Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection is the enhanced version of Naughty Dog’s most recent Uncharted games: Uncharted 4 A Thief’s End and Uncharted The Lost Legacy. Both of these games were already fantastic cinematic experiences when they came out on the PlayStation 4. This collection however brings the adventure to the PlayStation 5 and PC.
I am just going to lightly touch on the story of each of these games for those who have not ever played the game when it came out on the PS4. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is Nathan Drake’s swan song. A tribute to the great adventurer that Nathan Drake was. A legacy that is now coming to a close. We see Nathan Drake in this game already retired but when his “dead” brother pays him a visit, he goes out on this one last adventure to help save his brother. We even get an easter egg in this game about Uncharted: The Lost Legacy at the attic. In the attic where Nathan Drake was reminiscing about his adventures, you will come upon a letter from Chloe inviting Nathan to join her in a job in India.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy follows Chloe Frazer as she seeks the Tusk of Ganesh. She hires Nadine Ross, the mercenary that showed up as an antagonist in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. They band together in this game to thwart Asav and his men from inciting a civil war. The game is rich with India’s culture and explores the beauty and nature of India.
I have played both PS4 versions of the games so it would be interesting to see how different the experience would be of the game on the PS5. The most notable thing would of course be the upscaled graphics to 4K on the PS5. You can choose to play the game at 30 FPS with 4K graphics for that eye-popping visuals that will make you just want to stop and look at the game in awe. However, if you prefer to have 60 FPS over the upscaled graphics, the game also allows you to do this. Allowing you to play the game smoothly but it does not mean that the graphics will not look any good. Generally, the game already does well even at 30 FPS and the game is not really that clunky and slow during combat even at this framerate. I live for its cinematic experience though because it just looks more stunning and beautiful in 4K.
The next thing of note is the 3D audio enhancement for the game. You can really feel each step as Nate walks through different terrains. The crashing of the waves that you can hear just below you. That bullet that whizzes past your left ear. Or the footsteps of enemies slowly getting louder as it draws near you. This adds a more authentic feel to the experience that you get with the game. And is something that truly makes this a better version than the original game.
The one thing that really only disappointed me about this game was the omission of the multiplayer mode of the game. Uncharted’s multiplayer has always been a fun and chaotic mode that was a great addition to the already awesome game. It’s a mode where you can take control of other characters from the game. So to not have it here on the PS5, feels like I’m missing out on something that has always been a staple of the Uncharted formula.
If you have bought the PS4 version of the game and to upgrade to this version only to lose the multiplayer aspect feels like a ripoff. Sure, you would say why do we need a multiplayer in the PS5 version when you already have the PS4 version multiplayer. But that only means there’s no multiplayer at 60 FPS. Or even a multiplayer at 4K. This alone made me feel like not wanting to upgrade my game if I can’t have everything that the PS4 version had to offer. It also means that if you’re playing this game for the first time on the PS5, then you’re definitely missing out on the fun multiplayer part of the game.
Overall, the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection is a great game that offers two cinematic adventures that you will surely have fun playing. The multiplayer mode would have made it so much better though and would add to the replayability factor to the game. However, even if you are playing this game for the first time. The singe player game alone is totally worth it.