You may have had enough of hanging from glowing ledges, jumping from crumbling floors and narrow escapes from massive explosions, but I can't get enough of the adventures of "Dude Raider" Nathan Drake. I loved all of the PS3 games, with Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception being my pick for the best game of 2011. 

That said, I had some reservations about the series going portable. How would the series' trademark cinematic style hold up on the small screen? I was also concerned that the title would not be coming directly from Naughty Dog, but from SCE's Bend Studio. Would this be a gimmicky, touch screen one-off?

All of my worries disappeared within 10 minutes of playing Uncharted: Golden Abyss on the new PlayStation Vita, both released in Japan on December 17. There's a huge review below to give you all the details, but here's what you need to know in short: Uncharted: Golden Abyss is the Vita's first "must buy." This game sets a new high mark for portable gaming. Also, if this is a launch title, the future looks very bright for Sony's new portable.

[Review Note: We used the Japanese release of Uncharted: Golden Abyss for this review. This release features the same English voices and text that we'll see in the domestic release. If any features change upon domestic release, we'll update this review.] 

Uncharted: Golden Abyss (PlayStation Vita)
Developer: Sony Bend Studios
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Released: February 22, 2012
MSRP: $49.99

For those following the series, Uncharted: Golden Abyss is a prequel story, though it doesn't seem to establish much in the way of backstory. Nathan Drake may have a few less cuts and bruises in this game, but he's basically the same protagonist you've come to know and love. The rest of the cast is new, save for an old friend that series fans will immediately recognize. This old friend may have less gray hair, but he still has the same terrible shirts and jokes. 

Golden Abyss has Drake working for a somewhat shady old friend named Jason Dante. He reports for duty as a historical expert for Dante in the deep forests of Central America. During their work they meet Marisa Chase, the granddaughter of a famous archaeologist. Chase is looking for her grandfather, who has gone missing during his an expedition. The group gets mixed up with a retired general from the region that is on the hunt for treasure. It seems that everyone is looking for the same ruins, but for different reasons.

The story is great, and there's some really nice plot twists and lore to be enjoyed and explored. Golden Abyss may not have quite the character depth that Naughty Dog pumped into previous series games' characters, but that not to say that the characters are bad in any way. You'll still totally hate the bad guys, sympathize with the heroine, and laugh heartily at Drake's snarky interjections. No corners were cut as far as the characters are concerned, mind you. It's just that, while good, they're not quite to the impossibly high level that Naughty Dog has set with previous games.

That said, the voice acting is exactly on par with what you've experienced with the console games. Nolan North is at his best, wisecracking like a champ as Drake. Voice actress Christine Lakin also does a fine job as Marisa Chase and when Drake and his old friend meet up in the second half of the game, the wisecracks come non-stop. In the latter half of the game there's a hilarious run of "...that's what she said" jokes between the pair. I think that most players will be surprised at how much dialogue is in this game. Everything is fully voiced, making you wonder how they fit it all on that tiny little Vita cartridge.

Drake has learned several new tricks with this first portable outing. The various new input controls of the Vita are all used in Golden Abyss, making the game a perfect showcase for the system. And while just about all of the touch and motion controls are optional, they're implemented so well that I'm sure most players will end up using them and enjoying them. 

The front touch screen and back touch panel are used extensively. Basic commands, like picking up items and weapons, can now be done by simply touching them on the screen. This way you won't have to walk over to it and hit a button. Flinging grenades is a joy now, as you literally flick them in the direction you want them to go with the front screen. Fist fighting also uses the touch screen, and it's much better than you'd think, with swipey cinematic attacks and dodges mixing up the standard punching and kicking. I love that the sniper rifle's zoom can be controlled by either a slider on the front screen, or by running a finger up and down across the back touch panel.

The touch control even extends to exploration. You can jump from ledge to ledge with buttons and the analog stick, just as you always have, or you can simply touch a ledge to have Drake jump to it. In fact, he will follow a line you've traced across the screen with your finger to do things like move across ledges and over or under obstacles. Again, the touch controls in these cases are totally optional, but they're pretty slick, and trying them once will likely sell you on them.

My favorite new addition to Uncharted's control is the motion control-enabled aiming assist. You'll still use the right analog stick to aim your weapons, but the Vita's motion sensors let you tilt the system to fine tune your aim. While larger gestures let you move the reticle from enemy to enemy, I used it more for correcting my aim, and quickly fell in love with the feature. Being able to tilt to fine tune aim is so intuitive that I don't know how I ever lived without it.

