The latest issue of Game Informer has the scoop on Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.
A small team began development on the PlayStation 4 sequel after development on Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception ended. After The Last of Us was finished, half of its team moved over, and the rest made its way after the game’s ‘Left Behind’ add-on was completed.
Uncharted 4 is set three years after Uncharted 3. It begins with Nathan Drake and Elena living a happy life together. Until Drake’s long lost brother, Sam, who Drake thought was dead, suddenly appears. Feeling indebted to his brother, Drake gets back to treasure hunting, taking the pair to Libertalia, “a mythic Madagascar colony purportedly founded by pirates.” But you won’t spend the entire game on this island. Naughty Dog has teased snowy and urban environments, as well.
Two rival hunters, Rafe and Nadine, are introduced. Rafe is very different from Drake in morale and approach. Nadine owns a private military company in South Africa. Villains are said to play a larger role this time around.
Sam is five years older than Drake. Apparently, the lack of Sam being in Drake’s life is what’s driven him in previous games. Sam is more reckless than Drake, and jealous of him, seeing him as the ‘better-at-everything little brother.’ That said, there is a lot of rivalry between them. Expect lots of brotherly banter, as well as “some nice cooperative moments between Nate and his brother.”
Here are some additional details:
- Elena and Sully are teased to appear.
- Artifacts will return, and might contain notes pointing to more treasures and artifacts.
- Enemies can grab your leg if you try to push them over ledges.
- The A.I. system has been overhauled. Sam’s A.I. is compared to that of Ellie from The Last of Us. Naughty Dog are trying to “explore what it’s like to be with somebody as capable of Nathan Drake.”
- There are more tools outside of the rope and piton (metal spike). Naughty Dog wants to incorporate them into puzzles.
- Navigational freedom is a large focus. Game Informer was shown multiple paths, one leading to an extra cave, the other bypassing a group of enemies. The demo shown to the magazine saw Drake taking a riskier climbing route that almost made him fall into the sea. While all paths have consequences, there is no “Golden Path.”
- “So now our concept of a set piece is ‘what’s something impactful we can do to switch expectations and how can we have it emotionally charged?’ We want to constantly surprise the player, so it can be really intimate, or really big and bombastic.”
- Cut-scenes are all in real-time.
- Humor is still aplenty.
- There will be multiplayer.
- Naughty Dog won’t say if this will be the last Uncharted.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is due out later this year for PlayStation 4. For more information, pick up the February 2015 issue of Game Informer, which is now available digitally.
Thanks, NeoGAF.