In the case of rock climbing, Nathan and Chloe could compete with the Olympians, and from a gameplay point of view, these are quite fun passages. In the vast majority of cases, when climbing, you immediately know which way to go, but sometimes you can stop and think about a possible route for a few minutes. Fortunately, beautiful postcard landscapes keep you company at such moments. There are quite funny moments when falling from a cliff means death, but falling from the same cliff in animation does not.

But you don’t always have to climb Kilimanjaro to explore the area. In some walkthroughs, you will be taken to more open locations. In this case, Nathan and Chloe also get into an off-road jeep and boldly rush to explore the landscape. Although you will have to solve small puzzles in the jeep, like how to get up a steep muddy slope, I have to admit that this is the least interesting part. However, real puzzles are well balanced as they are neither too heavy nor too light. So their difficulty is set just right, which somehow does not depress the player.

Here and there you will have to move intelligence and climb another path, and reach for a good quarrel. However, you don’t have to use it because you can avoid direct conflict and gradually eliminate all enemies with stealth. In any case, a single mistake means detection and a subsequent flurry of bullets. While a lot of falling enemies may make the gameplay more enjoyable at first, over time some of these passages can become a bit unnecessary and destructive. This is when you look at a historical artifact and suddenly, five minutes later, twenty more villains appear behind your back. I honestly think the game would benefit from a little less of these passes.

Haptika scores again

When I was asked to view the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves collection, I was curious what the collection would look like. Of course, one of the reasons was also my platonic love for Elena Fischer and the possibility of seeing her again, but I also wanted to see if such a cute game could be even cuter. After playing for a few hours, I couldn’t help feeling that the game actually looks a little further and is prettier than I remember. So it didn’t take long for me to fail the game again years later when “Nate’s Theme” became my most streamed song on Spotify again.

The Collection on PlayStation 5 offers two graphics modes: fidelity and performance. For the first choice, you can expect 4K resolution, but 30fps for that. So, if you are a perfectionist and want the best image it has to offer, you can safely use this mode. In contrast, performance mode will offer a lower resolution but at 60fps. Personally, I preferred to set the game in this mode, because if you have a more sensitive eye, like mine, you will undoubtedly find it very difficult to switch back from 60 to 30 fps. Power+ mode is also available. It’s aimed at 1080p, but at 120fps.

Another novelty is support for haptic sensations, which works very well here. DualSense happily simulates every landing, shooting or concussion. Of course, it’s still not as good as the Astros game room, but it’s still very useful. The same is true for adaptive triggers. I have to admit a little disappointment here because I was expecting a little more care. While the adaptive triggers respond relatively well to gunfire, they don’t respond at all when driving a Jeep. It’s a bit of a shame for me, but it’s possible that this will be fixed with a possible patch.

Successful conclusion to one well-known series

After finishing Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection Once again I reminded myself how great this series is. Delight soon turned to sadness, because I immediately realized that this was really the end of one big series and the next part with Nathan Drake, most likely, would not be. I won’t lie, I shed a tear. When I like a series like this, I usually don’t want to say goodbye to it, so I go back to the beginning. This is no exception, so all the previous adventures of Nathan Drake are waiting for me in the coming weeks. Of course, neither Uncharted 4 nor The Lost Legacy can be called flawless works. At times you may be frustrated by almost interfering skirmishes or falling off a cliff, but in some ways you can forgive the game because of other circumstances.