(Hey guys, I just wrote this up for my blog and figured I'd share here to see if anyone else feels the same way [or disagrees of course]). Note that this is in no way a discussion of the game's overall merit or mechanics—I'm solely focusing on the narrative)

Silence—a first for the series.

Boot up any of the other Uncharted games, and you'll be greeted with momentous fanfare that pumps you up for yet another exciting adventure. It's fittingly titled "Nate's Theme" after our intrepid hero, capturing both his bravery and the exotic thrills that await him on the road ahead. But Uncharted 4: A Thief's End eschews with the series' bravado, opting to instead welcome the player with a solitary, silent, and haunting image:

The tonal shift feels deliberate; the dead pirate serves as a warning for those that tread down this path. And as you progress through the game's story, it's clear Uncharted 4's narrative revolves around greed and its consequences. Sam's naivety and lust for treasure sweeps his brother off his feet, transporting them both to Avery's island in a race to find the legendary captain's treasure before their ruthless adversaries do. Elena is also dragged into the struggle, first to rebuke Nate for his betrayal but then to watch over her reckless husband. Shortly after the two reunite on the island, they share a pithy exchange that reveals what's at stake:

Nate: "Thanks for saving me. Again."

Elena: "I almost didn't this time."

This journey isn't merely about risking one's life for gold and glory—it's about straining the fragile trust of those closest to you. Uncharted 4 masterfully echoes this in the tale of Libertalia and New Devon, where colonists and pirate leaders alike were deceived, tortured, and slaughtered by each other. Their internal strife shattered their proud allegiance, the venerable pirate utopia now left abandoned, flooded, and booby trapped. For half the game you stand in awe at what the pirate brigade was able to accomplish together, but eventually you uncover the truth of their arrogance, violence, and madness. Greed ultimately consumed them, and their mistrust for one another ensured that no one would survive to tell the tale.

Similar seeds of doubt are strewn amongst the main cast late into the game: Sam has lied to Nate, Nate has lied to Elena, and the uneasy alliance of Rafe and Nadine is quickly crumbling. Nate realizes the severity of this obsession with gold, first chiding himself for taking advantage of his wife and then bearing witness to the horrors of New Devon. It's clear this treasure is cursed—insofar as the people seeking to covet it don't seem to survive for long—and after reuniting with Sam, Nate makes a bold decision: they're all getting off the island, empty pockets in tow.

Nate & co. abandoning the plot wholesale was an interesting pivot in the story for me. Even though it felt like the game was warming up to an explosive finale (especially after the amazing ship graveyard section), this decision felt logical—after going through so much trouble to locate Avery's stash, our resilient hero has seen where this path takes him. His time with Elena has grounded him, Sam's betrayal let him taste his own bitter medicine, and the letters he collected illustrated how this tale would play out. This life wasn't fun—it was extremely selfish and dangerous. The player is then struck with an elongated period of silence as the cast slowly descends down the mountain back to the plane, an unceremonious anti-climax to our story.

Yet this is not where the game ends.

Sam somberly remarks about the explosions off in the distance, aching for the same resolution the player is. Eventually he gets separated and heads off to finish the journey he and his brother started. Nate coincidentally stumbles into an opportunity to pursue him, and does so. At this point, I figured the story was going to conclude with a fistfight to bring Sam back, as it seemed like an appropriate and emotional crescendo to close on (after all, how often do you brawl with the final boss in order to save his/her life?) Perhaps—I figured—there might be an epilogue of a playable Rafe or Nadine (or even Sam) descending into Avery's ship, discovering that the grisly pirate had rigged the vessel to burst if anyone stumbled upon his loot-laden corpse. Thieves dying with their desperately-sought treasure isn't exactly a fresh trope, but if there's something Avery seemed dead-set on, it was killing anyone that dared to steal from him.

To my surprise (but I'm sure the delight of many players), there's no subversion or shock—Nate travels to the pirate ship, duels with Rafe, and saves his brother. He escapes the crumbling vessel and returns home to shed his boring life, managing a salvage company with his wife which undertakes less risky ventures and explores the world. Almost everything ends better than expected for Uncharted 4's cast, the villains of the story being the only ones to receive a reprimand for their greed. Sure, Sam can't get back the time he lost in prison, but there's still a whole life full of adventure ahead of him with the best partner a guy can ask for.

