10 Most Essential PS4 Exclusives - Ranked

3. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

It was a weird move for Naughty Dog to pull the "And actually, they had a secret [insert family member] all along!" plot twist, but it works in service of two things: 1. Letting newcomers dive on into Uncharted 4 if they haven't played the trilogy (a bad call, as you kinda need all that character work for the finale to land), and 2. Giving Nate a tangible mirror-version of himself that's given into treasure-hunting and thieving ways entirely.

In a brilliant turn that shows Naughty Dog can adapt The Last of Us' mature tone to their other properties, A Thief's End is as much about high-octane set-pieces as it is doing battle with your inner child. Older Drake is a settled down, bill-paying, unfulfilled individual - one who yearns to go on 'one last adventure', only for the aforementioned family member (a brother, in this case) to provide the means, and for him to take off, lying to wife Elena in the process.

From here, writers Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley craft a narrative that walks the tightrope between acknowledging the player, and simultaneously keeping everything on the other side of the screen. Because Nate is having so much fun reminiscing on past adventures and remembering why he loves this line of work so much, so are we - being the trilogy ended back in 2011.

There's a tangible feeling of nostalgia felt in the character and the player, one the game uses to expert effect for some resonant character arcs, and a denouement that closes Drake's book nicely, whilst leaving enough strands to pull on should enough interest generate going forward.