Have you ever wondered what it would be like to play an Uncharted game on the PS Vita? No? Well haha… Here’s Uncharted: Golden Abyss.
When I first found out about an Uncharted title coming to the Vita, I wasn’t sure what to think. I am not the biggest fan when it comes to action titles coming onto handheld (-shivers- AC Bloodlines…) but I thought, “Hey, why not try it out? I like Uncharted. How bad can it get?”
Uncharted: Golden Abyss is a prequel to the main series. The story follows our favorite treasure hunter Nathan Drake as he teams up with douche bag Jason Dante along with his awesome partner Marisa Chase to explore a dig site of Panama. And as we know in the Uncharted series, there is a secret to every place we visit and every person we meet. Chase holds an amulet that her missing grandfather gave her and that is the reason for our crazy, messed up adventure.
The gameplay is very similar to that of the main series plus the addition of the touch screen. The buttons are very similar to how they work in the main series: square is melee, x is jump, o is apparently roll (I didn’t know this), L and R deal with aiming and firing the guns, left and right on the d-pad switches guns, start brings up the menu, and select brings up the journal. The touch screen is a new addition to the series which the game uses to its advantage. It is how you will pick up treasure, solve puzzles, use the machete, quick time events, and anything else the game throws at you.
I found the controls to a bit hard to use at times but that is only because I am so used to Uncharted being on console instead of handheld. When it comes to using the grenade, use the touchscreen. Trying to combo an enemy with melee, oh, you have to use the touchscreen too. Walking across a fallen down tree, OH NO YOU LOST YOUR BALANCE, use the Vita motion controls. No thanks, game. I would rather not use those things. But I understand the game trying to make the most of the Vita so I can’t be mad about it.
There are a lot of collectibles to be found in this addition to the series. By a lot of collectibles, I mean, a lot… More than there should be. If you want to get all the collectibles, you might need to get them all with multiple playthroughs of the game or have a walkthrough handy. With some games I am a huge collector but with Uncharted… I’m really not.
The graphics are quite nice considering that it is on a handheld system, although sometimes the background looks like it doesn’t quite fit with the rest of the graphics. The music is good too.
Overall Uncharted: Golden Abyss is good title on the Vita that makes the most of the Vita’s touchscreen. The story is a bit lackluster towards the end and it doesn’t really have that Uncharted “OH CRAP, TWIST” feel. The graphics are good and so is the music. I say give this game a try if you have a Vita and if you don’t, you aren’t missing out on much.
Uncharted: Golden Abyss
3.5-4 / 5
I’m kind of in the middle about the game. I doesn’t really deserve a 3.5 or a 4 but somewhere in the middle.