I don't like this ending.

It may feel like a fitting conclusion for a sentimental fan of the Uncharted series, but it is not a good closer for this particular story. I know these games are a far cry from the bleak world of The Last of Us, but I expected a more serious resolution to accompany the more mature writing. Instead, the game follows in the thematic footsteps of the past three titles, placing Nate in constant peril but doing nothing to leave a lasting impression that he learned anything on this journey. At best Nathan realized he shouldn't lie to his wife, but at worst Elena's concern for him comes across as incessant nagging that keeps him from his true calling. Nearly nothing of importance occurred to convince me that this was definitely his final outing into the wild, other than the developers stating so.

A major part of my disappointment is because there were no demonstrable opportunities for Nate to quell his greed. I yearned for the mountaintop brawl with Sam because it would be a dynamic way to prove the treasure wasn't worth the sacrificing one's life, especially because Sam was emulating Nate's younger/more brash side. Instead, Avery's ship is set ablaze so the brothers—under immediate stress—can only escape with their lives, the lagoon caving in to ensure that the treasure was irrecoverable. But what would have happened if they had an opportunity to pillage it safely, or if they had the choice to hand it over to Rafe and Nadine? Doesn't Nate being forced to pull Sam away from the gilded goods sound like it would reinforce the narrative the players received throughout the game?

Robbing the story's main character of his agency to reject this lifestyle proves nothing to the player. Despite the subtitle, Uncharted 4 isn't about a thief's end—it's about a thief's reward. It's about how scavenging, trespassing, shooting, and narrowly avoiding death every minute can be quite thrilling and glamorous. As long as you act like the good guy, you get rewarded with a loyal wife, a fantastic job, a gorgeous beach house island, and a brilliant daughter. There are no lasting injuries, dead friends, or monetary losses to speak of—only the splendor of a life well-lived. Hell, the game ends on Nate recounting how fun and awesome his memories of the first game were. That right there is prime evidence of how enviable this lifestyle is, outside of your wife potentially thumbing her nose at you for doing it without her permission.

Perhaps, looking back, The Last of Us set too high a bar for Naughty Dog to achieve. Whereas that story ended exactlywhen it needed to and with the perfect tone, I can't help but feel that Uncharted 4 is a squandered opportunity. So many magnificent little details lured me in the wrong direction: the inclusion of the two thieves that were crucified with Jesus, the old woman at the estate alienating her family, and the discovery Burnes' grandson's corpse moments before the climax of the story. These remarkable tidbits unfortunately stand in stark opposition to how the narrative wraps up. There was no punishment for Nathan's thievery in the end; all the treasure hunter needed to do was stop chasing after illegal jobs and he was perfectly fine. Compare that to Avery's beloved Saint Dismas—despite being penitent, the man still suffered and diedfor his trespasses, only able to find solace through repenting for his sins.

Uncharted 4 should've just opened with a dramatic shot over Avery's island with Nate's Theme 4.0 playing. The lone skeleton swinging in the rusted gibbet is the exact opposite tone of this mindlessly optimistic game.

I rather enjoyed the bait and switch, it kept me on my toes throughout the game, but I would have enjoyed it even more if the title screen changed and the classic theme started playing after you had beaten the game. That would have been perfect.

Ultimately I don't think the sugarsweet ending detracts from the themes Uncharted 4 explores.

Yeah, I mentioned in my blog that there's a pretty huge contrast to how they wanted people to think this game would progress, only to then end it with the happiest ending conceivable. I think it's fitting for this series to end on a high note mind you, but it feels like they place you on a very specific path with a number of expectations only to then reverse it all for the sake of the traditional happy ending.

