History TearJerker / Uncharted4AThiefsEnd

--> '''Nathen''': As thrilling as the next adventure might be, in the end you're always left with that same feeling. Sometimes, you just gotta choose what you gotta keep and what you wanna let go.

* While he hardly has any redeeming qualities, one has to feel a little bit sorry for Rafe Adler. Unlike the previous Uncharted villains who are ObviouslyEvil warlords, mercenaries, or members of ancient conspiracies hellbent on finding the treasure to suit their evil agenda, Rafe is just another treasure hunter who's only wanted to prove his worth, albeit in all the wrong ways. His MotiveRant during the final battle tells us that he's just a miserable rich man with everything in his life handed to him, who's DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife and finding it in Avery's treasure, as well as being [[GreenEyedMonster consumed with jealousy]] towards Nate and all his achievements. Rafe takes it upon himself to finish this lifelong quest, no matter the cost, and it costs him everything. He is a darker reflection of what Nate and Sam could've become. Unlike the Drakes, Rafe doesn't get to walk away alive, as his obsession with the treasure eventually drives him mad not unlike the Founders of Libertalia, and the VillainousBreakdown that follows becomes his undoing.

* On a meta level, the fact ''A Thief's End'' is the finale of the ''Uncharted'' story[[note]]at least for Nathan Drake[[/note]]. Whether or not Creator/NaughtyDog goes back to an earlier point to add another installment remains to be seen but with the insane attention to detail, SceneryPorn[=/=]SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome the game has achieved, and the quality of storytelling (fixing the plotting problems ''3'' was accused of having with well-planned story threads), it is a fairly painful goodbye to this series if ''4'' is really meant to be the true end of Nate's adventure -- the game had set the bar higher than ever for both itself as a series and every other [=PlayStation=] 4 game.
* When Elena confronts Nate about [[spoiler:lying to her and risking his life again]]. Even though the trailers meant that most people saw it coming, the pain in her voice and eyes still manages to be heartbreaking. She later [[spoiler:rescues Nate on Libertalia]] but says she almost decided against it, driving home that Nate really screwed up this time but [[Heartwarming/{{Uncharted}} love still triumphs]]. Nate even kicks himself later in monologue as he watches her scale cliffs and handle a gun, saying that he very nearly ruined his relationship with the best girl he could ever find.
** When they find [[spoiler: the corpses of Libertalia's founders]], Nate's childlike enthusiasm and joy of discovery bubble back up in a way that seems very uplifting at first, until the camera focuses on Elena's face, as she sees him once again get swept up in the adventure. You can see on her face the realisation that, even without Alcazar's threat looming over Sam, Nate's passion for this life is too great to just leave behind. The superb facial capture and voice acting mean every flicker of emotion is right there for the player to see. [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments It's the little smile, however, that tells you that this is her also realizing why she loves him]], and it's what leads to Nate apologizing for everything he's done.
** When Nate and Elena barely escape [[spoiler:falling down a waterfall]], Nate tells Elena the real reason why [[spoiler:he lied to her before. They had split up multiple times due to his hunger for treasure hunting, and after the promise he made to give up that life, he couldn't bear to lose her again (possibly for good). He wasn't protecting ''her''; he was protecting himself from that pain. You can hear it in Elena's voice that she's fighting back tears upon her own realization that, despite everything Nate's done, she still loves him]].
* Evelyn's story. Nate and Sam find StoryBreadcrumbs about her life: she was an adventurer and archaeologist in the early 20th Century, and dismissed by her peers because she was a woman. The only sympathetic ear was a Japanese archaeologist, who faced similar prejudice because of his race. They collaborated and shared their findings on artifacts they recovered, fell in love, married, and had a son named Edmund. [[spoiler:But given their busy, adventure-filled lives, they were absent from their son's life for months at a time, which strained their marriage, leading to divorce. She was a completely absent figure in her son's life, and was so consumed with treasure hunting that she missed both his graduation from university and her ex-husband's funeral. Edmund saw the latter as the last straw and cut off contact with her. She’d tried to patch things up by sending his kids money but he saw it as her manipulating them and told her to buzz off and not talk to them. Her last letter from her son is a brutal denunciation for her absence in his life, and she spends her time in an empty house filled with treasures from days gone by]]. Then she fell ill, and [[spoiler:her protegé, Cassandra Morgan died, leaving her to [[DyingAlone die alone.]]]] The only things you can examine in the final room, other than Cassandra's journals, are a picture of Evelyn's family from long ago, showing clearly that she misses them. Once she realizes that [[spoiler:Nate and Sam are Cassandra's sons]], she's actually excited to be able to share her theories with someone one last time before she dies, because [[spoiler:it's all she has left]]. She's a reflection of what could happen to [[spoiler:Nate [[ShadowArchetype if he put his love of treasure hunting above Elena]]: dying alone in a house full of relics, with no family wanting anything to do with them]].

