Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End Multiplayer Impressions

Just like almost any video game developer, Naughty Dog wants to ensure their production is as fantastic as it can possibly be. One of the best ways to determine that any game with multiplayer in it will be enjoyed by the fans is to release an open beta. Users to get a sneak preview of the game they’ve been waiting for, and the developer can fix the kinks experienced in the beta before release day. Everybody wins.

The Uncharted 4 open beta may have closed back in March, but now that the game’s release date of May 10th is almost upon us, it feels like a great time to talk about the impressions we were left with during the short time we were given to play.

The good news is that Uncharted 4‘s multiplayer appears to be as fast paced and fun as ever. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception were highly regarded not only for their single player stories, but additionally for the action-packed multiplayer modes included.

It’s not necessary to have multiplayer in already fantastic game, most players would agree that they’d rather have one amazing campaign or multiplayer mode in a game than both being mediocre, but if both just so happen to be fantastic, everybody’s happy. 

With Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End expected to have another incredible fortune hunting adventure for Nathan Drake, it’s all about how the multiplayer is going to play out, and it appears the deathmatch modes are going to be just as fun to play as the last games.

For the few days I was able to experience it, there was never a moment I wasn’t having a blast. Even if the teams were deadlocked at the center of a map killing each other, it all felt as thrilling as ever before — and truly of Naughty Dog quality. Frantically avoiding incoming RPG fire, using special moves to hurt your foes (such as throwing out an old cursed relic)…it was all so much fun. It made me sad to see the open beta close so quickly in a matter of days.

However, as fun as the beta was, I am extremely thankful Naughty Dog chose to release a beta to test the bugs, because there were quite a few.

The biggest complaint I had with the multiplayer was the rope swinging. During the matches, you could use a rope to swing to further parts of the map or reach higher locations. This is awesome in theory, and when it’s done right, it contributes to the thrill of being a fortune hunter. However, when it’s done wrong, it hurts the experience more than helps.

I’m hoping Naughty Dog took this into account, but almost every time I chose to use my rope and swing across maps, I almost always fell to my death. Whether it was my fault or some kind of error in the physics, I never really got enough momentum to clear pits. This became so commonplace that I opted to just only use the rope when I was above land, and couldn’t risk falling to my death in the process. 

Lastly, this feels more like a gripe than anything else, but I also had a small problem with the melee. In the single player campaign, hand to hand combat serves as the melee attack and adds some fun in taking down enemies. In the multiplayer, however, it’s your standard “use butt of gun to hit enemy till they go down” technique.

Perhaps this is best to keep the players balanced and ensure nobody has an unfair advantage, but just imagine how much more fun it would be taking down real time players with a well-timed attack. Even the Uncharted 3 multiplayer had some variety in the melee take-downs, so I’d love to see them explore it more in the sequel. 

However, this is exactly what a multiplayer beta is for, to test out the kinks. Regardless of these minor gripes, I am still beyond excited for the fourth and final installment in the Uncharted series, whether it’s through the fast-paced multiplayer or the heart racing narrative. Whether or not you have found yourself with a Playstation 4 thus far, many are predicting this to be the definitive killer app for the system, thanks to Naughty Dog’s continuously amazing track record.

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is set to release on May 10, 2016 exclusively for the Playstation 4. If you would like to find the best place to reserve your copy, be sure to read our pre-order guide article here. If you have no idea what Uncharted is, (have you been hiding a under a rock all your life?) be sure to watch the TV spot for the game below.