A match of Uncharted 4’s

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Watching the trailer during Sony’s press conference, in which the camera flits between familiar characters, Uncharted’s revamped multiplayer looked hectic and eccentric. But having played a couple of rounds, it’s definitely fast-paced, but there’s also a surprising amount of depth there, too, and plenty of new ideas striving to make its multiplayer feel distinctive and, perhaps most importantly, like Uncharted.Unquestionably the most eye-catching aspect of the multiplayer reveal were the supernatural power-ups. Every Uncharted adventure sooner or later embraces the supernatural, but seeing Elena engulfed in fire before teleporting made it seem more like Infamous than Uncharted. In the context of a match, they feel far less outlandish and make much more sense.The trailer ends with Drake unleashing the Wrath of El Dorado, a sarcophagus from Drake’s Fortune which handily spews forth spectres that hunt down members of the opposing team. You purchase it using currency earned within the match itself from downing opponent. It lasts for a few seconds – though you’ll be able to unlock modifiers that extend its efficacy – but provides the most effective way of clearing out a group of enemies holed up in a section of the map. During my two matches, the opposing team would frequently dominate a small section of the map, but the Wrath of El Dorado soon cleared them out.

Check out 3 minutes of Uncharted's multiplayer in the video above.

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The map – a jungle setting similar to some of the single-player footage we’ve seen so far – felt much more like a typical Uncharted environment. There’s lots of verticality, which the brilliant new grappling hook allows you to explore with ease. It’s activated by pressing L1 in the right situation. Initially, it feels really odd to jump carelessly from a high ledge, but soon enough, I was crossing ravines and swinging around corners while lining up headshot. It’s thrilling and works brilliantly, too.The other ‘Mysticals’ Naughty Dog have revealed, include Among Thieves’ Cintamani Stone, which turns you into a super-medic healing all your teammates within range, and the Spirit of the Djinn, which allows you to teleport short distances while looking a bit like the Human Torch.The supernatural weapons are striking for sure, but by far my favourite element is the side-kicks. Again, they’re purchased from a simple store menu accessed by pressing down on the Touch Pad. Basically, they’re AI teammates with very useful skills. So far four have been announced, but I only got to call upon one: the Hunter. As soon as he drops into the map, he begins to hunt down the nearest opponent. Once he finds them, he puts them into a headlock. From here, one of three things can happen: your opponent can escape; they can be saved by one of their allies; or you can find and execute them. The hunter’s a powerful friend, but there’s also a Sniper who can provide powerful covering fire; a Saviour who will revive you and allow items such as grenades to recharge faster; and a Brute, a heavily-armoured soldier with a gatling gun (you can probably figure out what he does).If the ‘Mysticals’ are an attempt to weave some of the supernatural from Uncharted’s first three acts into multiplayer, side-kicks are trying to tap into that other, more essential ingredient – camaraderie. Nathan Drake is rarely alone in his adventure, with Sully or Chloe lending a hand, and these side-kicks seem to fulfill that function even if there’s no time to cultivate a real relationship. And in addition to the side-kicks, the rest of your team is composed of familiar faces, reacting to emergent multiplayer situations in character.Almost everybody who’s interested in Uncharted 4 is excited by its campaign, not its multiplayer. Knowing that, it would’ve been easy to have offered the bare minimum when it came to multiplayer or left it out entirely. Yet Uncharted 4’s multiplayer shows that Naughty Dog has spent more time than ever before working out what people love about the series and figuring out how to adapt those elements in the multiplayer arena. What I played was exciting, frantic, and looked spectacular, so it might be getting close.

Daniel is IGN's Games Editor over in London. He writes about movies, too. You can be part of the world's most embarrassing cult by following him on IGN and Twitter