Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End finally got its big reveal during the PlayStation Experience a few days ago and the reception from fans and critics alike seems to be overwhelmingly positive. Safe to say, Uncharted 4 is going to sell like hot cakes when it releases sometime during 2015.
In the meantime we’re left with the lasting memory of the gameplay reveal. It’s an impressive display of what the PS4 is capable of in the hands of the right developer with the gameplay showcasing some new features to the series, some of which seem to be taken from other hard-hitting franchises.
If you’ve not yet watched the Uncharted 4 gameplay video then direct your peepers down below and check out the footage. Heck, even if you have seen it, it’s worth a second, third and quite possibly a fourth viewing.
Now that you’ve seen Nathan Drake in action, traversing the jungle setting, shooting bad guys, beating bad guys and generally being a bad-ass guy himself, does anything seem familiar?
One new addition present in Uncharted 4 is the revamped stealth mechanics which got a fair showing during the reveal clip.
In previous entries stealth was encouraged at times, but dodgy A.I and somewhat clumsy mechanics really hindered the ability to turn Drake into Sam Fisher: Fortune Hunter.
This time around it looks like Naughty Dog has taken it back to the drawing board and re-worked the stealth angle taking a little inspiration from the Assassin’s Creed series.
Drakes ability to blend into the foliage and flank enemies to take them out looks great in motion and it’s certainly reminiscent of Assassin’s Creed.
The Assassin’s Creed games first incorporated hiding and moving through foliage in Assassin’s Creed III and has since become a staple of the franchise due to the fact it just works so well, so it’s no surprise to see Naughty Dog taking inspiration from one of the best action games out there.
Another feature that got a showing during the gameplay reveal is the ability to climb non-standard surfaces, but instead stab a knife into the looser rock to allow Drake to move throughout the world in a new way.
Well, sort of new.
We’ve actually seen this done before with Crystal Dynamics’ Tomb Raider that originally released on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, before being ported to PS4 and Xbox One.
It’s a little funny that Naughty Dog should be taking gameplay cues from Tomb Raider since Lara Croft’s latest adventure, while being critically successful, was compared to Naughty Dog’s Uncharted series.
It’s a funny turn of events seeing as when Nathan Drake first arrived on the PS3 he was referred to by some as ‘Dude Raider’ due to the similarities between the two franchises. Will the next Tomb Raider incorporate features found in Uncharted 4 as a retaliation? Possibly, why not? It’s not a bad thing when games borrow from one another and in most cases it works out for the best.
We’ve only seen a snippet from Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, but from what we’ve been shown so far it’s looking good, even if it’s treading familiar ground.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is due out on PS4 sometime in 2015 and is available to pre-order now.