Review: Uncharted: Golden Abyss (Vita)

The Uncharted series is widely regarded as the PS3’s finest, having sold over 13 million titles by the beginning of 2012. But how does Nathan Drake fare in his first portable outing?

Golden Abyss is the first in the series not to be developed by series creator Naughty Dog. When I first discovered that fact alone, I was worried; in my experience, portable versions of well-known console games have tended to suck as it is, nevermind ones that have changed developers. So I’m pleased to say that after a few minutes alone with the game prior to launch, my fears were gone and I preordered it immediately. Now that I’ve had more time with it, I can share with you my personal high- and low points of this game.

You play as series protagonist, Nathan Drake, as he is traverses the rainforests of Central America. Like Uncharted 2 and 3, the game starts part way through the story, and after a short section of gameplay (with tutorials for the new features), the story rewinds to an earlier point in time to show Drake and fellow explorer Jason Dante making their way across bridges and up cliff faces, giving the first section a new context. Shortly after, you also meet Marisa Chase; a woman who can do pretty much everything Drake can, but doesn’t “do guns”.

Golden Abyss is a prequel to the first Uncharted game, so fans of the series won’t miss out on too much if they don’t play this game. However, it’s worth noting that the game doesn’t play exactly like its bigger brothers; I’ll start with the various differences first.

Being a Vita title, the game makes good use of the device’s features; namely the touch screen, rear touch pad, Near and the camera. Some of these feel gimmicky at first, such as swiping the screen during melee combat, but it’s something you get used to as you get further in. Others, like making charcoal rubbings or wiping dirt off artifacts, feel more natural. However, it feels like these features were added in just to show off the Vita’s hardware capabilities, and don’t add much to the core gameplay experience, instead feeling like afterthoughts.

Another change is to the in-game collectibles. Fans of the series should be familiar with the process of finding 100/101 treasures in each of the three PS3 titles. Well, Bend decided that it was too simple. In Golden Abyss, you must find turquoise glyphs, jade carvings, mystery items, make charcoal rubbings and take photos. There are also items that drop from enemies, which you can trade with friends using the aforementioned Near functionality.

So with those differences out of the way, how does the rest of the game measure up? Well, the game feels as an Uncharted game should; an engaging storyline, plenty of wall-climbing, and the series’ trademark cinematic style. Oh, and Nolan North. The only gripes I have with the game are the overly sensitive aiming (though this can be reduced), having to swipe patterns on the screen in the middle of a fist fight, and the fact that you are told which chapters the collectibles are in; the latter one bugs me most, because I feel disappointed when I progress to the next chapter and see that I missed some.

Overall, the cons are easily outweighed by the pros, and this game is a must-buy for Vita owners. Even if you haven’t played an Uncharted game before, with it being a prequel you won’t miss out on any of the story, and it really is a series that you should try out.

9/10