[PSX 2015] “Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End” Multiplayer Impressions

As of right now, Uncharted 4 is Sony’s crown jewel when it comes to their IPs, and while hardly anybody has gotten their hands on a single player build of the game yet, Sony has decided to let everybody try…

Yep. Taking a selfie in front of somebody you just killed. #TooSoon

As of right now, Uncharted 4 is Sony’s crown jewel when it comes to their IPs, and while hardly anybody has gotten their hands on a single player build of the game yet, Sony has decided to let everybody try the multiplayer out through their beta, and it’s more fun than expected.

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End made quite the buzz last week.  A new trailer showcasing a new character was unveiled at the 2015 Video Game Awards, and we also got a brief look into Drake’s life since Uncharted 3 with the newest trailer from the PlayStation Experience.  While we still haven’t tried a single player build, Uncharted 4‘s multiplayer was at the show for everybody to enjoy, and it’s about what you’d expect.

The real draw to Uncharted 4‘s multiplayer right now is the fact that it’s the public’s first opportunity to experience Uncharted in this level of visual quality.  1080p and 60 frames per second is hardly anything unheard of, but the game itself looks great.

During the load out, you have the option to choose between heroes and villains.  Heroes include familiar faces such as Victor Sullivan and of course Nathan Drake, while villains include the likes of Lazaravic and Marlowe among other more generic choices.  As expected, none of this really matters, but it’s still pretty funny seeing Marlowe kill Drake with her bare hands.

Elena is about to kick some ass without any defensive gear.

The demo featured two maps, one being the island and the other being Madagascar City.  I played at the island, which had environments very similar to those found in Drake’s Fortune and Golden Abyss, there’s also a lot of slopes which allows your character to close in on enemies from different angles and areas faster, so that’s definitely a nice touch with the course design.

The controls are as tight as Uncharted has always been, with interactive walls being a good means of escape and cover.  There’s also a bunch of loot you can pick up to acquire new weapons and as time progresses and the kills increase, you can unlock mysticals like the wrath of El Dorado and Cintamani stone to further turn the tide of battle.

My main complaint is the fact that the cover and rolling maneuvers are both tied to the circle button, and there were a few instances of my character rolling when I wanted him getting to cover, and it didn’t work out and I don’t see that changing.  Also, when dying, the screen fades to black before respawning.  It’s not a deal breaker, but it also feels like the match ended when that happens, so that might be something the developers should look into before its release.

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is still scheduled for a release this coming March, and the closed beta will still be going on for a couple more days.  You can play the beta by getting your hands on Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection in stores now.