Despite the bad reputation that video games often have for being nothing more than mindless violence, the medium has a tremendous potential for extraordinary feats of storytelling. The problem is that developers often have a difficult time balancing the story with the gameplay in a way that feels wholly connected. Developer Naughty Dog has tried to make these two elements feel indistinguishable with their previous three Uncharted games and The Last of Us to varying degrees of success. It hasn’t been until Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End that their full potential has been revealed.

Picking up three years after Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, Uncharted 4 sees Nathan Drake living the quiet life of a retired treasure hunter. He works for a salvage company and spends his evenings with his wife, Elena Fisher, vowing to never return to the dangerous life he once lived.

Everything changes when Drake’s brother Sam, who had been presumed dead for 15 years, abruptly returns to ask for help. Sam’s life is in danger, and the only way to save him is to find the long lost treasure of pirate captain Henry Avery. Although hesitant at first, it doesn’t take Drake long to be drawn back into his former life and another globetrotting treasure hunt commences.

Uncharted 4 tells an exceptionally well-executed story that demonstrates a complete understanding and appreciation for its characters. Although there are still many moments of lighthearted adventure, this is a mature, personal narrative with strong themes of obsession and greed, and how they can take a toll on a person and the people they care about. Quiet moments between characters end up surpassing the crazy action set pieces because of their touching and realistic nature.

Equally impressive is the way that Uncharted 4 goes between its cinematics and gameplay. It transitions from one to the other seamlessly, setting a new bar for the way video games weave player interaction with cutscenes. The end result feels like playing a movie—something many games have claimed to have done before, but have never truly achieved.

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Uncharted 4’s visuals are also nothing short of astounding. The world Naughty Dog has crafted is absolutely gorgeous, featuring rich colors, fantastic lighting and staggering attention to detail. The character animation is especially groundbreaking, with facial expressions that convey lifelike emotions. Uncharted 4 clearly pushes the PlayStation 4 to the limit and the final product is one of the most graphically striking games ever developed (and it still manages to maintain a consistent 30 frames per second).

Of course, none of that matters unless the gameplay holds up on its own. Luckily, Uncharted 4 surpasses its predecessors once again. The shooting mechanics have been greatly improved; the guns feel powerful and are a blast to use. Almost every enemy encounter is legitimately exciting and the game is paced perfectly to prevent things from getting stale. The cover system is also a big step forward, although it still isn’t flawless. Drake will often fail to lock onto the desired location, occasionally leading to a cheap death.

The game also boasts greatly expanded level design. Whereas the previous games were a lot more linear, Uncharted 4 opens up into small sandboxes. This allows a much more varied and dynamic approach to combat, with the upgraded stealth mechanics further expanding the amount of variety to the gameplay. The addition of a grappling hook adds even more options to the way Drake can approach both combat and climbing sections, although it is not a revolutionary feature.

The Uncharted series has always been known for its spectacular action set pieces, and Uncharted 4 does not disappoint. Each one is terrifically well-orchestrated and especially cinematic. Although some of the more explosive action sequences aren’t particularly involved from a player perspective, they are still wonderfully euphoric displays of destructive chaos.

Uncharted 4’s 14 hour campaign is one of the most tightly made single player experiences in gaming history. Nearly every single aspect of it has been perfected by a development team that has become one of the best in the industry. Naughty Dog has crafted an incredibly sophisticated and affectionate send off to the characters that fans of the series have come to love. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End will be remembered for years to come as a landmark in video gaming. It’s a masterpiece.