Nathan Drake tracks down Marco Polo's centuries-old trail to finally track down one of Earth's greatest mysteries: the city of Shambhala, the holder of the elusive Cintamani Stone. With the help of Chloe, Elena and Sully, Nate will uncover Shambhala's secrets that could change the course of history. Continuing on from the adventure of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (Video Game 2007), we are instantly hurled into another explosive escapade that easily ups the ante of its predecessor. I played the remastered copy as part of The Nathan Drake Collection of 2015, which continued to refresh the game in all areas and elevated the experience all the more. Set 2 years after the first game, we follow Drake once again as he searches for a mystical city that also attracts the attention of the ruthless Zoran Lazarević who stops at nothing to reach it first. Uncharted 2 is quite possibly one of the greatest video game sequels of all time. Not only did it expand upon everything from the first by a gameplay standard but also in terms of its storytelling and character development. Among Thieves holds a high place in my ranking of the series. I was instantly blown away by the opening sequence that had me hooked. Awakening on a demolished train carriage hanging over a cliff, Drake is injured and covered in blood, feeling disoriented. Falling out of the train, Drake must climb to the top as the carriage slowly begins to fall into the abyss. Being thrown into this dire situation completely unaware of what led to this event was so captivating, leaving players invested to uncover what must have occurred up to this moment as we are sent back to six months prior. It comes full circle later in the story when Drake climbs aboard a moving train that instantly creates a sense of dread for us players who know things do not go well. Following the opening, we can see multiple improvements come to light like the inclusion of varying environments. The first title was limited to one island that overall kept a consistent jungle appearance whereas this story takes you on a globetrotting adventure from Turkey, Borneo, Nepal, Tibet, and the Himalayas. Each feels unique in its design and appearance offering that diversity of visceral and practical locations. From swamps to icy mountains, there are plenty of biomes and settings to fight, traverse and explore in. Another aspect that sees some needed improvement is the combat. The shooting feels great and with many grand situations to utilise it. From navigating a war-torn Nepalese city to the previously mentioned train fiasco, offers an abundance of blockbuster-themed conflict to indulge in, which is combined with areas of traversal. Whilst the gameplay is everything, a single-player story needs, well, a good story and this is one is no exception. Although Uncharted 1 is very good, it did have some issues that were likely more prevalent due to being a first entry, having to establish these characters from scratch, whereas, this one had the luxury of continuing a story enabling it to throw you into the action. Like the previous instalment, we see many familiar faces however with some added new ones, such as Chloe Frazer, who is shown to have a history with Drake and frequently changes her loyalty, leaving us guessing whose side she is on. I was slightly disappointed with the lack of Sully who only appears for the first mission and final cutscene since he was more prominent in the original game. Elena continues to delight, especially with the added friction with Chloe since both serve as love interests. The villain of the game also sees a huge improvement with Lazarević. He is a frightening opponent who shows no mercy, killing his men to achieve his goal. He also has a true video game-style boss fight that is phenomenal, which gets the blood pumping in some tense situations. Overall, Among Thieves is a fantastic addition to the series and certainly earned its title as one of the best video game sequels. The action is intense, the platforming visually stunning, the characters loveable, and the locations striking. I see no faults with this game and consider it a firm favourite in my collection. Continue the adventures in the next escapade in Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (Video Game 2011).
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