If you love a good story as much as I do, then you know that nothing's harder than actually going through the ending, especially if you've become invested into the characters. The idea that this can be the final goodbye, it's not easy to go through. But at the same time, your love for these characters is what pushes you to get to that ending, to see what their struggles have amounted to, what their rewards are for everything they've done. Today, we're all about endings here as we discuss one of 2016's most hotly anticipated titles, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.
As Nathan Drake and a man named Sam race towards an island in the middle of a storm, the two are besieged by boats driven by men who want them dead. Suddenly, just as they are reaching their destination, the boat they are driving crashes, and Drake and Sam fall overboard...
The story cuts back towards Nathan's early life as a child growing up in an orphanage. His older brother, Samuel Drake, sneaks him out to show him a motorcycle. Nathan knows what this means: Sam's leaving him again. Sam promises to go back for Nate, but Nate has trouble believing it.
The story jumps forward a few years to a now adult Nathan Drake, serving time in a Panamanian prison. Sam is also there, as is a colleague called Rafe. The three are hunting for a treasure believed to be in an old colonial prison in close proximity. The warden, having been bribed to allow them entry, demands a bigger cut of the action. Rafe kills the man, causing a riot. Though Nate and Rafe manage to escape, Sam seemingly loses his life.
We cut back to a few months before the island incident. Nathan Drake, retired from illegal treasure hunting, works as a diver for a salvaging company. Bored but comfortable, Nathan and Elena, now married, live a good, if uneventful life. All this comes crashing down when Nathan's older brother, Sam, returns seemingly from the dead.
Sam explains that he survived, and is now in debt to a powerful and dangerous criminal called Hector Alcazar. Sam states that Alcazar helped him escape prison in exchange for a cut of the treasure Sam and Nate were searching for all those years ago. Thus begins Nathan Drake's final adventure...
So, this was it. This was the game that was five years waiting. The grand finale to one of the Playstation's finest franchises, and THE defining franchise of the Playstation 3. Released on the Playstation 4, Uncharted 4 is, doubtlessly, the most gorgeous, jaw dropping entry in the franchise, from a graphical point of view. The action is mind blowing, and of course the music is top notch. But what about the story?
The story is fantastic as well, but that's to be expected of Uncharted. It is a tale of swashbuckling, high kicking, globe trotting adventure. It features a plethora of diverse locales, from the icy coast of Scotland, to the beautiful countryside of Madagascar, to breath taking tropical islands. Everything that makes the Uncharted series good is present in Uncharted 4, only it's all kicked up a notch thanks to the PS4's stronger hardware.
But what about the characters? Aha, THAT'S where Uncharted 4 drops the ball.
It's a little hard to care for the characters this time around. From Nate's infuriating tendency to lie to his wife Elena, to Sam's emotional manipulation of his brother, to Nadine Ross' Mary Sue-ness, this entry features the weakest character presentation of the entire Uncharted series to date. Yeah, I'm gonna need to explain myself here.
In this game, Nathan Drake starts off a bit bored with his married life. You can tell he craves the adventurer life he had before he got married, but you can also tell he LOVES Elena, and wouldn't trade her for the world. When Sam comes back to his life, one of the first things Nathan wants to do is introduce him to her. This is something I can appreciate; a man who loves his wife? That's a good thing!
But then Sam tells him about the treasure of Henry Avery, how he needs it to pay back Alcazar, and how he needs Nate to help him find it. Nate's reluctant to go back to that life, and wants to tell Elena. Sam convinces Nathan to lie to his wife, to not tell her about the treasure. Sure enough, though it pains him to do so, Nate lies to his wife.
That pissed me off. And it kept pissing me off every time he kept doing it. After all the shit Nate and Elena went through together, Nathan should have known Elena could, and would, find out. Nate lies to her, and tells her he's doing a job in Malaysia. When she finally confronted him in Madagascar, a part of me wanted to see her slap him, hard. But when she asked, in that broken hearted voice, "was there ever even really a job in Malaysia?" a part of me died. Like WOW, the amount of damage Nate did to her, all evidenced with one line.
I was glad to see the regret and the hurt that Nate expressed following that exchange. But it PISSED ME OFF to see Sam egg Nate into continuing the adventure. I was like "No, Nate! Go back to your wife!" But Nathan didn't go back to his wife; he kept on going with his brother.
This ties us with a continuing theme from Uncharted 3: Family. Both games show Drake as being willing to go through hell for those he loves, but whereas in Uncharted 3 this was a positive, heroic trait (braving pirates, the hot Arabian desert, etc for Sully) in Uncharted 4, it's not entirely a positive (lying to his wife for the sake of his brother). Uncharted 4 shows us a more flawed Nathan Drake, one torn between the past (the treasure of Henry Avery the pirate, representing both his passion for history and adventure as well as his blood ties) and the future (his marriage to Elena Fisher, whom he'd given up his adventuring lifestyle for).
