To Those Who Prove Worthy:

“I am a man of fortune and I must seek my fortune.” – Henry Avery, 1694

Naughty Dog has come out with another thrilling game in the Uncharted series, “Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.” Directors Bruce Straley and Neil Druckmann have taken the series to a whole new level. This action-adventure game has won several awards, including BAFTA Games Award for best game, The Game Award for best narrative, Game Award for Best Performance, Writers Guild of America Award for Achievement in Video Game Writing, and Empire Award for Best Video Game.

Esteemed fortune hunter Nathan Drake (Nolan North) has retired to living a normal life with his wife Elena (Emily Rose). This all changes when Samuel “Sam” (Troy Baker) – Nate’s presumed dead brother – knocks on his door needing Nate’s help. He tells Nate he has been in prison for the past 15 years, but escaped with drug lord Hector Alcazar (Robin Downes). Alcazar demands that Sam finds the treasure of infamous pirate Henry Avery within three months or be killed. Nate agrees to help Sam, and aided by Victor Sullivan “Sully” (Richard McGonagle), Nate once again sets out to find Avery’s treasure. But to make a difficult task even more complicated, Rafe Adler (Warren Kole), boss of a mercenary army, and his partner Nadine Ross (Laura Bailey) are also seeking Avery’s treasure – and will do anything to reach it, even eliminate the competition.

Straley and Druckmann emphasize the theme of corruption resulting from wealth. Avery, Tew, and the other pirates are the founders of Libertalia and have tons of treasure, but it isn’t enough. They keep wanting more. They steal from the colonists and, because of their greed, each other.

“It’s Avery and Tew, they killed each other,” Nate says.

“Good for them, what’s the point?” Rafe responds.

“Everyone obsessed with this treasure gets what they deserve,” Nadine states.

Naughty Dog adds another layer to the game with the relationships between characters. The main tension is between Elena and Nate. Nate lies to Elena about where he’s going and what he’s doing. When she finds out the truth, Elena is mad and hurt, so they go through the rest of the game trying to fix their relationship.

Despite all the intensity, Naughty Dog still creates humor throughout the story. Nate is always joking around and running his mouth. This helps lighten the mood to balance out all the fighting and shooting – although his mouth does cause trouble.

“Uncharted 4” has astounding visuals. Straley and Druckmann pay great attention to the smallest of details. Gamers see numerous ruins, caves, characters, and panoramic views from the tops of mountains. They also see places all across the world, including Panama, Italy, Scotland, United States, Madagascar, and several islands throughout the 24 chapters  (including a prologue and epilogue).

Fans who love the Uncharted series will enjoy the two chapters taking place when Nathan is a young boy because they’ll learn more about his past. Fans will also appreciate mentions of Nate’s past adventures.

“Uncharted 4” is rated T (teen) for blood, language, use of alcohol, use of tobacco, and violence.

“A Thief’s End” offers three different modes: story, multiplayer, and survival mode. Anyone can play in story mode (the main mode), but Playstation Plus is needed for multiplayer mode and when playing with others in survival mode.

If you want an action-adventure game that has a fast-paced plot, realistic dialogue, strong visuals, and several shocking plot twists that will leave you glued to the controller, buy “Uncharted 4: A Thief’s’ End.”