The only touch control that is not optional is found in the game's cutscenes. You'll swipe your way through fist fights and narrow escapes. These "quick time events" start out as pretty standard, but get really creative toward the end. I don't want to spoil any of the situations, so just know that you'll be furiously swiping in all directions as quick as you can, gritting your teeth all the while. It seems like Bend had a lot of fun putting these events together, and I'm sure you will, too. 

Sure, there's a lot of new tricks with this outing, but the game's core is classic Uncharted. This means you'll get more of that perfect mix of tense platforming and climbing and epic gunfights, all presented with cinematic flair. The first time things get hairy and you find yourself hanging from a rope with shooters firing from above and snipers aiming from below, you'll feel right at home. There's no way the game's creators could have been more true to Uncharted's gameplay. They nailed it.

I'm glad to say that series fans will also feel right at home with the controls. The exemplary dual joysticks of the Vita do a lot to blur that line between portable and home console. There's absolutely no learning curve here for anyone that has played any of the previous games. Nothing is lost in translation.

The Uncharted series has always incorporated puzzles, and you'll find plenty in Golden Abyss. In fact, I'd bet there are more puzzle-like instances in this latest title than in any of the other ones. While enjoyable, the majority of them are pretty shallow, and rely on the the front and rear touch panels. Your hands will be all over the screen doing things like making charcoal rubbings of ancient carvings, or rubbing dirt and/or rust off artifacts to uncover clues. The game's makers are absolutely unapologetic in their excitement for rubbing things, so much so that their studio logo is presented with a charcoal rub graphics. 

There are a few other more interesting types of touch puzzles in the mix. You'll have to use your fingers to spin combination locks to gain access to treasures, and re-assembling ripped up maps, posters and other papers is pretty fun, though you'll do it so often that you'll wonder why so many things are ripped up in the forests of Central America. Fortunately, these iPhone game-like diversions give way to some really neat puzzles near the end of the game. These are more like your classic puzzles from treasure hunting games, and they're all pretty enjoyable. 

Fans of item hunting will be glad to hear that Golden Abyss has more hidden items, treasures and other artifacts to find than any other of the series titles. Maybe too many! I found that I was almost tripping over collectable gems and coins during the adventure, and found a few more by accident. It's almost unbelievable how many findable items are in this game. Drake's in-game journal contains several pages of empty "slots" for all of these items, and it's a bit daunting going through them. I'd dare say that only the most hardcore will even attempt to collect them all, and that they'll probably need multiple playthroughs to do so.

As an amateur photographer I really enjoyed the new camera-based quests in Golden Abyss. Drake is free to bring up his camera at any time to shoot any of the game's lovely scenery to be kept in his journal, but there are also several requested pictures to collect. You're given examples to try to match with your own photos, and the game grades you on them, with collection requiring a 100 percent match. Photography uses the Vita's tilt function to aim and the rear touchscreen to zoom. 

Uncharted: Golden Abyss is a beautiful game. From a visual standpoint, it's quite easily the most impressive portable game I've seen. So much of the polished presentation and cinematic style of the PS3 games can be found in this Vita title, which is especially impressive when you consider that this is a launch title. Seeing is believing, as online footage and screenshots do this game no justice. Bend's outstanding work on this game makes it easy to forget that you're playing a portable game. At announcement, Sony kept saying that the Vita is capable of PS3-like experiences, and Golden Abyss serves as proof.

The Uncharted series is known for its beautiful backdrops, and Golden Abyss is no exception. While treasure hunting adventure games all have similar settings, Bend cranked the pretty up to 11 in this one. Some of the texture art is positively eye-popping; I found myself doing double takes many times in my first playthrough. Lush, green forests give way to sun-drenched temple ruins in the game's first hours. Beyond that explore vast underground caves that lead to gaming eye candy that's so dazzling that I'd hate to ruin it for you. You'll see everything from dumpy lean-tos to impossibly scenic waterfalls on your journey, wondering how the game system isn't overheating from rendering them.

This game is also lovely in motion. The same high quality motion capture you enjoyed in the console games is present in Golden Abyss. Even moving water is stunningly realistic in this game. And despite some reports, I never experienced any kind of slow down or stuttering. Golden Abyss ran smoothly from beginning to end for me.

Talk about coming out strong! From launch day Sony has a flagship title and a potential system seller with Uncharted: Golden Abyss -- it's that good. It's everything you'd expect from an Uncharted title as a graphical powerhouse, and it serves as a technical showcase for Sony's newest hardware. It does such a good job of taking advantage of all of Vita's capabilities. It's as if Sony knew that this had to be amazing, and then spared no expense to make it so.

