After three games it’s pretty clear that Nate can overcome almost any obstacle he encounters; not bad for a guy who manages to come home empty handed each time. His latest adventure is no different than the previous as he finds himself exploring vast cliffs and jungle. While navigating the treacherous terrain of Uncharted 4 you’ll find yourself taking risks to reach places that seem impossible, in true Drake style!

Climbing¶

Nate likes to climb stuff and after all his adventures he’s proven he does it better than the average Joe. While most objects at knee height Nate will automatically climb up, anything higher and more complex requires action.

Climbable sections are generally marked by having a ledge be lighter than the surrounding environment, such as a light orange against brown dirt, and not all things can be climbed.

Press X to latch Nate onto whatever object he intends to climb, such as a ledge or ladder, and then use the Left Analog to navigate. In some cases you’ll find you need to press X to jump to adjacent section, but this is all a part of the climbing experience.

Later in the game you’ll obtain a piton, a metal spike that acts as an anchor when stuck in a wall, which allows Nate to climb the porous walls that lack solid ledges. Press Square to strike the wall and place the piton and then use it as a grip point to reach other ledges.

Jumping¶

While jumping over expanses is definitely required in some case, this core gameplay also works hand-in-hand with climbing and grappling. No matter your needs, whether it’s vaulting over a table to another or swinging on a rope, you’ll likely need to jump at some point. Like climbing, pressing X will execute a jump with the Left Analog indicating the direction in which you’d like to jump.

What happens if you don’t hold the Left Analog? Well, Nate will simply hop in place like a little bunny… how cute!

Swimming¶

It’s a good thing Nate knows how to swim, given that a lot of these adventures take place in areas with high temperatures.

Use the Left Analog to tread through water that Nate can’t wade through and press O to dive underwater. Once underwater you can dive deeper by pressing O or swim upwards by pressing X to surface. Just make sure to come up for air when the screen begins to darken, since you don’t want to drown poor Nate.

Grappling Hook¶

Despite learning how to use a grappling hook as a child, Nate doesn’t use it in any of the previous games. This single item opens up a whole new way to cross terrain and explore areas and can even be used to pull objects.

Locations that can be grappled are identified from a distance by being wrapped in rope and/or marked with a grappling hook icon. In many cases you’ll be able to stand on solid ground to be within range of pressing L1 to attach the hook, but in some cases you’ll have to make a leap of faith and then press L1. Just make sure that you don’t wait too long or Nate will plummet to an untimely death.

Swinging from a grappling hook is similar to swinging across a beam, with the exception that you can shift your weight by holding back on the Left Analog to gain even more momentum. Often you’ll either be swinging to ground or to another ledge, where Nate will extends his arm out to indicate he can jump to the location.

In some cases Nate will grapple a location that is against a wall, meaning he won’t be swinging anywhere. These rare cases require Nate to wall run by using the Left Analog to run back and forth against the cliff wall until he reaches his hand out for the destination.

In addition to swinging you’ll also be able to use the grappling hook to latch onto moveable crates that are in unreachable locations and pull them down or pull yourself up. Simply attach the rope by pressing L1 when the grappling icon appears and then hold it while you walk away from the crate.