Uncharted 4: Multiplayer Beta

My Impressions

Out with the old in with the old

Uncharted hasn't changed much over the years. Its stayed true to the premise of "If it aint broke don't fix it" which is good since a lot of games have fallen on their respective swords for over complicating a simple idea. When I booted up the Uncharted 4 Multiplayer a lot of things seemed familiar. The combat system, the precarious jumps off platforms that result in death, the load times between finding a lobby and frustratingly shouting at the TV you know, the good stuff. 

Except the thing is Uncharted 4 has changed. Though not significantly. First and foremost is the edition of an Indiana Jones-esque rope hook which allows you to traverse stages, quickly closing the gap between you and the enemy. New to the multiplayer scene is the ability to use artifacts called mystical's which can dramatically change battles, with some mystical's slowing down enemies and others spawning a coffin full of vengeful spirits.

New grenade types means that players can now think more tactically about battles, placing some C4 in a hidden spot to really mess with the more overconfident players or tossing a smoke bomb to get some much needed cover from a less than convenient fire fight. These features add up to make a new multiplayer experience without truly sacrificing what made Uncharted multiplayer good in the first place.

I see great things in our future kid, great, great things


If the beta is anything to go off of then I am sure that Uncharted is heading in the right direction, everything I saw in it was positive and while it took some getting used to the new features added to the whole extremely well. Points in Uncharted 4's favour are that almost all of the weapons are balanced there is no weapon that spells doom as soon as you see it, giving an equal chance to everyone. 

Mystical's can easily change the flow of battle but they also work to counter each other as well the spirit of the djinn for instance can make you quicker eliminating the power of Indra's eternity. Each Mystical is beneficial and its always nice to see what each one will do. 

Sidekicks bring a new level of tactical thinking to the virtual battlefield making either stalwart mini gun tooting badasses or insanely fast hunters appear to give you a hand. Sidekicks can really help you rack up the points and put the pressure on the enemy. 


Final Thoughts

Overall I am impressed by Uncharted 4, there is no doubt in my mind that it will make a good conclusion to the series and seeing as there is some rather large foreshadowing going on it seems likely that this is the literal end for one of our beloved characters. 

One of the best features of both Uncharted 2 and 3 was their multiplayer, many a night would I spend on Uncharted 2 multiplayer seeing as it was in my opinion one of the better versions. So its good to see the return of decent, well rounded multiplayer. None of this random player has been targeted garbage. 

While I wouldn't say that Uncharted 4's multiplayer is revolutionary I would say that it brings some good changes to the formula without making everything too complex. 

All that we have left now of course is to wait. Wait for the Thief's end.