There are some side quests where you can get treasures and emblems that give you a little more context of the region and the history of The Eleven Kings. It also gives you a little more time to spend with these characters and build that bond or splinter it.
To leave discovery of so many details up to the curiosity of the player is a brave move for the Uncharted franchise, where story has always taken the role of a central thread that unfolds over the course of play. But it was a conscious decision.
In this open world space you have options. You can go straight across it, moving from point to point, or you can spend many hours in one spot and learn a lot more about the world, the characters and their relationships.
Your relationships affect how the action plays out
One area that were really proud of is the spilling of narrative into gameplay, Shaun explains. If the characters are doing well if theyre having a good time and bonding then gameplay is at its most efficient: youre fighting and Nadine is there kicking some ass.
If the characters are at odds, though, you may have more difficulty. Your partner may be upset with you, may leave you abandon you may go do her own thing and this is really, really exciting for us at Naughty Dog because were always trying to blur the line between cut-scene, in-game and gameplay.
More at link:
https://blog.us.playstation.com/201...edefines-the-series-approach-to-storytelling/