'Uncharted 4: A Thief's End' Details Emerge: Frame Rate, Gameplay And More

Gamers play "Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception" developed by Naughty Dog on Sony's PlayStation 3 (PS3) during the Electronic Entertainment Expo or E3 in Los Angeles June 7, 2011. Reuters

Despite the fact that Sony has already released two trailers for "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End" as well as a lengthy 15-minute gameplay video, gamers understandably want more info on the upcoming game from Naughty Dog. The basics of the "Uncharted" gameplay formula have crystallised over the course of three games, but there's an expectation that the team will introduce new concepts and ideas that augment gameplay while still revolutionising graphics technology. A story in the latest edition of the Official PlayStation Magazine details how Naughty Dog plans to pull that off.

Gaming website Z-Giochi got their hands on a copy of OPM and stated that "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End" will allow Naughty Dog to create sandbox maps with a level of openness on par with those found in "Jak 3" on the PS2. "Jak 2" and "Jak 3" both featured extremely large open levels and represented Naughty Dog's first experiments with open-world design. Load times in those games were hidden, thanks to advanced streaming technology and smart level design.

Also reporting on the story, Attack of the Fanboy notes that the large open levels have allowed the team to bring an element of exploration and discovery to "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End." Plot points and additive story material will be hidden in the environment for players to find. This gameplay mechanic was hinted at during Sony's PSX conference in December last year, when Nate stumbled upon a lost trinket tucked away in a pile of bones at the mouth of a cave he had just exited.

On the topic of mechanics, the report states that Drake's new grappling hook, also featured in the PSX gameplay video, has inspired the team to revamp the game's platforming gameplay. Climbing cliff sides, making jumps and scaling boulders will not be quite as easy for Drake as it was in previous games, as players now have to ensure he maintains his balance.

OPM said that the version of the demo they played ran at 30fps, the same frame rate as the code shown off during Sony's PSX conference. Naughty Dog assured them, however, that the studio was still targeting an ultimate refresh of 60fps, as long as this goal does not conflict with gameplay quality. As noted by Eurogamer, Naughty Dog has stated previously that their render target for all future games is 1080p at 60fps. The comment was made while working on a remaster of the studios' award-winning game, "The Last of Us." The team has since come out to say that achieving that level of fidelity while maintaining the standard of visuals seen in "Uncharted 4" thus far would be an extreme challenge.

"Uncharted 4: A Thief's End" promises to show a side of Nathan Drake gamers haven't seen before. In an interview with Game Informer last month, game director Bruce Straley hinted that gamers would finally get to see what drives Drake.

"Everybody believes that he's quippy and he's off the cuff, but over the course of each game, you've seen that he's actually driven by something way deeper than what's on the surface," he said. Straley and creative director Neil Druckmann went on to assure that while they had no intention of steering "Uncharted 4" closer to the dark and sombre tone of "The Last of Us," the game would deal with themes of obsession and sacrifice.

The team at Naughty Dog have typically used ancillary characters to help define Drake: Elena in "Uncharted 1," Chloe in "Uncharted 2" and Sully in "Uncharted 3." The introduction of Drake's long-lost brother, Sam, forces him to return to a world of treasure hunting he'd seemingly left behind at the end of "Uncharted 3." "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End" is scheduled for release on PS4 sometime during the holidays 2015.

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