Sic parvus magnum, “greatness from small beginnings.”  A fictional motto that Nathan Drake, the protagonist of the critically-acclaimed Uncharted series, affirms belonged to his possible ancestor, the notorious English Privateer Sir Francis Drake. Ever since the series inception in 2007 with Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, developer Naughty Dog, Inc. has provided games that have transcended the medium onto an unrivaled format.

After a whole trilogy of Uncharted entries, Naughty Dog has made one final story for adventurer Nathan Drake, hence the subtitle A Thief’s End. Picking up three years after its predecessor Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, Nathan Drake has retired from archaeology and is living a normal life in New Orleans, Louisiana, with his wife, Elena Fisher, a freelance journalist. This all changes when Nathan’s brother, Sam Drake, long believed to be dead, seeks Nathan to help him, as he is caught up in a nasty situation. This leads to Nathan’s final adventure as Sam, Elena, and his trustworthy partner Victor “Sully” Sullivan attempt to find the lost city of Libertatia, a hidden legendary colony that is said to hold four hundred million dollars worth of gold. What follows is a grand mission that proves to be the most daring and engrossing Uncharted entry.

While the Uncharted series is known to be quite light-hearted, Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley have assumed directorship of the series from creator Amy Hennig; it shows throughout the length of the game. While the game holds much of the light tone that Hennig established, Druckmann and Straley have put their own twist, creating the darkest and most realistic atmosphere the series has had. While this does add slight changes to the experience, it is a unique addition to the series that helps draw a definitive conclusion to the franchise as a whole.

The incredible story retains much of the action the series is known for. The plot focuses on the characters–Nathan, Sam, Sully, and Elena–and the villains, all of whom feel life-like. This stems from the game’s superb graphics, as it is definitely the best-looking game on this generation’s consoles.  

The gameplay, while similar to previous Uncharted entries, has been refined. There are now vehicle sections, which are well-developed and add a sense of exploration that is fitting to the series. New to enemy encounters is the well-implemented stealth sections. Even though they are basic, they shed new light on the experience and perfectly suit the cinematic storytelling of the game. Overall, the gameplay is better than ever and easy to pick up and play.

The series’ multiplayer also makes a return with fast-paced combat that is tense, yet fun.

Retaining cues from Naughty Dog’s previous game, The Last of Us, the new gameplay additions feel fresh and provide a supplementary experience that is great to try out.

Ever since 2007, the Uncharted  series has risen the bar for video games by providing an experience rivaling that of any film invested in its characters. While A Thief’s End does not have many new advancements in its gameplay, Naughty Dog fine tunes the mechanics that worked so well in previous entries, making for one of the best video game experiences of all time. Just as how Super Mario Bros. was seen by many to be one of the biggest forms of entertainment in the 1980s, Uncharted 4 will go down for being one of the best video games of the 21st century. Simply put, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is a video game that demands to be played.