Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is a Conclusion Worthy of Nathan Drake
Endings are tricky.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a person writing a short story, or a game developer making a sequel to a multimillion dollar franchise. If you get it wrong, the overall quality of your product almost doesn’t matter to some consumers. If the reader, viewer, or player’s final impression of whatever thing you’re creating leaves them feeling empty or disappointed, it can greatly reduce the overall impact the product has on them.
A recent example of this concept in action was the disaster that was the Mass Effect 3 ending. Some fans, like myself, were disappointed, and left feeling the slightest bit empty. Others were downright hostile. Some… probably a bit too hostile. But the bottom line is, the ending, and the controversy surrounding it, has left an irrevocable mark on the reputation of what was, up to that point, an exceedingly well-liked game franchise. In a roundabout way, it likely had a hand in the community’s apparent rejection of Mass Effect: Andromeda, though there are plenty of other reasons for that. But that’s a separate conversation altogether.
Today we’re here to talk about the Uncharted franchise.
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, when taken as a conclusion to the franchise, was passable. It had a decent amount of emotional weight, and seemed to send the characters off in a hopeful direction. Some questions were left unanswered, but plenty more were given the attention that they deserved. The relationships between protagonist Nathan Drake and his (at that time) closest allies, father-figure Victor Sullivan and love interest Elena Fisher, seemed to be wrapped up nicely. Nate and Sully’s relationship, in particular, was explored and tested in ways that it hadn’t been before; ways that had plenty of emotional heft.
Therefore, what we had after the release of Drake’s Deception, was a tightly packed trilogy of great games that helped define the PS3, and only went further to secure Naughty Dog’s place as one of gaming’s great first-party developers. Then, with Naughty Dog apparently moving on to The Last of Us, it seemed like Uncharted had made its mark, and that was that. But evidently, the good folks over at Naughty Dog weren’t satisfied. Not yet.
When Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End was first announced, I was very apprehensive. I thought the franchise made more sense as a trilogy. I didn’t want it to keep going until it had no steam left. I didn’t want it to become an annual or semi-annual franchise devoid of personality.
But I was wrong. Very wrong. Because while Drake’s Deception was a great game, and a fine addition to the franchise as a whole, A Thief’s End is a conclusion worthy of Nathan Drake.
Obviously it’s not a perfect game; no game truly is. The climbing, while improved by the updated physics and the addition of the grappling hook and sliding mechanics, still wasn’t challenging. The gunplay and stealth were at their best, but still were held back slightly by a bit too much trial-and-error. But as far as concluding the story of one of the most beloved protagonists in the history of gaming, it was damn near as good as it could get, for a few different reasons.
1. Brotherly Love (A More Personal Narrative)
In theory, they could have made up any reason for Nathan Drake to be pulled into another adventure, and a lot of people would have bought it. But, what’s the one thing that could believably pull Nathan Drake back into the dangerous, chaotic world of treasure hunting, when he’s as far removed from that world as he can possibly be? By the events of this game, he’s working a salvage job, living in a two-story house with Elena. He struggles to hide the resentment he feels toward the dullness of his new life, and chases a bit of danger whenever he can. But he’s dedicated to keeping up the facade, for the sake of his relationship with Elena. So whatever is going to pull him back in has to be something personal; something emotional. It has to be something that’s about more than just the thrill, or the money.
"Come on, little brother. We've got a treasure to find." Credit: Uncharted Wiki
When it was revealed that Sam Drake, Nathan’s brother, would be making his debut in A Thief’s End, I was again apprehensive. I thought it was a cheap play; something pulled out of the Hollywood playbook that you dust off when you’re running out of ideas for how to change it up for your sequel. Learning that it would be Troy Baker in the role put me slightly at ease; two of the industry’s biggest talents (Baker and Nolan North, who plays Nathan Drake) headlining the same game was a huge selling point.
Fortunately, my apprehension never came to fruition. The inclusion of Sam was a master stroke. Like I said, it’s the only thing that they could use to feasibly sell the concept of Nathan going back to that life. But it also enabled them to make the story more personal for Nathan, and, by extension, the player, than it’s ever been before. Because what’s the only way you could realistically explain the absence of the protagonist’s brother over the events of the past three games, and also explain why he was never mentioned once?
In order to bring him back, they had to kill him first. And it had to be brutal.
The flashback chapter that explains Sam’s absence is one of my favorites in the whole series. I’m a sucker for a great action setpiece, and the Panamanian prison break is the first, and probably one of the best, in A Thief’s End. It’s also a cool callback to what was, previously, a throwaway line from the first game: “You obviously haven’t been in a Panamanian jail.” Well, now we have.
Look, at a certain point, you know it’s coming, but the scene in which Sam seemingly dies right in front of Nate’s eyes is heartbreaking. Because up to this point, the game really sells you on the bond between the two; the chapter before this has you playing as a pre-adolescent Nate who clearly admires his older brother. And to see him get shot, then see the life slowly drain from his face and fall seemingly to his death right on the brink of escaping; to give Nate no time to say goodbye as he and Rafe keep running toward their stashed escape boat; it cuts deep. While this entire concept is a supremely cliche story beat, its execution is extremely effective. Nolan North sells the pain that Nate feels in this moment; as a man who has never been without the guidance of his older brother, seeing him snatched away in an instant.
2. Run it back! (Re-examination of established themes)
I’d imagine that the source of my apprehension before this game came out, and a major point of criticism for this game post-release, is that it would be more of the same. And, to a certain extent, it is more of the same. It feels familiar in terms of both gameplay and story. But the narrative comments on that, and forces us to re-examine the characters and their motivations from a different perspective.
