10 Awesome Ways Video Games Got Back At Critics
8. The "Ludonarrative Dissonance" Trophy Mocks Violence Concerns - Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
One common complaint about the Uncharted games is their frequent invocation of "ludonarrative dissonance," a phenomenon where a game's gameplay doesn't match the tone of its story.
Critics argue that despite the series being mounted as a breezy Indiana Jones-esque action-adventure story starring charming rogue Nathan Drake, Drake is actually depicted as a mass murderer through the gameplay, which in the earlier games in particular forces players to kill hundreds of anonymous goons.
Though Uncharted 4: A Thief's End significantly toned down the mandatory shootouts and general combat encounters, the game did nevertheless take aim at critics, with players who scored 1,000 in-game kills receiving a trophy named - you guessed it - "Ludonarrative Dissonance."
The game's co-director, Neil Druckmann, ultimately claimed the fourth game's reduced combat was an attempt to alter the series' pacing, because he "[doesn't] buy into" the ludonarrative dissonance argument.
Whether you agree with Druckmann or not, the trophy is an hilarious thumbing of the nose at those who took issue with the series' tone.