I don't think this is true at all, there's a ton of combat for combat's sake in the first 3 games, hell even in 4. If combat realistically served the story in the way we've become accustomed to in adventure fiction, there would be like 3 shootouts per installment. Sure, this time out they attempted to justify combat a little more in terms of where and when it happens, but even then Nate slaughters a small army.
Sure, you had some senseless shootouts in every single game, but it certainly peaked with UC2. It's just Uncharted 2 was an absolute grind(an unfun one at that) during the last few chapters. Sniper towers, dudes being thrown at you over a bridge the blue guys, etc. This beautiful myth of Among Thieves having the best pacing is simply that, a myth. What it really boils down to is the game having more enemies to kill, that's it. You then look at UC3 that has fewer shootouts throughout but "balances" this out by turning each shootout to level 10, that didn't work either.
Uncharted 4 is the longest game in the series, which in turn has the fewer shootouts. The intensity of those encounters seem inappropriate at some points, but not their placements overall. You run into dudes to kill when it's natural to do so. It doesn't feel like you're being funneled into a fight (like in UC2) nor does it feel like every shootout is Drake's last(UC3.) Thankfully, they even were able to avoid the "let's throw everything at you towards the end" pattern that both UC2 and UC3 offered during its finale stretch either.
Does each encounter add to the story? I don't know if I could say that, but at least they don't deter from it, something the last two installments suffered from.
My issue though, is that I wanted to slaughter a larger army, and be involved in more bombast. This being the 4th main game in the series means it carries the standards, baggage, and expectations of past titles on its shoulders. I came into this wanting a propulsive adventure, what UC was known for being, and that's not what they made, at least not in the same way they made them before. And that's fine, Naughty Dog's allowed to make what they want, but I will voice my displeasure because there are swaths of UC4 that do absolutely nothing for me. Whatever UC was before, it was never a low energy affair, yet UC4 is frequently low energy with very little in the way of engaging mechanics. There's more downtime and forced sightseeing, more light traversal while listening to banter, more closed off storytelling sections than ever before. It's one thing if all that is contained to a few chapters here and there (a Ch 4, a Ch. 16) but this vibe is felt throughout the experience. So yay for fans of exclusively story beats, you get to have your fill of quasi "light adventure" moments and low impact gameplay. But for those of us who appreciated the other side of Uncharted, the craft in those lengthy high energy stretches, it's slim pickings.
I'm not praising UC4, nor am I saying it's what I wanted as a fan of mechanical narratives. That said, it's still a fantastic experience in its own right.
Yes, absolutely it feels like the energy seems to consistently flatline for the most of the adventure, offering up not too highs or not too lows. I would certainly say it's not as bombastic as the previous two titles and offers very little in the sense of escalation of action along the way.
The reason for this is due exclusively to the "powers that be" fundamentally changing the formula at a base level.Uncharted has absolutely been about that high octane adventure, dropping the player on the cusp of that action and letting us get to that center. The games have always been designed to allow us to feel the escalation, then the culmination, then we start over again and repeat.
Uncharted 4 is different because it introduces something originally foreign to the mix,
Environmental Storytelling. TLoU is an amazing experience that used its visuals and its world to tell huge chunks of the story and establish the atmosphere. Because Environmental Storytelling was such a huge part of TLoU the game was paced appropriately. For Uncharted 4 however, it just didn't seem to work as well, and you will notice the Environmental Storytelling really kick in the more time we spend around Avery and Co. I just think this approach to storytelling(and pacing) didn't work as well, firstly because it was Uncharted, and second because Pirates and tropical settings are nowhere near as captivating or impressive as Shambahala or Iram visually. The setting and
McGuffin are things we are far more familiar with(especially in a world with "Pirates of the Caribbean" and AC4) and because of that we find such elements less romantic or exciting. Scotland, Italy, and Madagascar were all just visually unexciting compared to locations we've seen before, so spending time "soaking it in" is lost on us.
Honestly, I don't know anything about this concept/idea other than the fact that it didn't make it in the final game and was scrapped(probably a Hennig idea) but this location:
Already appears more exciting based simply off how unique and foreign it seems. Scale also sells a sense of Awe as well.
So yeah, I certainly agree that UC4 lacks a sense of propulsion that the others had, but I don't think Environmental Storytelling was a terrible idea for the series, just an element that was unfamiliar to it and ultimately didn't work as well. That said, the effect was lost on many because the locations never came close to being as amazingly impactful(or awe inspiring) as those that we had seen in UC2,UC3 and TLoU.