Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End turns 10 years old today, which also means that it’s been an entire decade since we got a new Uncharted game (not counting sort-of-spin-off Uncharted: The Lost Legacy).
Lauded at the time of its release back in 2016, Uncharted 4 is still considered one of the PS4’s best. And for many, it remains the highlight of the entire series — and that’s saying an awful lot.
Post-The Last of Us, Naughty Dog returned to Nate and the gang — but it wasn’t just a simple case of bringing back a hit franchise for one more adventure.
Indeed, Uncharted 4 had to endure a very troubled development cycle. You may remember that the game was actually announced as the PS4 launched in 2013, but with the departure of director Amy Hennig a handful of months later, the whole thing got turned upside down.
Recently, a former Naughty Dog employee recounted his time at the studio, and recalled how much of a disaster the project was at the time. While he never mentioned Uncharted 4 by name, his story lines up perfectly with what we already know.
Things were so bad, in fact, that Sony was prepared to pull the plug entirely. That was, until The Last of Us leads Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley were brought in to put everything right.
And they did, of course. As mentioned, Uncharted 4 went on to be one of the most highly rated games of the last console generation, although it has divided the opinion of some fans over the years.
There’s no denying that Druckmann and Straley brought a more serious tone to the project. It was still Uncharted, but it was like grown-up Uncharted. The stakes felt higher, and the characters felt more grounded.
It also ended up being the longest Uncharted game by some distance, and much of that length can be attributed to the title’s many cinematic cutscenes. It’s just a much heavier game than its predecessors.
Some people love that about it, some people don’t — and we can understand both sides. Uncharted 4 is a slightly different take on the series, but it’s also a ridiculously well made release. Even today, it looks the part, and it plays brilliantly.
But is it Uncharted at its best? That’s what we think is worth asking after all these years, especially when the likes of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is consistently considered an all-time classic.
So, where do you stand on Uncharted 4 a whole ten years later? Is it peak PlayStation, or is it maybe a bit overrated? Vote in our polls, and then search for some pirate treasure in the comments section below.
