PGC NEWS

The allure of adventure, the grandeur of ancient architecture, and the mystery of lost civilizations resonate within us all. This potent combination has fueled countless adventure stories, from Hollywood blockbusters like Indiana Jones and National Treasure to literary and cinematic explorations like Ghost Blows Out the Light. This same spirit ignited the Tomb Raider franchise in 1996, leaving a void when its popularity waned. Sony stepped in with Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, a PlayStation 3 exclusive second only to God of War in acclaim, a success that continued onto the PlayStation 4. Now, with Sony’s strategic shift, Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection arrives on PC, offering a fresh adventure for fans craving treasure-hunting action, especially after the somewhat lukewarm reception of Shadow of the Tomb Raider. But does Nathan Drake’s PC debut live up to the hype? Let’s dive in.

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection – Madagascar Jungle

A Treasure Trove of Adventure

Like God of War (PC), Sony opted to bring the most recent PlayStation 4 Uncharted installments – Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy – to PC, complete with enhanced graphics and engine upgrades. This choice is understandable, given their contemporary quality. This leaves the door open for potential remakes of earlier titles, as rumors suggest. Iron Galaxy, a studio with extensive experience porting games between consoles and PC, handled the conversion. Their track record includes the initially troubled but ultimately successful Batman: Arkham Knight PC port, as well as the impressive Skyrim and Diablo III ports to the Nintendo Switch.

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection – Detailed Environments

Upon launching, the game requires a 10-minute shader compilation process, similar to Horizon Zero Dawn (PC) and Borderlands 3. While a slight inconvenience after a hefty 124GB download and installation, this ensures smoother performance and higher frame rates. Both games run remarkably well, showcasing significant visual improvements over the original PlayStation 4 versions. High-resolution textures shine on 4K displays, avoiding the blurriness of the upscaled PlayStation 4 Pro version. Draw distances are extended, with details like foliage and grass rendered with greater clarity, highlighting the lush tropical paradise of Madagascar.

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection – Combat Sequence

Impressively, Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection performs admirably even on older hardware. Testing on a GTX 1050Ti with the lowest settings yielded playable results, a testament to Iron Galaxy’s expertise in optimizing for less powerful systems. The inclusion of DLSS and AMD FSR further enhances performance across a wide range of graphics cards.

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection – Gameplay Example

The frame rate remains remarkably stable, even during action-packed sequences with explosions and fast-paced chases, such as the thrilling motorcycle pursuit in Chapter 10. This stability allows for a smoother, more immersive gameplay experience. One minor disappointment is the lack of cutting-edge graphical enhancements like ray tracing, as seen in Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered. While not a deal-breaker, it’s a missed opportunity to fully leverage the power of modern PC hardware. Peripheral support is excellent, with the game recognizing and integrating with devices like Corsair gaming keyboards, offering dynamic lighting effects synchronized with in-game events.

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection – Lush Environments

A Few Minor Snags

Despite its overall polish, Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection isn’t entirely without flaws. Similar to previous Iron Galaxy ports, there are occasional stability issues and crashes, requiring restarts. The game also suffers from texture pop-in when installed on traditional HDDs, a common issue with console ports. Installing on a high-speed NVMe SSD is recommended for optimal performance.

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection – Character Model

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection – Action Sequence

Surprisingly, despite being based on the PlayStation 5 version, the game initially only supported Xbox One controllers, even displaying Xbox button prompts when using a DualSense controller. However, a subsequent update added DualSense support, including Haptic Feedback, though Adaptive Triggers remain unimplemented.

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection – Environmental Detail

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection – In-Game Screenshot

Conclusion

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection on PC is a largely successful port, offering a thrilling and visually stunning adventure. While minor technical hiccups exist, the overall experience is well worth embarking on. The enhanced graphics, smooth performance, and engaging gameplay make it a must-play for fans of action-adventure games and a welcome addition to the PC gaming library.