Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection: A duo of great games made even more so

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection: A duo of great games made even more so

From discovering ancient cities of gold to hunting long-lost pirate treasure, Uncharted's wisecracking, yet passionate protagonist Nathan Drake has done it all. Ever the thrill-seeker, Drake's adventures have essentially made him a household name in action-adventure gaming, and with the release of the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, a duo of already-magnificent titles are now even more so.

Released for PC and PlayStation 5 consoles by Naughty Dog, the two-game bundle comprises remastered versions of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End as well as Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, and as much as I'd like to write one, this won't actually be a full-fledged review. Oh, and you should probably wait for a sale to pick this up - more on this later!

Same adventures, different experiences

For what it's worth, the short answer is that the "source material" hasn't changed per se. Both titles are essentially the same in terms of gameplay, narrative, and presentation - it's just that they look much better than before, and that's saying something considering how high the originals already set the bar. Between the Uncharted games and more recently, The Last of Us titles too, Naughty Dog has been really consistent when it comes to their aesthetics, so kudos to them for that. 

Anyway, to say the environments merely look picturesque wouldn't be doing them justice, especially with newly-included Ultra-Wide Monitor Support and super-sharp 4K resolution compatibilities, among other related features. Whether you're trudging through the snow in Scotland, sneaking into an Italian mansion, or bashing through the jungles of Madagascar, each and every level in the bundle is mind-blowingly gorgeous, and there isn't really a time when I stopped marvelling at the sheer beauty of the level design. Honestly, I think I might even have to buy a new F6 key when all is said and done - mine's pretty faded now after using Photo Mode so often. 

Along with the environments, character animations and conversations have benefitted from these inclusions too. Emotions and expressions are more apparent now, whether they're arguing, confiding in each other, or just sharing small talk, and that certainly adds a lot of depth to these interactions. In fact, I daresay the characters feel much more alive and vivid than in the original games, so that's one potential reason franchise veterans should consider picking this up.

As for gameplay, apart from the franchise's usual medley of climbing, swinging, grappling and combat, Naughty Dog has implemented some UI and quality-of-life changes to improve the experience. For example, those who found the original menus too big or too small now have access to scale sliders, and if you're playing on PC, you should also spend some time tinkering around with the wider range of UI options available, like Auto Pause or Minimise in Background, among numerous others.

When the time is right

But if the bundle is scoring so well on so many fronts, why would we insist that players wait for a sale to grab it?

Admittedly, nothing's stopping you from getting it right now, but it's probably more practical for you to wait. Now, there are two main reasons for it, and the first of them is that this bundle isn't going anywhere anytime soon. As far as action-adventure titles go, the Uncharted formula is an amazingly evergreen one - it's achieved a fantastic balance between exploration and combat that never feels unrewarding no matter when you pick it up, so why not do so when it's cheaper, right?

Of course, you could say that for pretty much any game, but older titles are much more likely to go on sale compared to more recent ones, and the two constituent titles here are anything but recent. To add on, it's not like you're getting an entirely new experience from them in terms of narrative, and this especially goes for those who've played through the originals before. After all, you already know what's going to happen, so it doesn't exactly hurt to wait. 

Following this chain of reasoning, the folks who actually stand to benefit the most from buying the bundles as soon as possible are those who've never had the chance to play either or both of these titles, and even then, why not just get it when it's cheaper?

Apart from potential discounts, there's also the consideration that there are still quite a number of bugs and glitches that need to be fixed, some of which are more significant than others.

For instance, many players previously complained about a game-breaking mouse acceleration issue on PC that literally made aiming impossible, though I was fortunate because this particular one had already been patched when I started playing. However, I personally had to deal with another bug concerning the camera angle, whereby I had to tilt my camera to a certain perspective before Nate would reach out his hand for the next ledge. And of course, the game occasionally crashed too - probably two or three times over the course of my playthrough.

Now, it goes without saying that these problems can be outright annoying, especially when you've just gotten into the groove of combat or exploring a new level, and though I love the gameplay experience outside of them, their existence is part of the reason why I recommend waiting. In other words, biding your time won't just save you cash - it also gives the developers more time to hopefully solve these issues so that when you do get around to buying it, you'll get a much more seamless and engaging experience. 

Yea or nay?

So, to reiterate, do I think gamers should buy the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection? For lack of better phrasing, heck yes - and doubly so if you've never played these two titles before, or any Uncharted game, for that matter. 

I absolutely loved playing through them, not just because they look absolutely gorgeous, but because they're accompanied by masterfully written narratives and fantastic gameplay design, both in terms of combat as well as exploration. To be entirely honest, I've not played through the previous titles in the franchise, which many fans say were even better than these, but judging from how much I enjoyed myself, I'm now in the same queue as them, hoping that Naughty Dog will refresh them for modern gaming platforms.

All in all, it's truly an experience that will rekindle your innate curiosity and love for adventure, but given that these games came out some time back, there's also no real reason for you to rush into it. After all, they'll be just as exciting a couple of years down the road as they will be now, and being "older games" in that sense, they're much more likely to go on sale anyway. You'll get the best of both worlds, as they say.

For more information, check out the game's Steam page.