As far as single-player gaming goes, franchise fans will not be disappointed with the series' first portable game. Though smaller, Golden Abyss is still the deep, varied and highly entertaining adventure they've come to expect, with almost nothing lost in the move. And with more than 30 game chapters and about 12 hours of gameplay, this is a full Uncharted experience. There's no multiplayer, though, so some followers of the series may miss that. 

With Uncharted: Golden Abyss we have the first must-buy for Sony's PlayStation Vita. It takes the series' much-loved gameplay, storytelling and presentation, and adds on innovative touch and tilt features to make a game that fits perfectly alongside its predecessors. Prepare to be amazed by a portable videogame.

Legacy Comments (will be imported soon)

glowbug

Can I make love to a handheld gaming console? ...wait, don't tell me. I want to find out myself.

garethxxgod

Now that we're establishing that Nathan Drake could possibly be gay....Golden Abyss takes on so many different meanings.

Nick Jones

I kind of expected it to be good. Looks like Sony's got a solid launch line-up, if only because of Golden Abyss. Good review.

BeatFarmer

Oh, crap! Happy New Year!

Gaidenrider

Sounds great, just hope it doesn't fall into the bad presentation standars that PSP games had (Resistance Retribution and Killzone's menues and HUD coming to mind, those things looked ugly.)

Vigilante8

I'm still waiting for Uncharted: Treasure Racer.

BlinkingPixels

To me this is the ONLY reason to get a Vita. Nothing else matters.

Burdmayn

This has me excited beyond belief, I was hoping this wouldn't disappoint.

Dale, I would just like to personally thank you for the fantastic Vita coverage you've been doing. You've seriously covered just about everything I wanted to know about the system. It seems like just about every other site with a Vita is more interested in playing it than telling us about it.

Tendonin

Maaaan I shouldn't have read this. Now I'm going to buy a Vita.

Nick Jones

@Vigilante8: Comment of the year.

Dale North

Burdmayn - thanks so much. Means a lot!

Burdmayn

I seriously used to visit this site for pure entertainment but now it's my main source for news. Destructoid knows game journalism better than anyone.

Evergreen

Hopefully, this means Sony Bend can get back to making another Syphon Filter sequel. They can't leave us hanging like that!

Monkey News

Awesome awesome awesome. Im saving for my vita now, its decided.

JQM78

Thanks Dale, definitely getting this with my vita..

Kinda wished they did the first edition bundle with this instead of little deviants.... guess i'll just wait an extra week and get this with modnation racers and an 8gb memory card.

Pencoin

No multiplayer, lots of collectibles/sidequests, a jungle setting and from the sounds of it: no pretentious bullcrap characters? This sounds like the best Uncharted yet!

Must resist Vita... Must resist Vita... Must resist Vita... (Until Square announces a KH game for it at least.)

wqerty

gay

glowbug

@wqwert
I do believe it is also fake.

doomknight66

GoofierBrute

Look at wqerty with his well thought out, comprehensive, and well written critique of a game that he hasn't played and probably never will play.

Dakilazical

GOD DAMMIT DON'T MAKE ME WANT TO BUY A VITA!!!! I'm getting married this summer and I've learned that weddings are expensive. So the vita will have to wait but man this game looks amazing.

KwikPwn

Zephreus

Dear Dale at Destructoid,
I have written a limerick for you.

There once was a man named Dale.
Who had a Vita before they were on sale.
He reviewed the Golden Abyss.
But I knew something was amiss.
9.5 instead of 10 is a fail.


In all seriousness, good stuff Dale.

(To clarify, I have no issues with the review score, nor the review on the whole... I just felt like making fun of people ranting about non-perfects.)

Laharl-KOTNW

Those are some hideous character models. Nathan Drake looks like some deformed hockey player. The scenery look gorgeous though. Great score.

Epic-Kx

@Zephreus
Comment of the week material.

@Article
Why does Nate in that screen look like Gary Busey when he's sober? Either way, looking forward to this game. Way to piss out a 9.5 before the year ends! :D

OrangeArmy

If Jim's suggestion comes true,then Nathan Drake will REALLY be a "Dude Raider",because he will raid dudes...with his penis...

Also,great review,my body is ready for the Vita and this game,even though my wallet certainly isn't.

PixelKnot93

@ wqerty
Cool story.

Can't wait to get my hands on a Vita with this and 7 other launch titles.

8bitstitches

This game alone makes me want a Vita, aside from all the other great features. Those damn overpriced cards are the only thing making me think I shouldn't pick one up at launch.

Estce Quil Wendel

Great review!