Of course, this all goes back to being "heroic" again when Sam gets shot by Rafe, sacrificing himself so Nate wouldn't get killed by that man. Though Sam lied to Nate about why he needed that treasure, he still cared about his little brother, and didn't want to see him get killed. Nate spends the rest of the game on a rescue mission to save his brother; the treasure? He doesn't care anymore.
This brings me to Sam. Sam is a polarizing man; he's toxic, but at the same time, there's no denying he loves his little brother. He lied to Nate about why he needed that treasure; it was Rafe who hired him, and Rafe was willing to kill Nathan once he found it. Sam, of course, was not willing to let his brother die, so when Rafe fired the killing shot, Sam took it. Of course Sam survived, but that's not the point. The point is, Sam took a bullet for his little brother, and THAT speaks volumes.
But Sam STILL convinced Nathan to lie to his wife about everything. Then again, to hold Sam in any way responsible is to take away responsibility from Nathan for his actions. Nathan could, at ANY time, simply said "no Sam, I'm gonna come clean to her." It was Nathan who chose, continuously, to lie to Elena, so it's NATHAN who should be held responsible.
If I am to hold Sam responsible for anything, it'd be lying to Nathan about why he needed Avery's treasure. Sam told Nate it was to pay off a powerful crime lord, but it was really because Rafe hired him to find it. Sam put Nate's life in danger, and he didn't even have the decency to tell him the truth? That's the reason why I disliked Sam as a character, though his sacrifice, and him giving Nate what little gold he could salvage, helped him earn some points in my book.
Let's talk villains. Rafe? He's uninteresting. Next!
Nadine Ross, now THERE'S a controversial characters! Setting aside the racial and gender politics that had gone behind the scenes, we need to look at Nadine from a character point of view. Simply put, she sucks, but for reasons that differ from Rafe, Whereas Rafe is uninteresting, Nadine is simply too unbelievably GOOD at what she does. This isn't a plus.
Nadine beats Nathan Drake in hand to hand combat rather handily, to the point that Nate can't even land a hit. OK, I'm sorry, but if I get a curb stomp battle, I demand a rematch when I can do some curb stomping of my own! But the player never gets that chance to give Nadine a sound, decisive defeat.
The worst part is how the game treats Nadine. She sends her men to kill Nate, personally throws him out the window, aids Rafe in destroying many archaeological sites, and in the end...she gets away scott free. She suffers NO consequences for her actions, neither from the player nor from the story. She even gets to CHOOSE to walk away from the treasure hunt, leaving Rafe to die! No, I'm sorry but that's not satisfying.
The reason WHY it's not satisfying is because Nadine proved to be an obstacle that the player never got to overcome; she steps away just when the player's moment of triumph is at hand. Of course it makes sense for her to step away; she's already got enough money to make up for the HUGE loss she obtained from this job, plus continuing the job would lead to more loss than gain. But again, where's the satisfaction? Nadine is like that school bully who used to pick on you every day, but the day you finally decide to stand up to him, you find out he's changed schools. The relief that you no longer have to deal with him is there, but there's still that nagging feeling that he got the last laugh.
I guess what I'm trying to get at is that Uncharted 4 has its flaws. Are these flaws enough to bring the game down? That's for you to decide. But more than anything, a question we should ask is this: is Uncharted 4 a good enough 'final chapter' for Nathan Drake? My answer is this:
We didn't NEED Uncharted 4 as a final chapter, as every Uncharted game was closed ended enough to serve as a potential finale for Nathan's adventures. In Uncharted 1, Nathan gets the girl, in spite of losing the treasure. Same for Uncharted 2 and 3. What did Uncharted 4 do that was so different. so definitive that it says "Drake's adventures end HERE?" The answer is: Drake went legit. At the end of the game, Drake becomes a self employed salvager who teams up with Elena to find rare archaeological treasures.
But in the end, was the ending satisfying? Well, yes and no. No, I don't think this was Nate's best, most memorable adventure (to me, that's Uncharted 2), but it's Nate's condition at the very end of the game that truly matters most. What's his condition? He's still doing what he loves, and this time, he's doing it with the people he loves, and legally too. Nate and Elena are still married, still in love, and now with a daughter who's clearly walking in their footsteps. They have a nice house, a dog, and all in all, the love is there. Nate went from an orphanage, to the streets, to a prison, to a world hopper, and in the end, he settled down and raised a family. Nate won the game of life.
And THAT is what Nate deserved most of all. He deserved to be happy. And it's this happiness that truly cements Uncharted 4 as the perfect way to end Nate's story.
And so we end our Uncharted Month, and close the book on 2016. It has not been an easy year, but we made it through. We know look forward to a new year, to 2017. May it bring us all joy and good tidings!
This ties us with a continuing theme from Uncharted 3: Family. Both games show Drake as being willing to go through hell for those he loves, but whereas in Uncharted 3 this was a positive, heroic trait (braving pirates, the hot Arabian desert, etc for Sully) in Uncharted 4, it's not entirely a positive (lying to his wife for the sake of his brother). Uncharted 4 shows us a more flawed Nathan Drake, one torn between the past (the treasure of Henry Avery the pirate, representing both his passion for history and adventure as well as his blood ties) and the future (his marriage to Elena Fisher, whom he'd given up his adventuring lifestyle for).
