Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection Review: ‘An easy flex for PS5’

UNCHARTED: LEGACY OF THIEVES COLLECTION REVIEW FOR PS5.

The Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection bundles the single-player component of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End with Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, a previously standalone expansion, and gives them the remaster treatment for PS5 (and PC, at some point later in 2022). With both Uncharted experiences already receiving critical acclaim, this collection seems like an easy win for Naughty Dog and Sony. However, not all remasters are built equal and after playing some excellent “Director’s Cut” re-releases for PS5, I expected a bit more.

New-generation grunt

Make no mistake, the latest Uncharted installments polished up for PS5 look incredible. Players get a choice between Fidelity Mode, which increases the resolution to native 4K with a 30 FPS target frame rate; Performance Mode, which targets 60 FPS first and resolution second; and Performance+ Mode, which pushes the frame rate to 120 FPS but drops the resolution to 1080p. Performance was my mode of choice and the game looked and felt excellent running on a 65″ 4K display.

Of course, playing on PS5 isn’t just about pixels and frames, as the new-gen Sony hardware boasts a number of other features that the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection takes advantage of. The DualSense controller’s haptic feedback is felt through punches, jumping over objects, and while driving. The pad’s adaptive triggers also come into play when Nate or Chloe are swinging from a rope. Some will love this increased immersion but, after testing them for the purpose of this review, I did end up disabling them, as I have on every other game.

The fast loading is something that everyone will appreciate, however. The PS5’s SSD makes for blink-and-you’ll-miss-them loading screens and quickly resuming from rest mode makes it easy to pick up and play a chapter before heading to work or bed.

Uncharted on PS4 already had great sound, but this is further enhanced by the PS5’s 3D audio. This simulated surround sound is the best in the business to me, as I quickly balk at most other VSS solutions and usually stick with stereo. Whatever Sony has done with the PS5 here, it’s impressing even a cynic like me.

Twice as nice

Whether you’re playing as Nathan Drake alongside his brother Sam and other friends, or Chloe Frazer paired with Nadine, both remastered Uncharted experiences remain masterclasses in performance capture and emphasize the massive impact that capable actors playing memorable characters can have on the overall video game experience. For me, it’s these characters that make Naughty Dog games so special and seeing them interact with each other and the goings-on in the ever-changing environments is forever a treat.

With that said, this isn’t a movie, and so gameplay also plays a large part. Thankfully, Naughty Dog is god-tier at that, too. From the set-pieces chock-full of explosive blockbuster moments to the more open environments where players can choose between stealth and going in all guns blazing, Uncharted 4 and The Lost Legacy never miss a beat, with excellent pacing and always something to look forward to.

Simple execution

My only real gripe with this Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection is how simple it is. I definitely don’t want to undermine the efforts of the developer here, as I’m sure remastering both adventures for PS5 and PC has been a tricky task, but compared to the likes of Ghost of Tsushima and Death Stranding, I feel like something is missing.

Both Ghost of Tsushima and Death Stranding received a “Director’s Cut” which offered additional content in addition to the remastered base game. From entirely new locations to explore to cool little items to expand the player’s arsenal, these titles were given a boost in more than just performance. It seems like a missed opportunity for Uncharted when certain expectations had already been set by those two titles.

Another blow to this “Collection” is the absence of Uncharted 4’s multiplayer. It’s a shame that Naughty Dog hasn’t used this remaster to kickstart the PvP component, ideally with some better anti-cheat measures and glitch fixes. Though the PS4 version remains playable, it’s hardly populated and, if you do find a match, the many cheaters shut down any chance of having fun.

The absence of a “Director’s Cut” and the multiplayer component does at least translate into a price drop, with the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection launching at $49.99, which is nice for newcomers. However, owners of the PS4 versions of these games will need to pay a $10 premium to unlock the remasters on PS5. What’s more, those who got Uncharted 4 through PS Plus are not eligible for the $10 upgrade and so will have to pay the full amount.

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection Review: Is it worth buying?

For $49.99, Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves bundles 20-30 hours of top-tier entertainment from one of the best developers out there, remastered for the current-gen Sony system in breathtaking detail. Multiplayer might have been chopped and there’s no fun “Director’s Cut” additional content to be had here, but the price reflects that.

While I’m disappointed by the relatively simple execution of this remaster, the content offered here is still outstanding. From the overall presentation to the polished gameplay, this is still single-player gaming at its finest, now made shinier.

It’s an easy flex for PS5, but that doesn’t make it any less of a must-play for those who missed out on the last-gen launch, or hardcore fans who want to scrutinize every pore on Nate and friends’ higher-resolution faces.

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves was reviewed on PS5 with code provided by the publisher.