Naughty Dog explains Uncharted 4’s Survival mode, which is its take on co-op

Coming for free in mid-December

Ever since its May release, Uncharted 4‘s multiplayer has been solely dedicated to killing other players. Soon, you’ll be able to shoot bullets with them instead of at them.

Naughty Dog took to PlayStation Blog today to outline Uncharted 4‘s Survival mode. This is the cooperative endeavor that the developer has promised as part of its roadmap of free updates. Survival’s a wave-based affair — 50 rounds with every tenth bringing about a particularly challenging boss. Pirate warlords are the enemies, and notable names from the campaign pop up.

While Survival supports up to three people, it can also be played solo. There’s a separate progression system dedicated to Survival, with the likes of new items and weapon upgrades as rewards. Different difficulties are also an option, as it sports both Hard and Crushing.

This seems like a mostly standard fare horde mode, but Survival has a few features to distinguish it from just mindless shooting. Some rounds will have objectives where it’s necessary to nab headshots, use only pistols — stuff like that. Additionally, there’s a currency system where cash pickups can be spent buying better armaments.

It won’t be long until we can try Survival for ourselves. Naughty Dog is showing it off first at PlayStation Experience in Anaheim on December 3 and 4. After that, it’s set to release for free in mid-December. Even though Uncharted 4 was supposed to be a thief’s end, Nathan Drake’s adventures just keep on going.

Uncharted 4: Survival Revealed, Play it at PS Experience [PlayStation Blog]