Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and The Lost Legacy spin-off expansion were released all the way back in 2016 and 2017, respectively. With half a decade in between them, plus today’s trend of remakes and remasters, it’s not too surprising that Sony decided to take a stroll down memory lane and give the world the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection.
The collection remasters both the base game and the expansion, adding slightly higher graphical fidelity for both the current generation PS5, as well as PC. Naturally, the console version gets more enhancements, thanks to the DualSense controller, and to a lesser extent, the 3D audio technology that has been added to it.
What Is It?
If you’ve played the originals, then you probably would have no interest in the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection. After all, beyond the PS5-specific extras, it’s just a remaster of the base game and its standalone expansion. The story is unchanged, and while the multiplayer component is not there, it doesn’t matter as much because that’s not the reason you’re picking this one up.
But, if you’re diving in for the first time (assuming you’ve played the first three entries), then this is the version you should experience. The DualSense and 3D audio do make for an improved experience. And while not having them won’t be a deal-breaker, there’s no reason to not experience the best version. Except if you, understandably, still can’t get your hands on a PS5.
Is It Any Good?
If you like yourself an Uncharted experience, then yes it is. I won’t be going through the plot or gameplay, because we’ve done those in the reviews for the originals already. Instead, we’ll check out what’s new with the remaster, and exactly what kind of improvements you’re getting over the original.
Naturally, the biggest difference here – and one that’s not limited to the PS5 – is 60fps gameplay. But as is commonly the case if you’re on console, you have to choose between that and 4K resolution. Though when the choice is between 4K 30fps and 60fps at 1440p upscaled to 4K, the choice should be obvious. Then there’s also the overkill choice of 120fps at Full HD.
As you’d expect from a remaster, in addition to the resolution and framerate bump there’s also a jump in texture quality. In almost every scene, everything looks sharper, but details don’t seem to be getting the same consistency. Despite that, you’re still getting an overall upgrade compared to the original, which looked quite pretty already.
And then you have the near-instant load times, at least on the PS5. Once you have the game booted, load times between scenes, or respawn times when you die, is usually around two seconds, or occasionally three. You can probably achieve the same if you save the game on your PC’s SSD.
ADVERTISEMENT
But the elements that make the biggest difference in terms of immersion is the 3D audio and DualSense controller, the former more so than the latter. With Uncharted 4 having a large number of segments near water, be it a river or the seaside, the 3D audio really enhances the sounds of the flowing water. Ditto the rustling leaves of trees, as well as bits of debris off of rock cliffs and old buildings.
The Bad Stuff. Tell Me
This is not a downside per se, but more a missed opportunity. Unfortunately, the haptic feedback of the DualSense only kicks in when something major happens, like when you take a fall, or an explosion happens in the background. Overall, it feels like a lot more could be done, like light rumblings when hiding in tall grass.
Adaptive triggers are also really basic on the R2 button, the default input for pulling the trigger, and quite unnecessary for the L2 aiming button. You get some tension while pulling the trigger, and when your gun fires the trigger snaps and relaxes. It’s nice that it’s there, but it’s not really breaking any new ground.
And if I were to be really nitpicky, it all goes back to that lack of multiplayer. But again, that’s not really the main reason as to why you’d pick up the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection.
Should I Buy It?
The Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection is only really magical if you fulfil two conditions. One is that you’ve played the first three games, either individually or as part of the Nathan Drake Collection. And two, you have not played Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End or The Lost Legacy, or both.
As continuations of a long-running series, understanding the events that happen prior to the events of this one is crucial to your understanding of its plot. Otherwise, a lot of its key moments will either be lost on you, or its impact dampened. At the same time, if you’ve already played Uncharted 4 or The Lost Legacy, then you’re not really getting much out of this. After all, it’s essentially the same stories, dolled up with the help of higher resolutions, framerates and detail quality, as well as potentially faster loading times.
If you’re playing on the PS5 then you also get the 3D audio and DualSense bonuses. These would really enhance the experience if you’re playing them for the first time, but won’t quite be enough to make the experience fresh again if you already know what’s going to happen.
Then there’s the difficulty of getting a PS5 in the first place. But if you fulfil all those conditions, then you’ll be in for quite a ride with Naughty Dog’s signature story telling, and the impressive new-generation bells and whistles.