The first game’s story was straightforward; just getting us used to the overall tone and the attitude of this game’s universe. The second, Among Thieves, started to examine what it means to be a hero, and hinted at deconstructing that idea, but it never explored the concept beyond a few lines of dialogue. The third, Drake’s Deception, really started to introduce major character flaws in Nathan Drake, like his blinding sense of pride and his apparent addiction to this treasure hunting lifestyle. It heavily implies that by this point, Nate and Elena have been together and broken up, solely because of Nate’s refusal to give up treasure hunting.
But these themes are never fully explored until A Thief’s End, and this is mostly due to the personal stake that comes with adding Sam to the story. Sam is the driving force behind the narrative; immediately after he returns, he informs Nathan that he is in debt to a dangerous cartel boss, and that the only way to repay him is with half of the treasure that serves as the end-goal for this game: Henry Avery’s pirate treasure. Obviously we know Nathan will take the leap to help out his brother, but at certain points in the narrative, that central idea of saving Sam starts to get lost, and eventually turns out to be a lie altogether.
That goes along with what I mentioned before about the “liar revealed” storytelling beat, and how it happens twice. Sam being exposed is the second time. The first time is when Nathan lies to Elena about where he’s going, to cover up his return to the treasure hunting game, and is, of course, found out.
"If you're done lying to me, then you should stop lying to yourself." Credit: Uncharted Wiki
As with most of the writing in this game, the exchange that follows is pretty paint-by-numbers, but like I mentioned before, it sells itself via the performances from North and Rose. Along with this heated exchange comes an overwhelming sense of shame from the player character. The impression that I get here is that Nate knows he’s in the wrong; he doesn’t lie because he thinks it’s the right thing to do. He lies because he knows that Elena was right when she points out that he still doesn’t want to give up the treasure hunting life; he knows that she was onto something when she asked if he was happy with their “normal life.” Of course he wasn’t! That’s why he momentarily lost himself in a painting of some nondescript beach; why he set up a combat simulator using a toy gun in his office in the attic (the idea of which is indicative of some major mental health problems if taken seriously.)
So that’s where that shame comes from. Nate isn’t ashamed of helping his brother; Sam takes advantage of Nate’s naivety and uses his survivor’s guilt to coerce him into going along with his lie. Nate is so blinded by the emotion in the wake of seeing his brother again that he doesn’t bother to examine the credibility of his story. Sam is the catalyst that leads to Nate betraying his wife and falling back into his old ways; but Nate knows that he himself is not blameless. His drive to save his brother was, in part, a veil to cover up the fact that he really did want this. He wanted an excuse to throw himself back into another dangerous, globetrotting adventure, and he revels in the fact that it was his long-lost brother that finally did it. It was a perfect set of circumstances to lead Nate back down the rabbit hole, and in the process, it brings to light some important character flaws in both Drake brothers. Sam is a manipulator; Nate is naive and proud to the point of obliviousness; both of them are liars; and both of them are addicted to the pursuit of riches to the point where they are unconcerned with their own physical well-being, and in Nate’s case, the emotional well-being of his loved ones.
3. How did we survive that?! (Realistic Physics in Unrealistic Situations)
This one is a bit tougher to explain. The series obviously saw a huge jump in visual fidelity from Drake’s Deception to A Thief’s End; mostly due to the transition from PS3 to PS4. This transition also changed up the physics as well. Everything now feels much more weighty and realistic, in addition to looking more detailed. But one thing that hasn’t changed is the scale of the destruction during the big spectacle moments. In fact, it feels bigger than ever.
Nate and Sam look over the ruins of the lost city of Libertalia. Credit: Game Insider
As a result, the suspension of disbelief is stretched even further. The circumstances of the Uncharted games have always been a bit beyond the realm of reality, but it all felt plausible in the world it had created. A Thief’s End stretches that plausibility to its limit. Remember: by this point, Nate is out of practice. He hasn’t been on this kind of adventure for years. And through the updated visuals and physics, the player feels this as well. Whenever you’re thrown through the air by an explosion, or fall through a broken floor down a twenty foot drop, or have to frantically make your way out of a crumbling tower; it’s all got much more impact this time around. All of these intense action sequences finally feel like they’re a bit too much, even for Nathan Drake.
Whether intentional or not, it’s damn effective. It makes the stakes feel higher; it gives more weight to this example of the “one last ride” concept. It makes the whole game feel like more of an exciting conclusion, because it makes the player feel like they’re defying reality by performing these feats, more so than in any previous title.
Originally, to me, A Thief’s End didn’t feel like it should exist. But now, I can’t imagine a conclusion more worthy of Nathan Drake. It creates a plausible, personal reason for the story to happen by bringing in Sam, it re-examines themes and character flaws that had been hinted at in previous games but had never been fully explored, and it takes full advantage of the PS4 hardware to emphasize those themes by using more realistic physics and more detailed visuals. A Thief’s End feels appropriately personal, emotional, and poignant. It offers a resolution that Drake’s Deception didn’t. It answers questions that I didn’t know needed answering, and tied the whole series arc together in a way that felt satisfying. The epilogue chapter is a beautiful love letter to the whole series that ends the story of Nathan Drake on a note of hope. And on top of that, it’s adorable. Sure, now we’ve got The Lost Legacy, but that feels like its own beast. It feels like it’s just getting started with its own story; and if the franchise has to continue with any other character, Chloe Frazer is a damn good choice. I didn’t think I would be saying this before the release of A Thief’s End, but I’m excited for the future of the Uncharted franchise.