The exact same thing happened with Uncharted 3, though I don't think I minded as much with 4 because of the generally better storytelling on display when it came to the characters. Plus with 3 they were so blunt with how they kept bashing you over the head with the idea that Nate's recklessness would demand a price, whereas in 4 I think they were a little more ambiguous. If anyone was going to perhaps receive his comeuppance it'd have been Sam, to whom also doesn't receive any kind of punishment. There's definitely some inconsistencies there, and while I'm glad Nate at least got to go on living his life in happiness, I do think Sam shouldn't also been allowed to so gleefully sail into the sunset. He essentially represents the obsession of Uncharted 3 Nate in particular, only I guess Sam doesn't have the same familial attachments that Nate had with Elena & Sully.

However on the other hand, Sam's deceit ultimately strengthened Nate & Elena's relationship. It seems to me that it was possibly readying to erupt in some way, with Nate's own infighting with himself about wanting to still engage in adventures without breaking his promise, but because of Sam he was ultimately able to finally continue doing so without any of the possible guilt, as Elena's now perpetually along for the ride also and their escapades are on the up and up. So, no more evil mercenary corporations to contend with at least.

The more i think about the game the less i like it in retrospect lol. This whole "more mature" writing people talk about seems like an excuse for poor pacing and illogical plot. The focus on nates realisation that risking his life is dumb makes the point of the game itself feel dumb. An ENTIRE nation built around this pirate treasure, working for decades together and turning on each other out of sudden greed felt so illogical. It doesnt feel more mature to not have any supernatural or scifi reasoning, it just brings to light that "this makes no fucking sense". This is highlighted by rafe, who is a rich spoiled brat but would rather die than give up a treasure probably worth half his networth. The whole fight im left thinking hoe stupid all this is. Especially how sam doesnt die. There was a deliberate fun tone to the other games that gradually led into more serious stakes towards the end and even if gameplay got frustrating the story felt satisfying. It was purposefully less dark and realistic because it knew what it was, an indiana jones movie. I dont feel its an issue of maturity but an issue of tone, setting and knowing what you are. The attempt at realism and being more gritty only served to highlight the plot holes and illogical plot leaps in my opinion.

Personally, I'm tired of "edgy" storytellers feeling an obligation to mame, scar, or kill off major characters as if they're making a statement that it makes their story somehow deeper or more interesting. The moral of Nate's journey this time around isn't the same as Uncharted 3, where he kept chasing treasure at the risk of putting his friends and loved ones in danger. That game dropped the ball when they decided to chicken out on killing Sully off.

On the other hand, Nate's journey this time around is about how he and Elena went too far in the opposite direction after he gave up his adventurous lifestyle. Nate's already given up on chasing the treasure 3/4 into the game, so punishing him for supposed greed (which was never his initial motivation anyway, though he fell into some old habits along the way), doesn't make sense at that point.

Elena ending her marriage with Nate wouldn't have made sense. She's not exactly a shrinking violet herself, and it doesn't exactly take her long to kind of get back into full Metal Gear Elena mode. Nate's motivations in this game are not the same as they were in 3,. If anything, I'm so, so happy they didn't go the incredibly cliche route of making her this whiney character who is just dragging her alpha male husband down. In fact, the writing done regarding their relationship was my favorite part of the game.

The opportunity to have negative consequences regarding their relationship was back in Uncharted 3. I can't really blame this game for the crimes of that game. I'm open to the idea that they could have killed Sam off, though I don't really think that in any way changes or improves the lesson toward Nate because, as the game shows, he got out of the adventuring life following the events of this game. So, does adding an element of tragedy really alter anything there? Not really.

True, but for me it's made worse because the writing in UC4 is so much better and nuanced. Whereas I wasn't really looking for overarching themes or subversions in UC3, I expected more from Druckmann and Straley at the helm. Before I had a chance to play it, many people were walking away from the game discussing how much mature it was (specifically mature, not darker), so I naturally expected it to handle its themes with a little more finesse and hindsight. But when the theme points in one direction, then pulls almost the same events from the other Uncharteds, and then closes out on an overtly saccharine scene to warm the player's heart, I feel like a fast one was pulled on me. That's great if the scene works well for other people, but I stand by my statement that it's a poor closer for this particular game.

