This was the first game in the Uncharted series that I finished, and I think it definitely left a positive impression. Especially when considering that it was released in 2011 on a dedicated handheld of that era no less, it holds up quite well, I'd say.
The story was quite nice, if nothing spectacular (though Abyss is not lacking in spectacle in the least). Character interactions were better than the plot itself, benefiting from having such a small main cast to develop over a relatively short play time (about 9-10 hours). I found Drake to be a super likable wise-guy protagonist and Chase the endearing partner. Can't really go wrong with those two in the lead. Other characters are equally good, IMO.
The visuals were impressive (again, considering the time in which this was game was made). The frame rate was consistently inconsistent, but admittedly nothing that prevented me from playing well enough. Music was good. Suited the atmosphere of the game nicely.
Gameplay-wise, I'd say the controls work decently well. Shooting feels responsive, the motion aiming actually helps rather than hinders accuracy at times, and the melee is satisfying. No real complaints here. Stealth takedowns feel particularly nice.
My biggest gripe (and this is something that plagues the entire game) is the overabundance of touch gimmicks. Swipe this way to punch, rub this to solve a puzzle, etc. It gets tiring, but usually never to the extent that I wanted to stop playing. I just avoided the optional puzzles and whatnot, and generally was able to ignore it. There were, however, times where it couldn't be ignored, i.e., boss battles where all your attacks are touch-based. These were moments of frustration, but again, short -lived enough that I tolerated them to get to everything else.
Probably seems like the negative parts of the game stood out more than the positives to me, but that's not really true. I'd call Abyss better than the sum of its parts. Perhaps a tad weak if you inspect any one aspect of it for too long, yet a very pleasant experience, regardless, and one that leaves me wanting to see more of Nathan Drake's adventures.
The story was quite nice, if nothing spectacular (though Abyss is not lacking in spectacle in the least). Character interactions were better than the plot itself, benefiting from having such a small main cast to develop over a relatively short play time (about 9-10 hours). I found Drake to be a super likable wise-guy protagonist and Chase the endearing partner. Can't really go wrong with those two in the lead. Other characters are equally good, IMO.
The visuals were impressive (again, considering the time in which this was game was made). The frame rate was consistently inconsistent, but admittedly nothing that prevented me from playing well enough. Music was good. Suited the atmosphere of the game nicely.
Gameplay-wise, I'd say the controls work decently well. Shooting feels responsive, the motion aiming actually helps rather than hinders accuracy at times, and the melee is satisfying. No real complaints here. Stealth takedowns feel particularly nice.
My biggest gripe (and this is something that plagues the entire game) is the overabundance of touch gimmicks. Swipe this way to punch, rub this to solve a puzzle, etc. It gets tiring, but usually never to the extent that I wanted to stop playing. I just avoided the optional puzzles and whatnot, and generally was able to ignore it. There were, however, times where it couldn't be ignored, i.e., boss battles where all your attacks are touch-based. These were moments of frustration, but again, short -lived enough that I tolerated them to get to everything else.
Probably seems like the negative parts of the game stood out more than the positives to me, but that's not really true. I'd call Abyss better than the sum of its parts. Perhaps a tad weak if you inspect any one aspect of it for too long, yet a very pleasant experience, regardless, and one that leaves me wanting to see more of Nathan Drake's adventures.