First impressions, even when playing a game, are important. The opening moments of any particular title are supposed to convey a sense of tone to the player — in other words, if your game is going to be dark and somber, you don't want to open on a parade or a birthday party.
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and its two sequels are fantastic examples of this principal. Sure, they give players an idea of how the controls work, but that's just the start: for instance, the first game is all about the relationship between Nathan and Elena, and it opens with them trying to defend themselves.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves focused on Nathan paying for his mistakes, so the game begins with him beaten, battered and completely alone. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception largely focused on the bond between Nathan and Sully, so it opened with the two of them getting into all sorts of trouble.
It's a trend that's worked out wonderfully for Naughty Dog so far, and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End keeps said trend going. The studio has made no secret about the themes of family running throughout its latest adventure — as such, it makes sense that Uncharted 4's introduction would focus almost entirely on Nathan and his brother Sam:
The two scenes may seem a bit jumbled at first, but there's a reason for that. Fans of Uncharted will notice that, much like the second game, A Thief's End opens in the middle of the action — what's different about this scene is that it shows where Nathan and Sam are in the present. At this point, fans don't really know much about Sam, but starting things off with a fight against pirates is a good way to show off exactly how much trouble they get into together.
Once the boat ride is over, the game jumps backward in time. Here, we learn more about Nathan and Sam's past, but that's not all: it's here that fans learn how deep the bond between Sam and Nathan really is, even if it's a short scene between the two of them.
Long story short, the opening moments of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End are another example of just how good Naughty Dog is at telling stories. If this is indeed the end of the Uncharted saga as we know it, Naughty Dog is sending Nathan and crew out on a high note.
For more on Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, check out our full review.
