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Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is meant to cap off Nathan Drake's story. It also gives developer Naughty Dog an opportunity to fold everything learned from the previous games into what the team hopes is a fresh take.

Don't worry; the series you love is still there. Drake is the same Indiana Jones/Lara Croft aggregation he's always been. But he's picked up some new tricks that promise to expand the scope of what is typically expected for an Uncharted game.

SEE ALSO:'Uncharted 4' is a tale of two bros on a quest for sweet loot

The story follows Nate, his long-lost/recently returned brother, Sam, and Sully as they hunt for the lost pirate treasure of Henry Evory. They're up against rich kid fortune-seeker Rafe Adler and his hired mercenary help: a PMC called Shoreline, which is owned and overseen by Nadine Ross.

The treasure hunt brings both groups to Madagascar as they search for a lost pirate colony, Libertalia. It's in the rocky, mud-slicked wilderness of Madagascar that we get our first sense of how Uncharted 4 dares to be different.

Drive wherever you want

Credit: Sony

Finding a lost pirate colony is no easy task. That's why Nate, Sam and Sully rent themselves a 4x4 truck with a front-mounted winch and enough horsepower to handle Madagascar's muddier inclines.

While it wouldn't be accurate to think of Uncharted 4 as a proper "open world" game, the truck is more than just a narrative device. The Madagascar wilderness is vast, and the truck puts a new spin on poking around for hidden collectibles.

Via Giphy

The end result is still the same: Exploring outside the main path rewards you with goodies. But the truck means you can cover more ground. Each new Uncharted game has delivered more open spaces, and Uncharted 4 opens them up so much that you can't do it on foot.

The truck's winch is also a useful tool for solving puzzles. At one point, a steep, muddy hill was in the way, so Nate wrapped the winch around a tree and let the truck haul itself up the slope. Later, a rickety wooden bridge collapsed before we could cross it, but using the winch to pull down two support beams transformed it into a ramp.

Stick to the shadows

Credit: Sony

Sneaky play hasn't ever been a focus in Uncharted games. Generally speaking, you can sneak Nate around until he fires the inevitable first shot; then all hell breaks loose.

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That's no longer the case. Naughty Dog baked gameplay and interface alerts into Uncharted 4that help you stick to the shadows. There's no avoiding the body count, but players have options for making Drake's journey feel a little less murder-y.

Tall grass is your friend now. Walk into it, and Nate will automatically crouch down out of sight. Use it to sneak around behind -- or just sneak past -- unsuspecting enemies.

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Whenever you are spotted, you have a larger window to act and get out of sight before the aforementioned hell breaks loose. A yellow-outlined diamond icon appears over the alerted enemy's head, filling up with color for as long as you're visible

If the icon fills up completely, it turns orange -- an indication that you've been caught and it's time to fight. But if you can break the enemy's line of sight before that happens, the fight is averted.

There are still sections of the game where you'll have to pull out your guns and start shooting. But sneaking around is a viable option in a lot of situations, whether it's to give yourself a more advantageous position or to avoid a combat encounter entirely.

Swing like Tarzan

Credit: Sony

The grappling hook is a new item in Nate's toolbox. You can attach it to specially marked locations and use it for either climbing or swinging.

The grapple's utility in Uncharted 4 is a product of Naughty Dog's push for wider spaces in the game. A grapple in past Uncharted games would be a contextual tool, primarily; you'd use it in the same places to cross the same gaps as everyone else.

Uncharted 4 gives players the opportunity to follow any number of paths through a level. Many locations are essential to the story and can't be skipped, but different approaches to the same location might require different tools.

Via Giphy

Do you take the direct, wide-open avenue into the enemy base, running-and-gunning the whole way? Do you sneak through the grassy fields and make your way to a rear entrance? Or do you shimmy up to a rocky outcropping and then -- with the help of your grapple -- swing over to the sniper's perch?

As a rope swing, the grapple gives you a chance to literally get the drop on your enemies. If you swing in and let go at just the right time, Drake will land on top of a nearby threat and take it out automatically.

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is out May 10 for PlayStation 4.

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TopicsGaming