Uncharted is a series known for its linear cinematic gameplay, but with Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, Naughty Dog is looking to change that up. 

In an interview with GameInformer, game directors Bruce Straley and Neil Druckmann talked about how the game would feature larger areas to convey a better sense of player exploration, and to enhance the feeling of Nathan Drake being a lost adventurer.

Open-world games are popular in the industry these days, but Straley made it clear that they weren’t making changes due to pressure. The studio will be working to ensure the rich Uncharted storytelling is intact, while also giving the player more to explore.

During the development of Uncharted 4, Druckmann noted that they actually created areas that were too big. These areas lost narrative focus and pacing, elements that are very important to the storytelling, so they had to scale things back. Some areas of the game will be more linear than others; it’s all just based on what the moment is about.

Uncharted 4 is set to release this year on PlayStation 4, stay tuned to MONG for the latest news.

My Opinion:

More open areas in an Uncharted game, yes please! One of the only complaints I could have had with the previous Uncharted titles is that they could have used some slightly larger areas. This was a minor complaint though, and it looks like Naughty Dog is working to fix it. I can’t wait to see more of these larger areas, I think they will add a lot to the experience. My one hesitation is that I hope it doesn’t negatively affect the storytelling. I am sure Naughty Dog knows what they are doing in this regard though, so I am not worried at all.

Ryan Amirault is an Associate Writer for MONG and Uncharted is his favorite franchise ever! Follow him on Twitter.