Both Sony and Naughty Dog have made it clear that Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is Nathan Drake's last video game outing for the time being. While the Uncharted series will more than likely continue at some point, the fourth game represents the definitive end of Nate's personal story arc. Some fans may be sad to see one of gaming's best heroes go, but it only seems fair to give those same fans closure after eight years of adventuring.
Of course, as with any ending, one question lingers over Uncharted 4: will Nate survive? Given the more lighthearted tone of the series, it's easy to assume that Naughty Dog will give fans a happy ending — but, on the other hand, the Uncharted series has had its fair share of emotional moments. Long story short, there's still a chance that Nate won't make it out of A Thief's End.
So far, the game's trailers have been pretty standard fare — except for the most recent one. Shown during select viewings of Star Wars Episode VII, the 'Man Behind the Treasure' trailer is markedly different in style ... and it hints at a far more tragic tone than usual.
The trailer isn't particularly long (especially considering some of the series' past videos) and it's basically a vertical slice of everything the games are known for. There's the gunplay, the acrobatics, the destruction — and yet, something is different.
Maybe it's the music. Maybe it's the slow-motion, or the narration, or the seemingly overwhelming odds — regardless of what sticks out to the individual viewer, there's something grim about the trailer. It's nothing that Nathan Drake hasn't seen before — in fact, it's relatively tame compared with some of the prior games' set-piece moments — and yet, despite all that, the scene in the trailer feels like it has more weight to it.
It's almost as if Uncharted 4 could truly be the end of Nathan Drake.
Hopefully, Naughty Dog is just toying with the emotions of its fans — we'll find out one way or the other when Uncharted 4: A Thief's End launches in March 2016.