I agree that the dialogue between them is very well done, but you don't feel it went too far in the other direction by the end? Like, it seems odd to me to rant about about storytellers desiring to be cliche by making "edgy" statements when the game ended on perhaps the most cliche trope in history of fictional media—the "happily ever after" end. I wasn't exactly licking my lips in anticipation of a gritty/violent outcome for the main cast, but I needed a more clear path from start to finish that reinforced the ending we got. The way they wrapped everything up by stating "oh we haven't been adventuring enough actually" just rubbed me the wrong way—I'm wasn't hoping for Nate and Elena to break up, but to just have a more serious conclusion than "as long as Nate gets to solve puzzles in a jungle, everything is alright."

I don't agree he learned nothing. He really does leave the lifestyle. He goes back to the salvage job. This is make abundantly clear by him rubber stamping forms.

I think the name "A Thief's End" isn't actually meant to apply to Nathan. A thief did meet his end in this game, and Nathan learned something from it.

I agree in general with the melancholy over Nathan's happy life after. Heck, forget the overarching story I murdered 1,000 people in this game (and got a trophy for it) to earn the ability to retire on the beach. It's dissonant, and the trophy name reflects that. In the end, I'm not sure there is a ton you can do about it, people are looking for a diversion from regular life, so entertainment is generally more positive than regular life.

You hold forth TLOU as the pinnacle this game couldn't reach, but Joel may have doomed all of humanity to get the ending he found happy.

Ultimately, we're talking about a game where you solve almost every problem that faces you by shooting something. Let's not go overboard about small cracks in the immersion.

I think the subtitle can still apply to Nate, since after all he's not a thief anymore! The events of Uncharted 4 have allowed him to go legit.

Well note, I only applied the cliche term regarding how I think wives/girlfriends/lovers are often portrayed in that situation.

I think calling "happily ever after" endings cliche is a mistake though. That line of thinking is a bit what has led to the over-abundance of forced, needlessly dark, junk endings that don't fit the stories being told. How many Bioware games for a while for instance did it feel like they needed the main character to die at the end because they were really into self-sacrifice. But this gets into a lot of my own personal thoughts and preferences regarding endings. In general, I think people look at endings the wrong way. You know what I mean? That's kind of why I kind of worked out where the tragedy could have fit into the rest of the story, which is sure, they could have killed Sam. I don't think that drastically changes things though.

I'm not saying there isn't a version of that story with maybe more of a consequence of some kind. But I really liked the more down to earth character arcs of Nate and Elena here. I get why it might have rubbed you the wrong way by the way, but for me, there just aren't enough video games that deal with actual relationships. Video games (and hell other forms of media too) really love to do action movie romance, but they never like to actually deal with the complexities and often mundane issues of long-term relationships. And often times, audiences don't seem to want to deal with that either. How many sitcoms saw dips in ratings after ending romantic tensions? Why do book series constantly wait until the very end to solve love triangles? Etc. I'm not saying this is a super deep story or anything, but I definitely appreciated them going there and saying hey, how would it actually work if these two headstrong, adventurous characters actually tried to settle down. And oh yeah, here's why it wouldn't work if they just tried to get day jobs. Etc.

If anything, and I know this is something @yummylee covered in his blog post earlier in the week, in some ways Uncharted 4 sort of made Uncharted 3 irrelevant. An interesting discussion could be had about that. Other than the background of Nate and Sully covered in that game, you could almost ignore the events of 3 here as Uncharted 4 starts off about where Uncharted 2 meant to leave things. I lay the blame for that though as the feet of Uncharted 3 for chickening out on killing Sully.

Also to be clear (sorry for writing so much), I don't think you're "wrong" on your points. This is a pretty great discussion. I mean the fact we're even discussing an Uncharted story so in depth is a pretty good sign they did a much better job with this one.

You're a crazy man! Uncharted 4's ending was perfect, and a perfect way to send off the series. The whole of the final several chapters on the island had me tense and worried for fear they were going to do something drastic with my beloved characters. Mainly Elena... don't touch Elena. I read your vision of the climax, and I would not have enjoyed that at all. I always hated those scenes when close friends/family fight with each other over stupid reasons or fight and end up endangering their lives in some form.

