The rumors concerning a potential fifth Uncharted game have been gathering momentum for years, beginning not long after the launch and subsequent success of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. It's a series that carried the PlayStation 3 through some tough times, and as such has been held in high regards by both Sony and mass audiences at large. Nathan Drake is one of the most beloved characters in gaming, and the Naughty Dog IP has cemented a legacy of excellence that has spilled into the PlayStation 4 and 5 with remasters, side projects, and spin-offs.
The California-based developer has another franchise under its belt that is carving out quite the resume itself, as The Last of Us has received a sequel, TV adaptation, a comic, and an upcoming online offering. Its influence in entertainment is evident, but one of its pillars bled into the gameplay of Uncharted 4. However, if Uncharted 5 is real, it should pivot away from what the fourth game started, reverting to its PS3 heyday.
Stealth in Uncharted was Fun, but Unspectacular
Uncharted wields its simplicity to great effect across many games. Its linear level design, unspectacular combat, and intermittent cutscenes that are rigidly used to tell the story aren't anything revolutionary, but when all these components are fitted together, it created an experience that many developers are still trying to improve on. The production value is always sky-high, and the character development is never anything less than exceptional. Each fits into a game that is a straightforward third-person shooter, with limited frills. This is far from a negative, as it's a format that a lot of players sorely miss.
Uncharted 4 tried to shake up the formula slightly by introducing more environments to interact with, making stealth a viable way to deal with groups of enemies. The idea surely came from Naughty Dog's previous success with The Last of Us, but in Uncharted 4 it doesn't contribute as much to the game's quality. Nathan Drake is a leap-before-he-looks character, and one that always seems to narrowly avoid catastrophe by simply being lucky at the right moment. Going in quietly was never his go-to method, even though there are light stealth elements in Uncharted 2 and 3, so having it be such a big part of the fourth game, and potentially the fifth, is a narrative and character inconsistency.
Nathan Drake Can’t Do Stealth Like Solid Snake or Joel
The stealth genre is littered with great protagonists, be it Sam Fisher, Agent 47, or Solid Snake. They are each delicate in their approach and calculated in their moves, so seeing them wait patiently for an enemy to fall into their hands makes a lot of sense. In Uncharted, Drake lying in wait feels awkward, and like it's only implemented to give players more ways to overcome an obstacle. Uncharted 4 uses stealth to break up action-packed scenes, but in doing so it never feels like it completely satisfies either genre.
While The Last of Us had an impact on Nathan Drake's PS4 outing, the favor was returned with The Last of Us 2. The pair of series have become closely connected to each other as Uncharted 4 had a lot of gameplay similarities with Joel and Ellie's journey. Uncharted 5, regardless of its protagonist, would be best served forgetting what The Last of Us does well by going back to its old way of doing things. Implementing the option of stealth on a number of occasions puts the series in the firing line of some deadly stealth competitors that Uncharted simply cannot compete with.
Uncharted 5 is rumored to be in development.