Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection [PlayStation 5] | REVIEW

Man, I love the Uncharted series. From the very moment I started the first game (and was wowed by the water effects on Nate’s clothing) all the way through to the finale of Uncharted: Lost Legacy, I’ve always been in awe of the powerful yet humorous storytelling, their dazzlingly cinematic set pieces, and the way that developer Naughty Dog always managed to yield the best of the PlayStation’s capabilities with the jaw dropping visuals. It’s just a special series that got better and better with every new entry.

It’s a shame then that no new title has been confirmed for the PlayStation 5 yet, though being able to re-visit Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Uncharted: Lost Legacy in fancy souped-up forms in the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection in the meantime is a very, very, VERY nice treat.

Check out a gallery of screenshots down below:

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Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection brings the aforementioned critically-acclaimed titles together for the PlayStation 5 in one nice package, with all the power and fancy bells and whistles of the console utilised to make this the best Uncharted experience yet. This means near-instant loading thanks to the console’s SSD, full 3D audio to hear the bullets flying past you in gunfights, as well as the haptic feedback of the DualSense controller to feel every bit of the action in the palms of your hands. You know how Nathan Drake likes to punch plenty of baddies, unload magazines of bullets upon foes, or leap his way around all sorts of mysterious ruins? It all feels even more immersive with the DualSense controller, with Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection one of the best examples of its use on the console with each feature genuinely complementing the gameplay.

Of course, with the two games coming over to the PlayStation 5, it’s only natural to expect some visual pizazz too. Gamers won’t be disappointed here, with three different modes on offer: Fidelity Mode, Performance Mode, and Performance+ Mode.

Fidelity Mode allows players to experience the games in a native 4K resolution at a 30fps framerate. This brings with it the sharpest and most detailed visuals, and honestly, it looks outstanding. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Uncharted: Lost Legacy were already beautiful games anyway, but you can really see the difference when playing on the PlayStation 5.

Despite this, I preferred to play in Performance Mode, which offers a 60fps framerate with a dynamic upscaled 4K resolution. Naturally, this doesn’t look quite as sharp as the Fidelity Mode, but is still impressive to look at – especially with the silky smooth 60fps framerate that doesn’t drop at all. It’s the way I’d recommend playing the game and you’ll immediately notice just how sublime it looks if you compare it to the performance of the game on the PlayStation 4.

Finally, there’s Performance+ Mode, which allows players to experience the game at a whopping 120fps framerate but with a limited 1080p resolution. Whilst this is impressive to see in motion (if you have a TV that supports it), the limited resolution does feel like a kicker compared to the other modes on offer.

“Uncharted 4: A Theif’s End it was a 10/10 game on the PlayStation 4, and it’s still a 10/10 game now (but with a nice little PlayStation 5 shaped cherry on top).”

Of course, it’s all well and good having these fancy new features, but the fact that both Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Uncharted: Lost Legacy are outstanding games anyway is really what makes the package so special.

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End feels like a culmination of everything that has happened in the previous games, with Nathan Drake seemingly taking on a normal life (and one where he can even enjoy some classic PlayStation gaming) but never quite letting go of the adventures he embarked on. There’s nothing quite like the reappearance of a ‘dead’ family member to drag you back into the high life of extreme adventuring though, and that’s exactly what happens when Nathan’s brother Sam comes back into his life and convinces him to look for a missing treasure. It’s hard to resist the calling of a dangerous escapade, right?

What follows is a brilliantly paced adventure that sees players heading across a variety of luscious locales on a treasure hunt, with plenty of jaw-dropping set pieces and epic gunfights to indulge yourself in along the way. It’s the pinnacle of Uncharted gameplay really, with each aspect of the game topping its predecessors in every given way – whether that’s with the set pieces, the puzzling, traversing each tricky area, or even how much better it feels to sneak past enemies. It’s a game that both looks and feels amazing to play… it was a 10/10 game on the PlayStation 4, and it’s still a 10/10 game now (but with a nice little PlayStation 5 shaped cherry on top).

Want to know where it really surprised me? With its storytelling. Whilst the Uncharted series has always made its story and characters an important piece of the adventure, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End take things to the next level with its emotional narrative. It really humanises each character and solidifies the relationships that they’ve built between each game in the series, with a real bond felt between the player and the cast along the way. It’s hard not to root for the likes of Nate, Sully, and Elena, all whilst praying that each makes their way through the adventure (and to a potentially ‘peaceful’ life) unscathed. Simply put, it’s the best game in the series and one I hold close to my heart, so it felt particularly special to experience it all over again with the PlayStation 5’s improvements.

“Uncharted: Lost Legacy doesn’t quite reach the heights of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, but it gives a good example of how the series can evolve and change itself up whilst still maintaining the high-quality gamers expect.“

Uncharted: Lost Legacy changes up the formula a little bit, but with equally satisfying results. Rather than taking players through a set of (almost) linear levels, they’re instead put in a spacious open area where they’re able to tackle objectives and side tasks in the order that they like. Don’t worry, there’s still plenty of gruelling set pieces and tricky puzzles to solve across each area of the map, so the authentic ‘Uncharted’ experience still exists. It’s just a lot more open, with plenty of jeep driving taking you from point A to B.

It doesn’t quite reach the heights of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, but it gives a good example of how the series can evolve and change itself up whilst still maintaining the high-quality gamers expect. It’s also the first game not to feature Nathan Drake in the starring role, with players instead controlling Chloe Frazier, who has previously appeared in Uncharted 2 and Uncharted 3. She’s also joined by Nadine Ross (fresh from her shenanigans in Uncharted 4) in a support role, who offers plenty of support, banter, and, of course, help killing baddies, as you look to find the Tusk of Ganesh in India.

Again, the storytelling is just as strong here, especially since both Chloe and Nadine are such likable characters who do have a lot of chemistry. It just doesn’t feel quite as high stakes as the previous game, especially since I didn’t have the same sense of affection for the pair that I did for Nathan Drake.

“Not only are these two of the best games that released last-gen, but they’ve also been given a meaningful port that really embraces the power of the PlayStation 5’s capabilities.”

I guess one of the biggest questions gamers might have is whether it’s worth re-visiting both of these games again on the PlayStation 5, especially since there’s a £9.99 fee to upgrade if you already own the PlayStation 4 version of the games (you only need to own one of the two to get both though, which is nice). My answer to that question is a resounding yes. Not only are these two of the best games that released last-gen, but they’ve also been given a meaningful port that really embraces the power of the PlayStation 5’s capabilities. Every fancy feature than can be utilised is used and it really helps make the games feel like genuinely *new* releases, ESPECIALLY when playing at 60fps on Performance Mode.

If I was going to complain about anything, it’d be that there isn’t a 60fps option at a native 4K. Given the age of the games in the collection and the fact they released fairly early in the PlayStation 4 lifecycle, I did hope that the PlayStation 5 would have the power to REALLY show off how good these last-gen titles can be. Whilst the Performance Mode is fantastic, I just know it could have been better – especially since the upcoming PC release is likely to support 60fps gameplay in 4K.

Developer: Naughty Dog
Publisher: PlayStation Studios
Platform(s): PlayStation 5 (Reviewed)
Website: https://www.playstation.com/en-gb/games/uncharted-legacy-of-thieves-collection/