I feel like it was just yesterday when Steven McGehee reviewed the PlayStation 5 version of Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection. For the PS5, it came with updated visuals, and better monitor support, and it was compatible with the ever-enjoyable DualSense controller. It was a great update and a prelude to what would be the PC release arriving tomorrow. As we all know *eye roll*, PC is the top-tier way to go when it comes to gaming. It’s a gaming elitist paradise to brag about and it’s a wonderful place for Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection to end up. Let’s get right into it.
The same is good
The Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection journey to PC is just another feather in Sony and Naughty Dog’s cap and a solid message that they’re taking PC gaming seriously. Taking a franchise like Uncharted and putting it on PC means that they’re expanding their fanbase, while also taking advantage of maxing out hardware capabilities to make the best possible version of a game they can make. As I stated previously, PC gaming is an elitist paradise that is justified in its snobbery. It is the best way to see and play a game unless the game doesn’t work. That happens I hear.
Anyway, let’s talk about Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection. For the PC folks out there, that have never dipped their toe in the console world, this game is a helluva way to go dipping. The story behind both games that make up the collection are adventures that are similar but very much separate in terms of gameplay.
The first game, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, has series protagonist Nathan Drake globe-trotting once again, this time in search of a legendary pirate treasure. Players will control Nathan throughout the 17+ hour adventure, but you will often have an AI-friendly or three alongside you. The story takes place after the first three games in the series, but there are a few chapters that have you controlling Nathan as a young boy, getting into mischief with your older brother Sam, and bringing the band back together after a certain tragedy during a prison break. The game has Nathan trying to live a normal life away from thievery and adventure, but it soon pulls him back into the mix of it all with Sam’s emergence back into the land of the living. There is one final quest for the brothers to adventure, trying to find the treasure of famous pirate Captain Avery, and everything is at stake from the moment they land in Italy up to the conclusion.
The thing I love about this story is that it does put a final stamp on the Drake legacy. It also, as most Naughty Dog games do these days, creates real emotion from the adventure that instantly engages and connects the players to the characters and story. It’s all sincere, most of the time fun, and impactful both emotionally and as a gaming experience. In my humble opinion, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is probably the best of the Nathan Drake adventures. Hopefully, we get a connection to these somewhere down the road. Maybe in the next paragraph. Who knows?!
The other game in the collection is Lost Legacy, the first Uncharted game to not feature Nathan Drake or Victor Sullivan (Sully) at all. This was an intentional design choice to instead focus on Chole Frazer, a thief who was first introduced during Uncharted 2. Players take the role of Chloe but will have NPC assistance and interaction with Nadine Ross, the leader of the Shoreline mercs from Uncharted 4. Sam Drake is also a major part of the story that sees Chloe trying to track down a jeweled tusk that was said to belong to the son of Shiva. Chloe proves to be every bit as capable as Nathan as players will engage in melee, stealth (with silenced weapons as well, which is new to the series), and heavy action combat, as well as wild platforming/climbing sequences. While a shorter overall experience, Lost Legacy has basically the same quality of the story, characters, action, and general intrigue that the series is known for delivering.
Both games and stories in this collection are worthy of their own attention. I think both provide unique adventures, focus on the right characters, and deliver entertainment that is comparable to controlling a Hollywood action film. Nothing seems wasted and both are fantastic.
Gameplay
The gameplay in the collection focuses on heavy amounts of action and puzzle-solving. While that might be a single-sentence understatement of the year for summing up the Uncharted games, it is a base-level structure. You will go on long adventures that are firmly connected to linear storylines and complete tasks that are mixed with punching, shooting, running, and jumping. This is a game that literally simulates a summer popcorn action flick. We’re talking The Mummy (the good one) and Indiana Jones type of adventure movie.
One of the brighter spots I found with Uncharted 4 is how good the mechanics of the game were when it was released, and still are with this release. This was a big deal when the game was originally announced on the PlayStation 4 and it still feels refined and works well. With the move to PC, and compatibility with the PS5 DualSense, the game still maintains its perfect record of mechanic heaven. Moving the characters around and getting them to jump, punch, run, and swing in the game feels a lot more natural and less clunky than in past Uncharted adventures. The same goes for Lost Legacy. The mechanics just feel right and smooth and it shows how Naughty Dog perfected the movements with better mechanics. They don’t hinder the adventure, they help it.