* The revelation to Nate that Sam [[spoiler: was lying this whole time on "owing" a big crime boss and had been spending two years helping Rafe with his search. Nate is utterly stunned that his brother had been using him, dragging him out of the good, quiet life he'd long wanted, and blindly following his obsession with Avery's treasure, regardless of the danger to Nate.]]
* Throughout Nate's journey, he finds clues and letters detailing the quest of Burnes' grandson, how he wanted to honour his family, as well as his love for a woman named Claire. But, the more we find, the more we see him being consumed by his journey. Bad decision after bad decision finally culminated in his crew abandoning him and becoming fatally wounded. However, unlike Nate, his beloved wasn't there to save him and the last note you find is on his skeleton, which shows him still being determined to finish his quest, but that a part of him probably knew this was it. On the back of it is [[spoiler:a sketch of Claire with the words "Forgive me" that he had drawn in his final moments. The worst part is that he was only a short distance from the treasure he had risked everything for.]]
* [[spoiler: If you're a {{VideoGame/Monkey Island}} fan, finding Guybrush Threepwood's skeleton along with the other founders of Libertalia (who were all poisoned by Avery and Tew) might be upsetting.]]
** Along those lines, if you're a fan of [[spoiler: any of the real pirates who in the game's universe were founders of Libertalia, it kinda sucks to see that they died by being tricked into drinking poison.]]
* While he hardly has any redeeming qualities, one has to feel a little bit sorry for Rafe Adler. Unlike the previous Uncharted villains who are ObviouslyEvil warlords, mercenaries, or members of ancient conspiracies hellbent on finding the treasure to suit their evil agenda, Rafe is just another treasure hunter who's only wanted to prove his worth, albeit in all the wrong ways. His MotiveRant during the final battle tells us that he's just a miserable rich man with everything in his life handed to him, who's DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife and finding it in Avery's treasure, as well as being [[GreenEyedMonster consumed with jealousy]] towards Nate and all his achievements. Rafe takes it upon himself to finish this lifelong quest, no matter the cost, and it costs him everything. He is a darker reflection of what Nate and Sam could've become. [[spoiler: Unlike the Drakes, Rafe doesn't get to walk away alive, as his obsession with the treasure eventually drives him mad not unlike the Founders of Libertalia, and the VillainousBreakdown that follows becomes his undoing.]]

* While he hardly has any redeeming qualities, one has to feel a little bit sorry for Rafe Adler. Unlike the previous Uncharted villains who are ObviouslyEvil warlords, mercenaries, or members of ancient conspiracies hellbent on finding the treasure to suit their evil agenda, Rafe is just another treasure hunter who's only wanted to prove his worth, albeit in all the wrong ways. His MotiveRant during the final battle tells us that he's just a miserable rich man with everything in his life handed to him, who's DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife and finding it in Avery's treasure. Rafe takes it upon himself to finish this lifelong quest, no matter the cost. He is a darker reflection of what Nate and Sam could've become. [[spoiler: Unlike the Drakes, Rafe doesn't get to walk away alive, as his obsession with the treasure eventually drives him mad not unlike the Founders of Libertalia, and the VillainousBreakdown that follows becomes his undoing.]]

* Evelyn's story. Nate and Sam find StoryBreadcrumbs about her life: she was an adventurer and archaeologist in the early 20th Century, and dismissed by her peers because she was a woman. The only sympathetic ear was a Japanese archaeologist, who faced similar prejudice because of his race. They collaborated and shared their findings on artifacts they recovered, fell in love, married, and had a son named Edmund. [[spoiler:But given their busy, adventure-filled lives, they were absent from their son's life for months at a time, which strained their marriage, leading to divorce. She was a completely absent figure in her son's life, and was so consumed with treasure hunting that she missed both his graduation from university and her ex-husband's funeral. Her last letter from her son is a brutal denunciation for her absence in his life, and she spends her time in an empty house filled with treasures from days gone by]]. Then she fell ill, and [[spoiler:her protegé, Cassandra Morgan died, leaving her to [[DyingAlone die alone.]]]] The only things you can examine in the final room, other than Cassandra's journals, are a picture of Evelyn's family from long ago, showing clearly that she misses them. Once she realizes that [[spoiler:Nate and Sam are Cassandra's sons]], she's actually excited to be able to share her theories with someone one last time before she dies, because [[spoiler:it's all she has left]]. She's a reflection of what could happen to [[spoiler:Nate [[ShadowArchetype if he put his love of treasure hunting above Elena]]: dying alone in a house full of relics, with no family wanting anything to do with them]].

