4.5 out of 5
If the PlayStation Vita is going to prove itself as a valid piece of technology in modern portable gaming, Sony will have to provide a constant stream of exclusives to back the system. Fortunately, early adopters of the Vita have been treated to one of the best launch titles in the past decade in the form of Uncharted: Golden Abyss.
The story of Golden Abyss follows treasure hunter and series protagonist Nathan Drake as he meets up with his old partner Jason Dante in the jungles of Central America. Dante’s been on the trail of an ancient treasure somewhere in the jungle, and turns to Drake to help him find what he’s looking for.
What follows is the standard tale of action, adventure and double-crosses that fans of the Uncharted series are used to. However, the proceedings take on a more generic nature than the PlayStation 3 trilogy ever did. The new characters don’t receive much development beyond their surface motivations, and the mystery of the Golden Abyss doesn’t deliver much of a surprise.
Still, Nolan North’s performance as Nathan Drake is entertaining as ever, and there’s a lot of fun to be had simply listening to the character’s quips throughout his adventure.
While the story may not be up to the series’ standards, the gameplay is everything a fan could want out of the title. The cover-based gun fights and environmental traversal lose nothing on the handheld, making for an experience instantly familiar. Golden Abyss delivers on the promise of a console experience on the go like few games before it.
Golden Abyss also serves as a great showcase of the new touch and motion controls of the Vita, though some are implemented better than others. Throwing grenades via the touchscreen , zooming with the rear touchpad and moving the system for finer aim controls all work fantastically.
Less enjoyable are the numerous swipe-based events that litter the experience. Every few minutes, players must match their touches to arrows on the screen to progress. While this is fine in hand-to-hand combat and to save Drake from untimely falls, the constant need to swipe to open unlocked doors can get tiresome.
That said, the good outweighs the bad with the touch and motion controls, and after a couple of hours, they become second nature. In fact, the use of these controls in Golden Abyss has created a great template for future shooters to follow.
Perhaps the biggest addition to the franchise Bend Studio has added is the extensive collectible system, which has far more depth than any other Uncharted game. Instead of a single collection of generic treasures littered throughout the game world, there are items related to the main plot, set up as mini-mysteries to be solved.
Tribal statues, charcoal etchings, torn-up documents and photos are all waiting to be discovered in Golden Abyss, and they do a wonderful job of immersing the player into the narrative. It’s a shame that these treasures aren’t used in service to a richer, character-driven storyline.
Easily the most impressive feature of Golden Abyss is the graphic quality. Simply put, this is the game that proves the Vita as a gaming powerhouse. Though not to the HD quality of its PlayStation 3 counterparts, Golden Abyss is still one of the best looking handheld adventures ever. That a launch title looks this good suggests a high level of potential for software over the next few years.
If you’re looking for a reason to buy a PlayStation Vita, Uncharted: Golden Abyss is all the convincing you should need. It’s not the best game in the series, but it proves that the Vita is a system brimming with promise.
In the face of the mobile gaming market that has sprung up over the past few years, Uncharted: Golden Abyss is the best argument yet for why the dedicated handheld console is still relevant.
