Based on the trailers and previews we’ve seen so far, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End will largely be sticking to the established action-packed Uncharted formula. Or will it? Behind the scenes, there’s been a shakeup at Uncharted developer Naughty Dog – longtime Uncharted mastermind Amy Hennig left the company in 2014, so Uncharted 4 is being written and directed by Neil Druckmann, the main mind behind the bleak The Last of Us. So, does this mean we’re going to be seeing elements of The Last of Us in Uncharted 4? According to Druckmann, the answer is yes, although the influence will be subtle:
“With The Last of Us — and even more so with Left Behind – [there were] really quiet moments. We were making an action game, but it was okay not to have the action wall-to-wall. It was okay to have two girls in a Halloween store putting masks on and joking around with each other. Getting the confidence to do that and bring that to Uncharted became really interesting because it helps show more the human side of Nathan Drake. What is Nathan Drake doing when he’s not on the adventure? And how do you put that on the thumb stick. How do you not just show that in a cut-scene. How do you play that?”
Interestingly, the latest Uncharted 4 trailer (which you can watch above) showcases one of these quieter moments. A five-minute talking scene between Nathan and his long-lost brother Sam, the trailers reveals Uncharted 4 will have dialogue options, something not really featured before in the tightly scripted series.
In the same interview, Druckmann addressed the fact that this is apparently Nathan Drake’s final adventure. Is this really it, and why does the story have to end?
“We’ve been with this character for so long, but I feel like the best way to honor him is to go out on top, to finish his story. Whether that’s it for Uncharted? I don’t know. At the end of the day Sony owns Uncharted and they can do whatever they want. But with the end of this story it will be really hard to do a sequel with Nathan Drake. Maybe there’ll be a prequel, maybe it will be a different character, I don’t know. But this is the end for Nathan Drake.”
Sounds like things are going to get heavy when Nathan Drake’s last adventure arrives on April 26.
(Via Eurogamer)