As part of Naughty Dog's ongoing support for Uncharted 4, the developer today announced the game's next feature: co-op. Uncharted 4: Survival, as it's called, is a new wave-based mode where you and up to two others can fight off waves of increasingly difficult enemies. This can also be played solo.
If this sounds familiar, it's because the premise is similar to Uncharted 2 and 3's Co-op Arena mode. "We've built upon and evolved the core gameplay experience with an entirely new level of depth, challenge, and variety," Naughty Dog game designer Vinit Agarwal explained in a PlayStation Blog post. "From new enemy types and powerful new bosses to a dedicated progression system and expansive upgradable arsenal, Survival is all about strategy, camaraderie, and skill."
Survival has 10 maps and 50 total waves of enemies, which are Shoreline mercs, armored brutes, snipers, and hunters. As stated, they all become more difficult to defeat as waves progress. After every 10 waves, you'll face off against legendary pirates from the game's campaign, one of which is Henry Avery. He is literally on fire in the video above; see him starting at around 45 seconds in.
To make it through waves, you not only need to defeat enemies but also complete objectives like collect treasure in a pre-set time or defeat specially marked enemies. There will also be on-the-fly modifiers to mix things up such as one where you only have pistols. Another is one where only headshots and melee attacks do damage.
Throughout Survival, players will earn cash (just like in multiplayer), which can then be spent on better weapons and items. Additionally, Survival has its own progression system, separate from standard multiplayer. Players will earn weapon upgrades and new items, while some boosters will be exclusive to Survival. What's more, Survival will have multiple difficulty modes, including Hard and Crushing.
Survival, like Uncharted 4's previous expansions, is completely free. It arrives in mid-December, and people who attend PlayStation Experience (December 3-4) can __play it first. Check out the roadmap below to learn more about what to expect in the future.
In addition to more multiplayer content, Naughty Dog is making a franchise-first single-player add-on for Uncharted 4. However, there is no word on the story it will tell or when it will launch.