Nathan Drake's latest globe-trotting adventures might be the focus of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, but developer Naughty Dog is committed to delivering a frenetic and fun-filled multiplayer experience alongside the long-awaited story mode. The competitive multiplayer mode was finally revealed at Paris Games Week, complete with action-packed trailer revealing some all-important new gameplay mechanics, and now we've had the chance to actually get our hands on a controller and play a few rounds.
The five-vs-five team deathmatch mode I played had the assembled journalists picking between familiar faces from all three previous Uncharted games, including Drake, Sully and Elena on one side and series villains including Katherine Marlowe and Harry Flynn on the other. Characters shown in the reveal trailer, including Zoran Lazarević and Chloe Frazer weren't playable, although it's not clear if you'll need to unlock them through play or they simply hadn't been implemented in the early alpha code. Each character has their own set of scripted and voiced lines, cracking wize with each kill and moaning about the player's abilities after each death.
You get to pick a weapon load-outs at the start of a round from a choice of four, with close-range, mid-range and long-range guns including a bolt-action sniper rifle, AK47 and submachine gun available from the outset, along with side-arms, grenades and trip-mines. You can also change weapons mid-game, but you'll have to wait until your next respawn to get a new gun.
Each class also includes a Mystical power-up, which can be purchased from the in-game market using the touchpad. Money is earned from kills and collecting treasures strewn throughout each map, and while lead multiplayer designer Robert Cogburn told us microtransactions were planned, "We'll have no gameplay items that will be gated through microtransactions."
The Mystical powers take inspiration from the various relics and myths encountered in each of the Uncharted games, including the Wrath of El Dorado, a thrown object that bursts into a fire-spewing Totem that can deny enemies access to an area. There will be five different powers at launch, but only three have been revealed so far. Spirit of the Djinn speeds up your character and engulfs them in flames, letting them quickly dash around the map. Among Thieves' Cintimani Stone is an area-of-effect fireball that can pick up downed teammates and automatically bring you back to life after a KO. Naughty Dog has learned a lot from The Last of Us, bringing the down-but-not-out mechanic that encourages teamplay and keeps you in the action for longer between respawns.
These outlandish abilities work well in the context of an Uncharted game, especially compared to the all-too-serious third game's multiplayer mode, helping teams turn the tide of a losing match with a well-timed or well-placed Mystical power-up. AI-controlled sidekicks can have the same effect; each one can be purchased through the in-game market using earned currency, then dropped into battle to protect you or hunt your enemies. The Sniper and Brute are aggressive, gun-toting soldiers, but the Saviour and the Hunter proved more useful in my play session; the former can revive you and your teammates, and makes grenade recharge times faster, while the former roams the map, trapping enemies. They remain stuck until you KO them, they are saved by a friend, or they mash buttons hard enough to escape.
The single map available during the hands-on demo, a densely-packed jungle, perfectly suits the Uncharted ethos. The arena has long sight lines through the central area for sniping, some close-quarters indoor combat, and some vertical sections for climbing and taking shortcuts in order to get the drop on enemies. You can also use the new grappling hook by tapping L1 in certain places, swinging across ravines and quickly escaping the line of fire.
My play session felt like it was over all too quickly, and considering I didn't have high hopes for the multiplayer mode after I didn't really enjoy Uncharted 3, it's clear that Naughty Dog has done a brilliant job ramping up the fun while retaining the familiar third person gunplay. The 60fps frame rate certainly helps make things feel fluid, even if it comes at the expense of resolution; while the single-player campaign runs at 1080p and 30fps, multiplayer drops down to 900p. It's most visible in the player select screen before a game starts, but once you're in the middle of the action the lower resolution doesn't make a huge difference.
With plenty more weapons, Mystical powers and characters to reveal before Uncharted 4 arrives on the 18th of March, Naughty Dog has managed to pique our interests with its latest multiplayer mode. We'll be keeping a close eye on how it progresses in the run up to launch.