Of course, this all goes back to being "heroic" again when Sam gets shot by Rafe, sacrificing himself so Nate wouldn't get killed by that man. Though Sam lied to Nate about why he needed that treasure, he still cared about his little brother, and didn't want to see him get killed. Nate spends the rest of the game on a rescue mission to save his brother; the treasure? He doesn't care anymore.
This brings me to Sam. Sam is a polarizing man; he's toxic, but at the same time, there's no denying he loves his little brother. He lied to Nate about why he needed that treasure; it was Rafe who hired him, and Rafe was willing to kill Nathan once he found it. Sam, of course, was not willing to let his brother die, so when Rafe fired the killing shot, Sam took it. Of course Sam survived, but that's not the point. The point is, Sam took a bullet for his little brother, and THAT speaks volumes.
But Sam STILL convinced Nathan to lie to his wife about everything. Then again, to hold Sam in any way responsible is to take away responsibility from Nathan for his actions. Nathan could, at ANY time, simply said "no Sam, I'm gonna come clean to her." It was Nathan who chose, continuously, to lie to Elena, so it's NATHAN who should be held responsible.
If I am to hold Sam responsible for anything, it'd be lying to Nathan about why he needed Avery's treasure. Sam told Nate it was to pay off a powerful crime lord, but it was really because Rafe hired him to find it. Sam put Nate's life in danger, and he didn't even have the decency to tell him the truth? That's the reason why I disliked Sam as a character, though his sacrifice, and him giving Nate what little gold he could salvage, helped him earn some points in my book.
Let's talk villains. Rafe? He's uninteresting. Next!
Nadine Ross, now THERE'S a controversial characters! Setting aside the racial and gender politics that had gone behind the scenes, we need to look at Nadine from a character point of view. Simply put, she sucks, but for reasons that differ from Rafe, Whereas Rafe is uninteresting, Nadine is simply too unbelievably GOOD at what she does. This isn't a plus.
Nadine beats Nathan Drake in hand to hand combat rather handily, to the point that Nate can't even land a hit. OK, I'm sorry, but if I get a curb stomp battle, I demand a rematch when I can do some curb stomping of my own! But the player never gets that chance to give Nadine a sound, decisive defeat.
The worst part is how the game treats Nadine. She sends her men to kill Nate, personally throws him out the window, aids Rafe in destroying many archaeological sites, and in the end...she gets away scott free. She suffers NO consequences for her actions, neither from the player nor from the story. She even gets to CHOOSE to walk away from the treasure hunt, leaving Rafe to die! No, I'm sorry but that's not satisfying.
The reason WHY it's not satisfying is because Nadine proved to be an obstacle that the player never got to overcome; she steps away just when the player's moment of triumph is at hand. Of course it makes sense for her to step away; she's already got enough money to make up for the HUGE loss she obtained from this job, plus continuing the job would lead to more loss than gain. But again, where's the satisfaction? Nadine is like that school bully who used to pick on you every day, but the day you finally decide to stand up to him, you find out he's changed schools. The relief that you no longer have to deal with him is there, but there's still that nagging feeling that he got the last laugh.
I guess what I'm trying to get at is that Uncharted 4 has its flaws. Are these flaws enough to bring the game down? That's for you to decide. But more than anything, a question we should ask is this: is Uncharted 4 a good enough 'final chapter' for Nathan Drake? My answer is this:
We didn't NEED Uncharted 4 as a final chapter, as every Uncharted game was closed ended enough to serve as a potential finale for Nathan's adventures. In Uncharted 1, Nathan gets the girl, in spite of losing the treasure. Same for Uncharted 2 and 3. What did Uncharted 4 do that was so different. so definitive that it says "Drake's adventures end HERE?" The answer is: Drake went legit. At the end of the game, Drake becomes a self employed salvager who teams up with Elena to find rare archaeological treasures.
But in the end, was the ending satisfying? Well, yes and no. No, I don't think this was Nate's best, most memorable adventure (to me, that's Uncharted 2), but it's Nate's condition at the very end of the game that truly matters most. What's his condition? He's still doing what he loves, and this time, he's doing it with the people he loves, and legally too. Nate and Elena are still married, still in love, and now with a daughter who's clearly walking in their footsteps. They have a nice house, a dog, and all in all, the love is there. Nate went from an orphanage, to the streets, to a prison, to a world hopper, and in the end, he settled down and raised a family. Nate won the game of life.
And THAT is what Nate deserved most of all. He deserved to be happy. And it's this happiness that truly cements Uncharted 4 as the perfect way to end Nate's story.
And so we end our Uncharted Month, and close the book on 2016. It has not been an easy year, but we made it through. We know look forward to a new year, to 2017. May it bring us all joy and good tidings!
No comments:
Post a Comment