On the shooting side of the equation, you have aim assist or loosey-goosey manual aiming. The first go around on the PlayStation 5, I did the latter. I must tell you, it was a chore, but it was probably me more than it was the game. This time around on PC, I just wanted to run through a good story without having to worry about aiming accuracy, so I chose aim assist. It was a much smoother way to go, and it allowed me to concentrate on the story unfolding. The narrative is the focus of the gameplay for Uncharted 4 and Lost Legacy, and the reason why it works so well. The story drives the action, which drives the mechanics that don’t get in the way of the story when you’ve got aim assist on, or when you are a better shooter than I am. If you choose to give yourself a challenge, then turn it off. If you’re looking to enjoy the narrative with the occasional gunfight, then go the other route.
Another big part of this adventure is puzzle-solving. We’re talking Tomb Raider-esque level of puzzles, which means there will be challenges. One of the first you happen upon in Uncharted 4 is lighting tiny torches in the correct order to progress in the game. The first one took about 15-minutes originally for me. The puzzles aren’t meant to stump you like they’re something out of The Witness, rather they add to the adventure and make this game more than just a point-and-shoot experience. You will find a good bit of puzzles and action that balances out to fantastic entertainment in both games.
Other things to expect in each game are statistics and progress reporting. There’s nothing like checking out how you’re doing. There is also a treasure option where you can check to see how you’re doing on collecting trinkets along the way. That’s a big deal for completionists out there. Not so much for me. There is also a Bonus category. For, you know, bonuses.
Ultimately, both games have two different stories, contain the same gameplay structure, and the gameplay mechanics and design work together with the narrative as it unfolds. For me, this is a full-motion video game that allows you to control your movie characters but is dead set on telling a linear story from beginning to end. Honestly, I could never complain about that type of gameplay design at all, especially when a strong story leads the charge.
Visually unrivaled
If you are lucky enough to run this game on ultra settings, and you need to have some strong GPU game going for that to happen, then you’re in for a treat. The game runs at 4K/60fps at ultra and it will require at least a 3060 card to achieve that mark. I say ‘at least’ so that you can reference the next section. Having said that, the game is unbelievably gorgeous to just watch. If you thought you were watching a movie before on the PS5 version, then you’re pop some corn, order an oversized soda, and park your butt in a comfy seat because the movie is about to begin. The textures in both games are amazing, the environments are sprinkled with the right type of lighting/falloff, and contain unrivaled details. You will get a solid dose of draw distance, active environments, and intricate details. There were times in both games when I would simply say ‘wow’ as the visuals unfolded. It’s one of the prettiest games to hit PC and a fun one to boot. It’s the best version of this collection. The acting ain’t half bad either.
Hardware Demands
The game is gorgeous, but it does come at a hardware cost. While the recommended card for this game is a GTX 1060, I would highly recommend a 3060+ card to get the most out of it. For example, I set the game on ultra and found my 3060/6gb struggling at times to maintain the frame rate at 4K settings, especially when pushed to an external monitor. I run this card from an MSI laptop, which might be the reason for the external struggle, but regardless, my laptop hardware should be more than capable. When I ran the game without going external, it was smooth as butter. I maintained a constant 60fps without a hitch in my giddy-up. For the record, my laptop features an 11th gen i7 and 16gb of RAM. The hard drive is of the NVMe variety. If you’re looking to run the best of the best out of the collection, then you’re going to have to run the best of the best hardware to get ultra to shine through. When it shines, though, it truly shines.
To help facilitate the hardware balancing, there is a neat addition to the advanced graphics menu system to juggle and adjust, if your system is having issues with handling the game. When you’re trying to find that system sweet spot, the game lets you know how much VRAM you’re using off your GPU to handle the graphics. You can balance out and sacrifice what you need in video settings to ensure the smoothest gameplay. I had never seen that before in a PC game and I was pleasantly surprised that it let you know when you should be concerned.
The minimum and recommended settings can be found on the game’s steam page for your reference, and a more complete breakdown can be found on the PlayStation blog.
Let’s wrap this beauty up.
Conclusion
The ultimate/definitive version of Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection now resides on the PC. If you have the hardware to run it and want to enjoy a good popcorn action adventure, then this is the game for you.
