The Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection is a timely reminder of just how great Nate and Chloe's adventures were all those years ago. However, the Enhanced Collection is also the perfect showcase of how the PS5's unique features can drastically affect the overall experience. And boy, do they make a difference?
Both games now include a 60fps "performance" mode and a 120fps "performance plus" mode (a first for a PlayStation Studios game) that completely transform the look of each game.satisfactory DualSense controller, times very fast load times and the ability to import your PS4 save file so you can go back and see all the trophies you've previously earned.
But it was the more low-key PS5 update that had the most significant impact on my gaming experience: the shock of discovering them for the first time.
a real treasure
If you're new to Sony's proprietary spatial audio technology, called Tempest 3D audio, it's a sophisticated type of virtual surround sound that cleverly tricks your ears into thinking the audio is coming from everything around you.
PlayStation 3 5D audio, similar to Dolby Atmos and DTS Headphone:X, can also add tone cues. This means that a helicopter no longer sounds like it's hovering a few hundred meters from you, but rather like it's flying directly overhead.
This is a dramatic improvement over the PS3's 4D audio, which could only play around 50 unique sound sources at a time, compared to the hundreds of sound sources the PS3's 5D audio can play, and with superior quality.
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection is the perfect source material for 3D audio to shine, involving countless lines of dialogue that can often come from all directions, plenty of verticality during combat, and impressive backgrounds. However, I did not expect it to sound so real.
Binaural Adventures
As you scale the face of a cliff, hundreds of meters above the ground, you can clearly hear the sea pounding violently below you. Move through the lush flora of India's Western Ghats and insects will buzz in your ears, making you hunt for them almost instinctively. Fire a gun and you'll hear gunshots echo through a canyon.
But it's not just gunfights and death-defying moments in games that benefit from 3D audio. It can also be surprisingly subtle. For example, the auction scene in Uncharted 4 looks noticeably different from what I remember. The auctioneer's voice echoes through the marble aisles, making it sound like you're standing next to Nate, Sully, and Sam as the auction begins.
The stealth sections of the games, which tend to be the weakest parts of any Uncharted game, are also much easier to navigate, as the 3D audio helps you determine where an enemy is before accidentally exposing your location. You can also better understand where the treasure is hidden in Uncharted: A Lost Legacy if you have the Queen's Ruby bracelet, which chimes when a collectible is nearby.
And then there is the dubbing. It was already sublime, but now it's crystal clear on the PS5 versions and is no longer confused or drowned out by other noises, despite the bustle of on-screen action. I often found myself hooked on every word, even though I had heard it before.
top of page
Audio is often woefully underrated in video games, and I can't wait to see more titles invest in Sony's Tempest 3D audio technology as the generation progresses. Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection isn't the first PS5 game to take advantage of 3D audio, of course - Resident Evil Village, Returnal and Demon's Souls all sound great - but it's easily one of the best implementations of technology I've come across. heard yet. Nate and Chloe are a true feast for the eyes and ears.
Today's best UNCHARTED: Legacy of Thieves Collection deals
