Uncharted 4 is just over a month away from its release for PS4, and the team at Naughty Dog is taking this time to dive into the behind-the-scenes making of the game. The latest video is all about how Uncharted 4 pushes the technical boundaries of the series, and adventure games in general. Topics include the visual graphics, which has stunned audiences with their realism and attention to detail. However, the technical improvements also transition to the gameplay, offering gamers something new to enjoy within the game itself.
The biggest shift seems to be in the scope and size of the levels contained in the game. The Uncharted series has had some massive levels before, but Uncharted 4 trumps them all. “I think the biggest design thing that came out of the new hardware was just the bigger spaces,” says Uncharted 4 Lead Game Designer Kurt Margenau.
Technical Art Director Teagan Morrison followed up on this point, stating quite bluntly that “we have bigger levels than we’ve ever had before. Maybe ten time the size, at least, of explorable space.” Of course, just offering bigger levels isn’t a benefit unto itself, instead it’s about what those spaces offer in terms of gameplay opportunities.
Naughty Dog understands this well, with Uncharted 4 Creative Director Neil Druckman saying “the challenge for us, and the thing that has been super hard is how do we give you more choices and make the pacing feel just as intense as when things have been more linear for us.”
The video explains rather well how they overcame this challenge, resulting in a best of both worlds sort of game where players have tons of choices and a lot of open space to explore, while still giving them a coherent story to follow. Check it out below to find out more.
