The Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection got somewhat lost in the sea of announcements at PlayStation Showcase 2021. It really deserves much more attention, as the Uncharted: Legacy of Theives Collection is an absolute steal for what it's offering.
Taking a step back, the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection is a remaster of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End and Lost Legacy for PS5 and PC. The former game is the 2016 conclusion of the Nathan Drake saga, with Naughty Dog taking the then-new hardware of the PS4 and ramping up the storytelling, platforming, and set pieces. As for the latter game, Lost Legacy is an ambitious spin-off from 2017 that follows Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross in an adventure not as long as a traditional Uncharted, but just as explosive and fun as the rest. The Legacy of Theives Collection is such a steal because of the games it is packing, and the potential that comes with being on new hardware.
The Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection Includes the 2 Best Uncharted Games
In the discourse for the Uncharted franchise, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is typically touted as the greatest game. For its time, Among Thieves set a new standard for Naughty Dog and, perhaps, gaming in general. However, as any great game series should, Among Thieves' sequels consistently improved on the gameplay and storytelling to the point where there are times it is hard to believe one is even playing a game. With that said, there is a good case to be made regarding A Thief's End and Lost Legacy being the two greatest Uncharted games, as their storytelling is refined and the gameplay progressed in major ways.
One of A Thief's End's greatest perks is that it does not require playing the first three games to understand it. Within the game's introduction, players are told everything they need to know about Nathan Drake's growth as a character, with the rest of the game focusing on him wrestling his desires of living a normal, settled life and his lust for adventuring. The character is at his most vulnerable here, with stakes that are very personal, as the game is not about some race to stop a maguffin from enacting a cataclysm. Combine this with its jaw-dropping visuals, rapid-paced gunfights, and the most ambitious set pieces of the entire franchise, and one has the definitive Nathan Drake adventure.
While an Uncharted sequel was thought impossible because of 4's ending, Lost Legacy smartly moves away from Nathan Drake's story, redefining the Uncharted brand into one that is more expansive than at one point previously thought. Chloe Frazer, who's last appearance was in Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, makes for an excellent protagonist. When paired up with A Thief's End's Nadine Ross, Chloe undergoes a compelling a character arc that was not formerly possible in the original Uncharted games. Furthermore, the locations the characters travel to and scenarios they are thrust in are just as exciting as those in any other Uncharted title.
The PS5 & PC Potential of Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection
Naughty Dog, as one of the premiere PlayStation Studios, knew the ins and outs of the PS4. As such, they were able to take full advantage of the system's hardware for Uncharted: A Thief's End and Lost Legacy. With that in mind, the games on a base PS4 only run at 1080p and 30 FPS, and 1440p on the PS4 Pro. Players have been begging for PS5 enhancements for these games, and even taking matters into their own hands, as one modder got Uncharted 4 running at 60 FPS. Of the library of games that Sony could give PS5 support for, these two are some of the most ripe for the plucking.
Sony has not provided official details about what sort of treatments the remasters of A Thief's End and Lost Legacy will have, but a rough idea can be formed based on the enhancements other games have received. Games like 2016's Ratchet & Clank and 2017's Horizon Zero Dawn received 60 FPS PS5 patches, amongst other varying display options. With A Thief's End and Lost Legacy coming out in 2016 and 2017 respectively, there is no reason that these remasters will not be reaching 60 FPS with multiple graphics options, like a 'Performance Mode' and a 'Fidelity Mode.'
One cannot forget either that the collection is also coming to PC, opening an entirely new door for players to experience the game. Over the past few years, Sony has been gradually bringing its first party games to PC, with the most recent PC port being Days Gone this past spring. Unlike the more general graphics settings that console players can tweak, PC players can fine tune their experience so that the game plays exactly how they want it to on their system. Likewise, being on PC means modding capabilities, and one can only imagine the possibilities of messing around inside a Naughty Dog game.
There is still so much that is unknown about the Legacy of Thieves Collection - exact release dates, performance specs, pricing - but its existence is a promising sign for PS5 and PC users alike. The selected games are the perfect companion pieces, not requiring playing any other Uncharted titles, and both capture the best the series has to offer. From intense shootouts and high-octane set pieces to more atmospheric platforming and puzzle-solving, there is a little bit of everything in the two games. Both offer the franchise's best writing by far, with major character development for Nathan Drake and Chloe. While it would have been nice just to receive updates that give the PS4 games PS5 support, this works too, because now more people get to play the games and experience just what Uncharted is all about.
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection comes to PS5 in early 2022, with the PC version coming shortly after.