This year at PAX Australia, Sony had a last minute change to their showcase of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s Fortune. On the Friday only the hands-off demo from E3 2015 was shown, but from Saturday onwards attendees could try out the game’s recently revealed multiplayer mode. Specifically, Uncharted 4’s Team Deathmatch mode was shown with matches lasting approximately 10 minutes each.
The map we played was the unnamed temple area shown in the multiplayer trailer. Attendees were split into two teams of five, and were allowed to select a different character skin and weapon loadout. Scattered across the map were hanging branches which could be grappled onto to jump over cliffs. If enemies were in close proximity to where you intended to land it was even possible to kick them, although at the same time you were heavily exposed to gunfire.
Featured throughout the landscape were plenty of areas to take cover from enemies, as well as high vantage points that were perfect for sniping opportunities. This led to some intense firefights between teams, with the game encouraging players to stick together for higher survival rates. Similar to The Last of Us, if you fall in combat your teammates have a brief moment to revive you before either a timer runs out or the enemy finishes you off. The game itself was running beautifully at a smooth 60fps at 900p resolution, though it’s important to note this was in an alpha state so some details hadn’t been quite polished to Naughty Dog’s usual high standards.
New to Uncharted 4 are sidekick characters. These can be purchased from an in-game store and can be called to battle completely on the fly. The demo featured four sidekicks including the Sniper who can take skilled shots from high vantage points and the Saviour who revives fallen players. There’s also the Hunter who singles out opponents by grabbing and holding onto them for you to finish off, and the Brute which is best described as a slow moving tank that absorbs bullet fire and provides ground support. Due to their cost from the in-game store, the sidekicks never overrun the map and pop up infrequently enough that they won’t become annoying. They’re still a reasonable threat though and can easily change the outcome of a match if not dealt with swiftly.
One of the main highlights of the multiplayer trailer were the new Mystic items that players can summon. Once again this is tied to the in-game store where items can be purchased for a fee, effectively controlling how often players unleash them. In the demo only three Mystic items appeared – the Wrath of El Dorando which unleashes spectres to damage enemies that are in close proximity, the Cintamani Stone which revives all downed allies, and the Spirit of Djinn which increases your melee strength and grants you teleportation abilities. If these items sound familiar to you then you are correct – they’re the treasures featured in previous Uncharted games which is a nice nod to the series’ history.
As a whole, the multiplayer feels like an improvement over previous installments. The core mechanics are still there with a few new features, matches are still frantic and action-oriented, and Naughty Dog is aiming to take full advantage of the PS4’s graphical capabilities. It’s hard to tell if there are any other surprises waiting for fans, but based on our first impressions Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End’s multiplayer mode will keep you glued to the screen for hours on end.
