Uncharted: Golden Abyss

Uncharted: Golden Abyss is one of the launch titles of PlayStation Vita. The game was developed by a team at Bend, a Sony studio, to demonstrate the technical capabilities of the new platform.

Plot

Story-wise, Golden Abyss is a prequel to the main Uncharted series, well-known to the users of PlayStation 3. The players can learn of the slightly younger Nathan Drake’s adventures. At the request of his friend, Jason Dante, the protagonist sets us to the central Panama to investigate a newly discovered temple complex and solve the mystery of a conquistador’s unit massacred 400 years ago. The two friends are accompanied by Marisa Chase, the granddaughter of Vincent Perez, a famous archeologist. It soon turns out that the remains of a long-gone civilization are of interest to general Guerro, a military warlord who intends to finance his army with the Indian treasures…

Gameplay

In accordance with the series’ canon, the events are presented at a dizzying pace and the linear story is full of plot twists. The player assumes the role of Nathan Drake who does equally well with firearms (pistols, rifles, and even grenades), hand-to-hand combat, overcoming various terrain obstacles, and solving ancient puzzles.

The gameplay combines elements of a shooter, fighting, stealth, platformer, and of course adventure games. The controls in Uncharted: Golden Abyss are designed to utilize various features of PlayStation Vita. Therefore, in the game, the player can make use of, for example, the touch screen or the built-in gyroscope.

Technical aspects

In terms of audiovisuals, Uncharted: Golden Abyss for PSV presents similar quality to Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. The graphics are displayed in 720x408 pixels which is slightly less than the console’s maximum resolution of 960x544 pixels. However, it allowed the developers to increase the smoothness of the motion-capture animations. The soundtrack was composed by Clint Bajakian and recorded with the participation of the Ocean Way symphonic orchestra conducted by Alan Umstead.

Last updated on May 17, 2016