* [[spoiler: If you're a {{VideoGame/Monkey Island}} fan, finding Guybrush Threepwood's skeleton along with the other founders of Libertalia (who were all poisoned) might be upsetting.]]

* Throughout Nate's journey, he finds clues and letters detailing the quest of Burnes' grandson, how he wanted to honour his family, as well as his love for a woman named Claire. But, the more we find, the more we see him being consumed by his journey. Bad decision after bad decision finally culminated in his crew abandoning him and becoming fatally wounded. However, unlike Nate, his beloved wasn't there to save him and the last note you find is on his skeleton, which shows him still being determined to finish his quest, but that a part of him probably knew this was it. On the back of it is [[spoiler:a sketch of Claire with the words "Forgive me" that he had drawn in his final moments. The worst part is that he was only a short distance from the treasure he had risked everything for.

* The "Heads or Tails" tv spot, with Nathan somberly overlooking another piece of treasure, [[IJustWantTobeNormal wondering how many chances at a normal life he's thrown away]] and [[WasItReallyWorthIt if his adventuring has really all been worth it.]]
* On a meta-level, the fact ''A Thief's End'' is the finale of the ''Uncharted'' story[[note]] At least featuring Nathan Drake[[/note]]. Whether or not they go back to an earlier point to add another installment remains to be seen but with the insane attention to detail, SceneryPorn[=/=]SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome the game has achieved, and the quality of storytelling (fixing the plotting problems ''3'' was accused of having by having well-planned story threads), it is a fairly painful goodbye to this series if ''4'' is really meant to be the true end as the game had set the bar higher than ever for both itself as a series and every other [=PlayStation=] 4 game.
* When Elena confronts Nate about lying to her and risking his life again. Even though the trailers meant that most people saw it coming, the pain in her voice and eyes still manages to be heartbreaking. She later [[spoiler:rescues Nate on Libertalia]] but says she almost decided against it, driving home that Nate really screwed up this time but [[Heartwarming/{{Uncharted}} love still triumphs]] (Nate even kicks himself later in monologue as he watches her scale cliffs and handle a gun that he very nearly ruined his relationship with the best girl he could ever find).
** When they find [[spoiler: the corpses of Libertalia's founders]], Nate's childlike enthusiasm and joy of discovery bubble back up in a way that seems very uplifting at first, until the camera focuses on Elena's face, as she sees him once again get swept up in the adventure. You can see on her face the realisation that, even without Alcazar's threat looming over Sam, Nate's passion for this life is too great to just leave it behind and have a normal life with her. The superb facial-capture and voice acting mean every flicker of emotion is right there for the player to see. [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments It's the little smile, however, that tells you that this is her also realizing why she loves him, and its what leads to Nate apologizing for everything he's done.]]
** When Nate and Elena barely escape [[spoiler:falling down a waterfall, Nate stops Elena and tells her the real reason why he lied to her before. They had split up multiple times due to his greed for treasure hunting, and after the promise he made to give up that life he couldn't bear to lose her again, possibly for good. He wasn't protecting her, he was protecting himself from that pain. You can hear it in Elena's voice that she was fighting back tears upon her own realization that despite everything he's done, she still loves him.]]
* Evelyn's story. Nate and Sam find StoryBreadcrumbs about her life: she was an adventurer and archaeologist in the early 20th Century, and dismissed by her peers because she was a woman. The only sympathetic ear was a Japanese archaeologist, who faced similar prejudice because of his race. They collaborated and shared their findings on artifacts they recovered, fell in love, married, and had a son named Edmund. But given their busy, adventure-filled lives, they were absent from their son's life for months at a time, which strained their marriage, leading to divorce. She was a completely absent figure in her son's life, and she was so consumed with treasure hunting that she missed both his graduation from university and her ex-husband's funeral. Her last letter from her son is a brutal denunciation for her absence in his life, and she spends her time in an empty house filled with treasures from days gone by. Then she falls ill, [[spoiler: and her protege, Cassandra Morgan dies]], leaving her to [[DyingAlone die alone.]] The only things you can examine in the final room, other than the CSM journals, are a picture of her family from long ago, showing clearly that she misses them. Once she realizes [[spoiler: that Nate and Sam are Cassandra's sons]], she actually seems excited to be able to share her theories with someone one last time before she dies, because that's all she has left. She's a reflection of what could happen to Nate if he put his love of treasure hunting above Elena: dying alone in a house full of relics, with no family who wants anything to do with them.
* Consider how her son's bedroom is left exactly the same as when he was a child, and the Toy Soldier treasure you find on a bench outside. How many times did Evelyn walk around the grounds of her mansion by herself, clutching one of the toys of a son she desperately wants to reconnect with?
* The revelation to Nate that Sam [[spoiler: was lying this whole time on "owing" some big crime boss and had been spending two years helping Rafe with his search. Nate is utterly stunned that his brother has been using him, dragging him out of the good quiet life he'd long wanted and obsessed with how "the treasure is ours" to not care about what the danger to Nate.]]
* Throughout Nate's journey he finds clues and letters detailing the quest of Burnes' grandson, how he wanted to honour his family, as well as his love for a woman named Claire. But, the more we find, the more we see him being consumed by his journey. Bad decision after bad decision finally culminated in his crew abandoning him and becoming fatally wounded. However, unlike Nate, his beloved wasn't there to save him and last note you find is on his long dead skeleton, which shows him still being determined to finish his quest, but that a part of him probably knew this was it. On the back of it is a sketch of Claire, whom he had drawn in his final moments. The worst part is that he was only a short distance from the treasure he had risked everything for.

