The oncoming of a brand new console generation tends to bring remastered versions of last-gen hits, so it’s expected that games like Uncharted 4 and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy would eventually understand to PlayStation 5. The Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection brings the two PS4 Uncharted games to PS5 having a wide range of enhancements, most notably a sharper resolution and higher framerate. Many PlayStation 4 games like Ghost of Tsushima and God of War have obtained free PS5 updates, however, and while they might not include all of the PS5-specific features like DualSense support, these updates still pose an essential question. Was a full-priced remastered assortment of Uncharted 4 and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy even necessary?
The Legacy of Thieves Collection includes the 2 latest Uncharted games: Uncharted 4 and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. It’s strange the first three Uncharted games in the Nathan Drake Collection are omitted from this remaster, especially because this collection would be the franchise’s first PC release later this year, however these continue to be two excellent titles. Uncharted 4 and The Lost Legacy were highly praised by fans and critics alike once they were first released in 2022 and 2022 respectively, and they’re still great today.
Both games already are playable at high resolutions on PlayStation 4 Pro (albeit locked at 30 FPS), but this PS5 rerelease takes things a step further having a range of technical improvements. There are three graphics modes on offer: Fidelity Mode, Performance Mode, and Performance+ Mode. The very first two act like what we’ve come to expect from most PS5 titles; the previous offers a native 4K resolution locked at 30 FPS as the latter provides a smooth 60 FPS in an upscaled 4K resolution. Performance+ Mode, however, is a surprising edition for games that look this good. It allows both Uncharted 4 and also the Lost Legacy to be played at a striking 120 FPS, however the resolution is dropped to 1080p. Still, it’s a technical achievement that these games can be made to run at 120 FPS to begin with, especially since they were a few of the best-looking titles of the last generation.
Of course, all the other PS5 enhancements that you’d expect are present because well. The DualSense controller is utilized fairly well, although not as well as it's in titles like Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart or Returnal. Gunplay along with other actions do feel more impactful because of the adaptive triggers though, and also the DualSense features are an appreciated addition overall. Farmville also features 3D audio, but like the majority of other PS5 games, it doesn’t make a massive difference for the most part. 3D audio is still only supported on headphones and built-in TV speakers too, so those playing with surround sound systems or soundbars won’t be able to take advantage of this feature yet anyway.
Outside of the remaster’s improvements, the games are still exceptional. Uncharted 4 particularly is the highlight from the franchise, offering the best story in the series plus some of the greatest third-person shooting gameplay on the market. It’s an appropriate end to Nathan Drake’s story, and also the banter between him and his brother Sam makes the puzzle and exploration sections a lot more enjoyable. While it does are afflicted by some pacing issues, it’s easy to understand why Uncharted 4 was hailed as one of the best games around the PlayStation 4.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy holds up as well. It’s not as long as Uncharted 4, something which many people will appreciate next game’s slightly overstuffed story, and Chloe and Nadine really are a wonderful set of protagonists. It’s an infinitely more personal story than Uncharted 4, one that delves deeper in to the culture of one specific area rather than swapping between shallow locales like some type of globetrotting slideshow. The combat and exploration formulas established in Uncharted 4 really come into their own in The Lost Legacy, which game features probably the most inventive combat encounters within the series.
Revisiting these titles, it’s interesting to see how much of these games’ DNA wound up within the last people Part 2, the following Naughty Dog title to produce following this pair. The Uncharted games are definitely more action-focused than Naughty Dog’s other mega-popular series, but the cutscene direction, encounter design, and environmental design in these games absolutely sowed the seeds for which fans would experience of Ellie’s adventure years after the fact. It’s unfortunate that you can’t see these formulas grow from start to finish since the first three Uncharted games aren’t contained in this collection, however the two games that are included do enough to get the way.
The Last people Part 2 also received a free update which makes it run at 60 FPS on PlayStation 5. When you place Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection alongside that free update, it makes you ponder whether the price tag is even worth it. Yes, there's a rather cheap upgrade path allowing those who own either Uncharted 4 or Uncharted: The Lost Legacy to upgrade towards the Legacy of Thieves Collection for just $10, but they are the PS5-specific enhancements like DualSense support and 3D audio well worth the extra cost? This collection really might have been a free patch for games that raised the framerate to 60 FPS and quite a few of players would have been completely fine with that.
Still, Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection is a solid remaster of two excellent games. It does feel a bit unnecessary given Sony’s existing history of providing free PS5 updates for many PS4 games, however the upgrade isn’t that expensive. It’s a shame the original Uncharted trilogy isn’t included in this collection, though it may be playable on PS5 via backward compatibility. It might have been nice to play through Uncharted 1-3 at 120 FPS, but getting Uncharted 4 and The Lost Legacy continues to be good enough. It’s additionally a shame the multiplayer mode is absent, although it’s understandable why. These games continue to be just as good because they were once they were released, and they’re absolutely worth revisiting or jumping into for the first time.
