If the PS Vita is suppose to be "the most powerful handheld on the planet" then Uncharted: Golden Abyss really shows why. Uncharted doesn't have PS3-esque graphics but damn are the graphics still something to behold. Developed by one of the most critically acclaimed developers that brought you The Last of Us, Naught Dog has revealed Uncharted: Golden Abyss as a PS Vita launch title during February 2012. I've seen gameplay videos of this game and many screenshots and have always thought that the game will be NOTHING like it's much more popular PS3 version. Oh, how I was wrong. Having played and finished Uncharted: Golden Abyss, I can safely say that you're getting your money's worth when buying this triple A game. And this is obviously a PS Vita exclusive.
The story of Uncharted: Golden Abyss is one that takes place before the happenings of the first PS3 Uncharted, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. Golden Abyss follows protagnist, Nathan Drake as he seeks to uncover secrets about an ancient... well you know how it goes. Just think "Indiana Jones". The first chapter of this 34 chapter game starts right away with some action as you're shooting bad guys, climbing ledges here and there all while not really knowing what's going on. You get hit by an RPG and that's when the story starts. You're flashed back to 2 weeks ago. The story starts out slow but towards the last 7 or 8 chapters of the game, the intensity really builds up resulting in your usual happily-ever-after ending. Kind of fitting for an adventure game like Golden Abyss.
Honestly, the story is as predictable as every superhero movie that's come out in the past few years. And being a big narrative-driven gamer, This was a huge downside, especially since I'm not a jungle and ancient history kind of guy. What kept me coming back to play Golden Abyss was the stunning voice acting. Nolan North comes back and reprises his role as the famous Nathan Drake in the latest entry to the franchise. Another plus to the game was the music. There's always the right music put in at the right time and the tracks remind me of the Indiana Jones' movies of old.
"Uncharted has THE BEST voice acting in any VITA game to date."
If I didn't mention it before, I'll do so now. Uncharted's graphics are fantastic. Fantastic for a Vita game. In fact, I think Golden Abyss has the best graphics out of any Vita game I've played. The shadows look smooth and well-done and so are the small textures. A couple of graphical mishaps here and there and some generic looking enemies hinder the experience a little but the awesome environments and level of detail put into the game is more than enough to overlook those minor issues. The game might not look visually pleasing through screen shots but when you're playing the game hands-on, there's a HUGE difference Trust me.
Uncharted just has those sequences where you just want to stop and look at the scenery and go "wow, I want to go there". The game's filled with beautiful cinematographic (that's a long word) shots where the camera pans and zooms out of Drake and to the gorgeous environment before you.
"Uncharted: Golden Abyss has some close resemblances to the PS3 graphics. No small feat for a handheld."
Now that I've mentioned how the game looks, how it sounds, what the story's like. How about the gameplay? Is it any good?. Playing Uncharted: Golden Abyss for the first time, I didn't really know what to expect from the gameplay. I knew there was gonna be lots of guns and lots of platforming but I didn't know how they would feel on the Vita. In a nutshell, there aren't that many guns to choose from throughout the game. There's literally 3 or 5 types of rifles, 1 type of sniper rifle and about 7 or so pistols and handguns. The AI are at times quiet smart and can provide a challenge as 2 man teams might attempt to flank your position if possible. However, there were a few instances where the AI performs bone-headed maneuvers like using the wrong side of cover, or just standing still like a practice target. The stealth in Uncharted doesn't make sense at times. It baffles me how I can take down somebody that's literally 4 or 5 steps away from another enemy without so much as a reaction. There are several puzzles in the game but all of them require only a small amount logic and thinking before they're solved. While I enjoyed the gunplay and the graphics in the game, I didn't like the overuse of quick time events. Mainly because you have to swipe screen in the right direction first and then the action will be performed... What's wrong with the actions being executed AS you're swiping the screen? The platforming was still fun at least. Nothing like the likes of Assassin's Creed or anything but it was smooth. Especially when the handholds and ledges that you can climb on always have this distinct yellow color on them and with the mechanic where you touch the screen to leave a trail of how you're going to go about the wall or rock face, platforming becomes smooth and easy.
I mentioned before that there are 34 chapters in the game. You might be thinking that this game's going to give you 30+ hours of gameplay. Don't get your hopes up. There were some really long chapters lasting 20 to 30+ minutes long but at the first few chapters, there's not much to do. There was even a chapter where you didn't have to move. It was just a long cutscene, there was another chapter where it was literally, 5 - 7 minutes long. I couldn't believe it myself. Luckily as the action and story started to progress, the chapters became longer and longer. Throughout your playthrough, you'll come across these hidden treasures that you can collect and collecting these treasures gives you cards that you can use in the Uncharted card game for the Vita, Uncharted: Fight for Fortune.
Drake occasionally finds these charcoal rubbings or old artifacts that need to be smudged or cleaned via swiping the vita screen repeatedly. These game mechanics feel forced in my opinion and among the most boring of them all are the sequences where you have to puzzle together a torn up map by putting the right pieces in the right places. Totally unnecessary.
Uncharted: Golden Abyss - however various faults it may have in the gameplay - is a game that vita owners should play. It really showcases the power of the Vita and what kind of fantastic visuals that can be produced from a handheld of this caliber. So it takes a while to load, and takes a lot of the battery, and has some boring and unnecessary mechanics like the artifact-shining etc. The game tells a good adventure story and puts you in a beautiful environment with easily likeable characters thanks to some talented voice acting.
Final Score - 8.5 / 10
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