Adrian Smith

I wanted a vita so bad but wow does it have a lot of flaws. Besides that fact that it doesn't support ps1 or minis or that you cant transfer games to it if for some reason you cant connect to psn. Also for some strange reason sony has seen fit to remove the abilty to copy ps1 and minis to a psp if it has already been installed which they've had the system doing automatically if you have plus. So essentially I have to redownload 38 ps1 classics, 15 minis and keep two copies on my ps3 just to get back the ability to copy them to my psp. Why hasn't anybody addressed these issues which seem to be getting worse every time sony releases a firmware update?

MetaTotoro

I'm going to cut myself until I can afford to buy a Vita and this $50 game... or save money... whichever works...

shaxam1029

Sweet! I don't really like Uncharted games, but I'm glad one of the Vita's first games gets such a great score! The vita sounds awesome!

Oishidesu

@Adrian Smith
PSP is dead. Get over it.
/s... As if you can keep those 38 games on your PSP with the small-ass memory
As for not being able to play PS1 games on it, let's wait until the Vita drops outside of Japan before making false accusations, mm'kay?

pedrovay2003

Uncharted without Naughty Dog is like Metroid Prime: Hunters without Retro. I'm sure it's enjoyable to me, but it just feels wrong...

Adrian Smith

psp is not dead because. I was a loyal sony customer buying games for the platform when I could easily pirate and not have to deal with this crap. It seems sony is focused on making life as difficult as possible for anyone who wants to support them. And I have a go and a 4gb memory card so I have more space than most people with a vita. Also its not a false accusation that a device that is already released doesn't havr the ability to play ps1 games and minis when its clearly been said by sony.

MigePrz16

I think I'll wait for a price drop.
If recently released sales figures are to be believed, it seems that a price drop may be coming sooner than expected.

Zephreus

It doesn't currently support PSOne classics, but that's hardly something I'm worried about right now, as my PSP can still perfectly play those PSOne classics and I'm not gonna drop $250 +cost of other stuff to play 15-year-old games. It'll show up in a firmware update when Sony knows everybody will snap without one that actually matters.

VicYoungblood

@MetaTotoro: Um, I think the last option may be the best.

@Dale: Big Uncharted fan, so this game may convince me to buckle down and buy a damn Vita. That and Persona 4. Good review, really nice knowing that one of my favorite franchises got transferred faithfully. Sony seems to have a knack for good portable entries in their franchises.

Burdmayn

Adrian: PS1 and mini support is going to he added, no cause for alarm. The price of memory will also drop and I'm sure that bigger cards will come out as well.

Adrian Smith

That still doesnt deal with the fact that sony has decided to remove the abilty to copy installed games with a firmware designed to make it a media hub. So now you to keep those installation bubbles for anything want to put on your portable device. Which in it self wouldn't be so bad if they allowed you to put them in a folder but you cant even do that. So essentially If I re download all my games so I can play them again I'm going to have around 50 bubbles on my screen that I cant do anything about. Hell I cant even alphabetize them.

MigePrz16

Whoops, I forgot to mention I was talking about Vita not Uncharted in my last comment.

Also, GA seems like an awesome entry into the franchise.

Chris Carter

Thanks Dale! My wifi Vita is fully paid off partially because of your coverage, so I also echo the sentiments above - we appreciate ya!

SKSith

Not a 10? VITA IS DOOOOOOOOMED!!!!!!!!!!!

IMpm163

Dale, great review!

I just though it might be good to mention that the screens were taken with the built-in Vita screenshot thing (if that's actually the case lol) cause I think some people might be put off by how the screens look.

Sat

At least Sony is releasing a killer app right at the start! Mario Land was way too macho for me, so I'll keep an eye on this one.

Albert Marsh

Oh tears will fall when Vita bombs in the states.

Scissors

I'm not sure about this. I loved Uncharted 2 with a passion, but not so much UC 3. I'm sure this is an alright game, but I'm one to notice subtle details, and to me it's very obvious that this wasn't developed by Naughty Dog. Like Metroid Prime Hunters it may have looked impressive and worked great, but the game had no soul and I hated it for it. The new characters don't look interesting. They seem to lack the personalities that the previous characters in the series have. Which is why I liked past Uncharted games. I think Nathan is okay, but Chloe, Sully & Elena were what hooked me. The 2 love triangle had a pretty good dynamic going, but adding a 3rd girl is abit too much.

I'll play a demo of it before I pass judgement, but Gravity Daze, Escape Plan, and P4P seems to be where it's at for me when it comes to anticipated Vita games.

BrowneyeWinkin

This is pretty fucked

I gotta scrounge up over $300 yucks depending on memory just so i can partake in the newest adventure :/

barnes

12 hour campaign? I'm happy to hear that, some console games don't even have that.

Brett Zeidler

A month and a half can't come soon enough.