* While he hardly has any redeeming qualities, one has to feel a little bit sorry for Rafe Adler. Unlike the previous Uncharted villains who are ObviouslyEvil warlords, mercenaries, or members of ancient conspiracies hellbent on finding the treasure to suit their evil agenda, Rafe is just another treasure hunter who only wanted to prove his worth, albeit in all the wrong ways. His MotiveRant during the final battle tells us that he's just a sad, miserable rich man with everything in his life handed to him who's DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife and finding it in Avery's treasure, then takes it upon himself to finish this lifelong quest no matter the cost. Rafe is a darker reflection of what Nate and Sam could've become. [[spoiler: Unlike both of them, Rafe doesn't get to walk away alive as his obsession with the treasure eventually drives him mad not unlike the Pirates of Libertalia, and the VillainousBreakdown that follows ends up being his undoing.]]

* On a meta-level, the fact ''A Thief's End'' is the finale of the ''Uncharted'' story[[note]] At least featuring Nathan Drake[[/note]]. Whether or not they go back to an earlier point to add another installment remains to be seen but with the insane attention to detail, SceneryPorn[=/=]VisualEffectsOfAwesome the game has achieved, and the quality of storytelling (fixing the plotting problems ''3'' was accused of having by having well-planned story threads), it is a fairly painful goodbye to this series if ''4'' is really meant to be the true end as the game had set the bar higher than ever for both itself as a series and every other [=PlayStation=] 4 game.

** When they find [[spoiler: the corpses of Libertalia's founders]], Nate's childlike enthusiasm and joy of discovery bubble back up in a way that seems very uplifting at first, until the camera focuses on Elena's face, as she sees him once again get swept up in the adventure. You can see on her face the realisation that, even without Alcazar's threat looming over Sam, Nate's passion for this life is too great to just leave it behind and have a normal life with her. The superb facial-capture and voice acting mean every flicker of emotion is right there for the player to see. [[HeartwarmingMoment It's the little smile, however, that tells you that this is her also realizing why she loves him, and its what leads to Nate apologizing for everything he's done.]]

* On a meta-level, the fact ''A Thief's End'' is the finale of the ''Uncharted'' story. Whether or not they go back to an earlier point to add another installment remains to be seen but with the insane attention to detail, SceneryPorn[=/=]VisualEffectsOfAwesome the game has achieved, and the quality of storytelling (fixing the plotting problems ''3'' was accused of having by having well-planned story threads), it is a fairly painful goodbye to this series if ''4'' is really meant to be the true end as the game had set the bar higher than ever for both itself as a series and every other [=PlayStation=] 4 game.