I honestly just wanted the gang to leave the island right away. I saw Sully's plane and thought "oh man, we're so close..."

One thing I'm noticing that the majority of players are doing is they're taking Uncharted 4's subtitle too literally. They're expecting a death of some kind related to the main cast. Its a subtitle I feel that can be applicable in more than one way in regards to this game's story.

I also don't understand why people seem to think Elena is a hindrance to Nate's lust for adventure. She enjoys it just as much... just maybe with less guns and death.

Anyway, as a diehard fan of this series from the very start (I've beaten Uncharted 1 at least a dozen times now), this was the perfect ending I could have asked for, and then NaughtyDog took it one step further with the epilogue with an ending from my dreams that I didn't know I deserved. Yea its super cheery with virtually no consequences for our heroes, but its already been a hollywood adventure up till then, why stop now. It definitely goes down as one of my favorite endings ever to a game/series, next to Valkyria Chronicles.

Man, reading that to myself now suddenly makes the Drakes feel like a slightly less fantastical version of The Incredibles :o Honestly they're... kinda the same story when I think on it a little ;P I mean Rafe is even shown to be incredibly jealous of Nate's exploits during the final battle, ranting out his accomplishments with clear bitterness in his voice. So, he's not entirely unlike the super fan turned villain in The Incredibles...

When I think back more on the tone & and the hints towards some sort of loss, ND basically wanted to subvert expectations, but in the complete opposite method to how it's usually done. Surprising character deaths in certain shows can be overdone to the point of funnily enough becoming predictable. It's like these days everybody tends to expects the grim outcome for most things in media, and with Uncharted 4 it's like it's pushing back against that perception, which is all the more relevant because of The Last of Us. They wanted people to maybe think this would go down a similar path of misery as TLoU featured--which is likely what fans in general expected also--but instead it sticks to its guns of what Uncharted is generally about and sticks the landing during the ending - Uncharted 4 is a very sticky game you could say. Well, again I think Sam maybe got off a little too light, but Nate & Elena at least living their dream life feels like the most fitting end for the pair. It's an intriguing style of twist really, when so many stories like to go dark because it can be unexpected and can create an interesting contrast, and here we have Uncharted 4 doing vice versa! A twist on a twist.

@yummylee said:

True. Not too often do you have a twist that spins the story towards a more positive outcome—that kind of thing is pretty rare outside of Deus Ex Machinas.

Also @cav829, I just wanted to point out that Chapter 4 was among my favorites in the game because it allowed us to see the rarely seen daily life of an established couple. Besides being able to peek at all the cool stuff the two collected over the years, it was interesting seeing what they were doing with their life and how they interacted with each other outside of their "job". Like you, I also appreciate down to earth takes on relationships, which is partially why the beach epilogue came across as too fantastical/dreamy in comparison. I think I felt the home life in Chapter 4 was wondrous enough that they didn't need a better life on top of that, which clearly wasn't true by the end of the game.

I understand what you are saying but I was satisfied with the ending. To me it would not make sense for Uncharted as a series to end on down note. There was an expectation by the name the title that something drastic was going happen. Maybe playing the Last of Us had something to do with it. I kept waiting for Nathan or Sam to die when I did not messed up. Or was expecting Elena to get kidnap and put in a trap to mess with Nathan.

I think that the recurring theme of the Uncharted games is that it less about the destination and more about the journey. The treasure is used as a MacGuffin. The opportunity of exploring exotic lands and facing perilous situations. In Uncharted 4, Nathan realizes that his thieving ways was costing him his marriage and his brother. After going through Libertalia, New Devon and reaching Avery's ship. Nathan and Sam understood how greed consumed people and created so much destruction.

Happy ending are not always bad. The real world is hard enough to deal with as it is. Naughty Dog did an incredible job with Uncharted 4 and will wait and see what they do next. It was nice that Amy Hennig got a special recognition in the end credits. I kept thinking that Nathan Drake would bring back an artifact that caused the fungal pandemic leading to the events of The Last of Us.