Uncharted: Golden Abyss
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The Uncharted series is known for pushing the graphical limits of the PS3, so the announcement of Uncharted: Golden Abyss for the Vita’s launch sounded almost like a challenge to question the device’s power. Series creator Naughty Dog handed off the reins to Sony’s Bend Studio to handle Nathan Drake’s first foray into the portable space, and I must say, I’m surprised at how well the game mirrors its console cousins in both gameplay and graphics.
Let’s get the obvious out of the way first: Uncharted: Golden Abyss looks stunning. At a glance, the game looks exactly like Uncharted on the PS3. The lush jungles and sprawling views from atop ancient ruins look so good it’s hard to believe they’re being rendered on a device that fits in your hand. No other handheld game has featured textures as crisp, lighting as realistic, or a level of detail like this before. If you look closely, you’ll find the occasional blurry texture or 2D prop, but make no mistake: this is Uncharted on the go. Just walking around the environments and taking in the sight is thrilling, especially since Bend has added a new level of depth to treasure hunting.
Let’s get the obvious out of the way first: Uncharted: Golden Abyss looks stunning. At a glance, the game looks exactly like Uncharted on the PS3. The lush jungles and sprawling views from atop ancient ruins look so good it’s hard to believe they’re being rendered on a device that fits in your hand. No other handheld game has featured textures as crisp, lighting as realistic, or a level of detail like this before. If you look closely, you’ll find the occasional blurry texture or 2D prop, but make no mistake: this is Uncharted on the go. Just walking around the environments and taking in the sight is thrilling, especially since Bend has added a new level of depth to treasure hunting.
In the previous Uncharted games, small treasures hidden around the levels coaxed players off the beaten path. There wasn’t much to the treasures; they were more for show than anything. In Golden Abyss, these treasures actually have a purpose. There are multiple times as many treasures to find now, and they include charcoal rubbings, pictures, modern objects, and puzzle pieces as well as the more traditional archaeological items. Treasures are organized into sets, and each piece reveals a small morsel of history in a larger background. Collect all the pieces, and Drake will uncover the story of a lost traveler, or facts about an ancient civilization, or some other tiny storyline that adds realism to the world. The treasures now provide a more compelling reason to fully explore the environment, and many of them are cleverly hidden. They use the Vita’s touchscreens and gyroscope in fun ways and provide a quick diversion from the action.
Moving through the environments with dual analog sticks is also a new experience on a handheld. Uncharted has always had somewhat loose aiming controls, and the problem is slightly exacerbated by the small sticks. Just having the ability to move and aim gracefully with the Vita is great, but the tiny analog sticks will likely never provide the same precision as the Dualshock’s larger sticks. Aiming never became a huge problem, even on hard difficulty, but it was definitely noticeable. I found myself getting better as the game went on, but I never felt like I was able to reliably pop out from cover and pull off a quick headshot. Again, that can be chalked up to both the small sticks and the generally loose aiming that the series is known for.
Moving through the environments with dual analog sticks is also a new experience on a handheld. Uncharted has always had somewhat loose aiming controls, and the problem is slightly exacerbated by the small sticks. Just having the ability to move and aim gracefully with the Vita is great, but the tiny analog sticks will likely never provide the same precision as the Dualshock’s larger sticks. Aiming never became a huge problem, even on hard difficulty, but it was definitely noticeable. I found myself getting better as the game went on, but I never felt like I was able to reliably pop out from cover and pull off a quick headshot. Again, that can be chalked up to both the small sticks and the generally loose aiming that the series is known for.
The familiar music from the console games is back here, and it goes a long way in making this feel like a proper entry in the series. There are some new tunes that fit right in with the main theme, but overall, the music is mostly recycled.
Golden Abyss’s story starts out slow, but by the end of the game, it reaches the lofty heights of its predecessors. The storytelling style as a whole is familiar, but there are more jokes here, and characters get a lot more time to interact than in the PS3 games. That turns out to be both a good and a bad thing. It sometimes feels like interactions are forced, and there is the occasional awkward joke that could easily have been cut. At the same time, I enjoyed the more realistic story and slower pace that came with it. The goofy one-liners built a distinct tone for the game. Sure, Drake's shooting hundreds of dudes, but he always has time to make fun of Dante’s turtle-skin shoes.
If there’s one word I could use to describe Uncharted: Golden Abyss, it would be “impressive.” Everything about the console series has made it over to the Vita intact. The graphics are beautiful, the story has the same feel, and the gunplay is unchanged. The journey is slightly longer than the previous games, and there are a ton of treasures to go back and find once you’ve seen the credits roll. I’m still awestruck by the fact that almost nothing was lost in the translation of the series to a handheld. This is the most exciting launch game for the Vita, and it’s the perfect game to show off the system’s capabilities.
