Game review: Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection (PS5)

Uncharted 4:  A Thief's End and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy were released several years ago exclusively for the PS4 console. Well, now PC and PS5 owners can play both games in the form of Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection out this year.

FutureFive NZ reviewed Uncharted 4: A Thief's End and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy several years ago, giving the games a 9.5/10 and 9/10 respectively. That being said, we reviewed the games on older hardware, so there are many improvements for this re-release.

One of the best things about Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection is that you receive two awesome games for the price of one. The RRP for the game in New Zealand is $89.99, with some retailers selling it for even $79.99. This is a huge bargain since some PS5 first-party games cost $139.99!

Aside from getting two great video games, the PS5 version of Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection includes visual upgrades that make them look better than ever before. There are three graphical modes that you can play the game at.

At first, you have Fidelity mode, which makes the 4K graphics ultra-realistic, although the frame rate is capped at 30 fps. This mode is useful if you don't care about the performance and just want to have the best graphics possible at a full 4K resolution.

The second option is Performance mode, where the game is still in 4K, but the frame rate is locked at a silky smooth 60fps. The third and final option is Performance+ mode with the game running at 120fps at 1080p. The last option is great, although not many TVs out there support 120fps at the moment.

There are also some other upgrades aside from the better graphics. The collection includes faster loading times, spatial 3D audio and haptic feedback features. The triggers of the DualSense controller shake whenever you shoot a gun or drive a vehicle in the game.

If you have never played an Uncharted video game before, you are in for a treat if you decide to grab this new collection on PS5. It's best you play Uncharted 4: A Thief's End before you start Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, as the latter game takes place after the events of the fourth game.

If you want to play the full main series, you should pick up Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection. This collection is available on PS4, but it includes Uncharted, Uncharted 2 and Uncharted 3 all in one neat package.

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is a fun game because it includes Nathan Drake going on one last adventure with his long lost brother named Sam. Uncharted 4 is arguably the biggest game in the series featuring larger levels and some semi open-world environments.

I also loved playing the fourth game because Naughty Dog improved the gunplay and paced the game really well. Aside from just shooting lots of bad guys, Uncharted  4 slows down the pace by adding numerous neat puzzles for you to solve too. The improved gunplay also makes it much easier for you to aim and kill bad guys undercover.

Another fun feature of Uncharted 4 are levels where you can drive a jeep. There's a whole section set in Madagascar where Nathan, Sam and Sulley have to explore the environment in a jeep. The environments are much larger and more exciting to explore than in the older games.

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy might be slightly shorter than the fourth game, but this time you take control of Chloe Frazer. Chloe teams up with former villain Nadine Ross, and the two leading ladies are searching for the Golden Tusk of Ganesh.

Much like the fourth game before it, The Lost Legacy includes a ton of action and puzzle elements for you to solve. It also includes some free-roaming elements that make the levels very fun for you to explore.

Both games offer a lot of fun as they will take you several hours to complete. I managed to complete Uncharted 4 in around 15 hours, while Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is eight hours long. There is some replay value if you want to get all the trophies and collectables.

The only thing that might disappoint some people is that this collection does not include the online multiplayer modes. This collection only has single-player campaigns. Not to mention there are no new levels or DLC that has been added for players that already own the PS4 versions.

Both PS5 versions of Death Stranding and Ghost of Tsushima included new content for fans to experience. If you already own both Uncharted games, there's not much else on offer here aside from the slightly better visuals and performance. PS4 owners can upgrade to the PS5 copies if for a small fee though.

If you have never played Uncharted before, this collection on PS5 and PC is a must-have. The graphics are awesome, and the gameplay enjoyable. However, I don't think Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection offers too much new content for existing owners.

Verdict: 8.5/10

A copy of the game was provided to us by PlayStation NZ for review purposes.