3.5/5 ★ – isaiahbot's review of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.

Uncharted Series Playthrough - Entry #4 4’s rediscovery of the allure that 3 saw the decay of, in my opinion, fittingly contains some of the most refined, enthralling and impressive in-game action set pieces that have been put into the series, maybe even the gaming medium, that service the sendoff to the series through subtle recreations of the series’ best set pieces, and service the borderline addiction and Icarus-complex of Nate’s final test through the more intimate angles that Neil Druckman brings to the table. This being said, I was surprised coming back to what I at one point considered my favorite in the series to realize how truly meandering this game ends up feeling. And I recognize, much like with 3, this is likely intentional. It just really makes me appreciate 3’s ability to convey a similar “jaded adventurer” character arc in such a concise and, dare I say, better and more creative manner. I don’t think 4’s 15+hour playtime is used well. That seems to be a common criticism most have for this, and for good reason. This is especially felt after chapter 14 where it’s mostly filled with uninteresting vanilla climbing/platforming, which is a shame given how incredible the flow of elaborated combat in this game is when combined with these platforming elements. It is, at the end of the day, a dip back into a promising rip-roaring adventure that inevitably becomes strained, so hell maybe that’s part of the big picture. I just feel 3’s capabilities of accomplishing this arc were more impressive to an extent, and surprisingly ended up being my favorite after this replay of the series.