Uncharted

Warning: This entry may contains spoilers.

Uncharted is an action-adventure third-person shooter platform video game series developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.

Synopsis

The series follows protagonist Nathan Drake, a charismatic yet obsessive treasure hunter who journeys across the world to uncover various historical mysteries as he often clashes with various other hunters and thieves. Drake serves as the main protagonist and playable character throughout the first 4 main games, often being joined by several allies including his old mentor Victor Sullivan and journalist Elena Fisher.^[1][2]

Gameplay

Gameplay in the Uncharted series is a combination of action-adventure elements and 3D platforming with a third-person perspective. Platforming elements allow Nate to jump, swim, grab and move along ledges, climb and swing from ropes, and perform other acrobatic actions that allow players to make their way through the many challenges that Nate will have to face.

Although a wide variety of weapons are present in the game, the player can only carry a sidearm (pistols and the like), a primary weapon such as a rifle or shotgun, and a handful of grenades. These weapons are obtained by picking up weapons dropped by a downed foe or from those scattered within the area.^[4]

Main Games

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

Drake's Fortune is the first main installment in the Uncharted series and was released on November 19th, 2007

The title introduced and established Nathan Drake, supposed descendant of the explorer Sir Francis Drake, as he seeks the lost treasure of El Dorado in South America with the help of journalist Elena Fisher and mentor Victor "Sully" Sullivan. They are pursued relentlessly by pirates led by Eddy Raja and later on by a group of mercenaries led by Gabriel Roman and Atoq Navarro.^[3]

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Among Thieves is the second main installment in the Uncharted series and was released on October 13th, 2009

Set Two years after Drake's Fortune, follows protagonist Nathan Drake's attempt to unravel a mystery surrounding Venetian explorer Marco Polo and his undocumented voyage from China. This trial leads him, Chloe Frazer and old friends Elena Fisher and Victor Sullivan into a search for the fabled Cintimani Stone and Shangri-La in a race against the notorious war criminal Zoran Lazarević, fellow treasure hunter Harry Flynn and their enormous military force.^[3]

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Drake's Deception is the third main installment in the Uncharted series and was released on November 1st, 2011

Set Two years after Among Thieves, Nathan Drake and Victor Sullivan search for clues after the lost Atlantis of the Sands as the two men's friendship is challenged by the quest's hardships and obstacles, including Drake's ambitions. Throughout Nate's journey, he is forced to compete against old adversary Katherine Marlowe and her secret Hermetic society, including right-hand man Talbot, as well as pirates led by Marlowe's ally Rameses.^[3]

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

A Thief's End is the fourth main installment in the Uncharted series and the final one to feature Nathan Drake. It was released on October 13th, 2009

Set Three years after Drake's Deception, Nathan Drake is retired from fortune hunting along with Elena, but Nathan gets forced back in the world of thieves when his long-lost--and believed to be dead--older brother, Sam, appears and asks Drake for help. With the help of Victor Sullivan, the two embark on a globe-trotting journey to find and recover the long-lost treasure of notorious pirate Henry Avery. They must compete against their former associate Rafe Adler, who employs the help of Nadine Ross and her private military company Shoreline.^[4]

Side-Games

Uncharted: Golden Abyss

Golden Abyss is the first spin-off and handheld title in the Uncharted series, having been developed by Sony Bend Studio (with overseeing by Naughty Dog) and was released as a launch title for the PlayStation Vita on December 17, 2011 in Japan & between February 14th & 23th, 2012 in the West

the story follows Nathan Drake as he searches the lost city of Quivira, aided by fellow treasure hunter Jason Dante and archaeologist Marisa Chase, while competing with exiled general and wanted dictator Roberto Guerro and his military force.^[5]

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

The Lost Legacy is standalone expansion to Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, and is the first game not to feature protagonist Nathan Drake. It was released on August 22th, 2017.

Set several months following the conclusion of A Thief's End, The Lost Legacy follows treasure hunter Chloe Frazer as she joins forces with mercenary Nadine Ross to search the Tusk of Ganesha in a war-torn India, as the two women must avoid the insurgent leader Asav, who is determined to acquire the artifact to ignite a nationwide revolution.^[5][6]

Re-releases and spinoffs

Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection is a remastered compilation of the action-adventure shooter platform video games Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. Ported by Bluepoint Games, the collection was released on October 9th, 2015 in North America for PlayStation 4.

The Nathan Drake Collection features the original three games in the Uncharted series with 1080p resolution, 60 FPS, photo mode, game modes, new trophies, better lighting, textures & models.^[7]

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Spinoffs of the game that was released includes: Uncharted: Drake's Trail, Uncharted: Fight for Fortune & Uncharted: Fortune Hunter.

Other Medias

Uncharted: Eye of Indra is a four-part motion comic prequel which sets up the events of Drake's Fortune, it was written & directed by Neil Druckmann and drawn by Marco Castiello. A few weeks before the first game, it follows Nate and Eddy Raja in Indonesia, as they attempt to steal an artifact called the Eye of Indra from a crime lord named Daniel Pinkerton. All four episodes was released between October & December of 2009

Uncharted: The Fourth Labyrinth is a novel written by Christopher Golden, and concerns Daedalus' Labyrinth, a maze used to hold the mythical Greek monster; the Minotaur. The book was released on October 4, 2011.

Uncharted (film) is an upcoming film, based on the game of the same name.

Editor Note: oh, and the movie's in development hell. but hey, they're making progress right now!

Other related medias includes: motion comic prologue of "Uncharted: Drake's Fortune", Uncharted comic miniseries & Uncharted: The Board Game.

Reception

The Uncharted series has been met with critical acclaim and numerous awards and honors, receiving high praise for its technical achievements, set-pieces, storylines and action sequences. It has brought up Naughty Dog's reputation and has them regarded as one of the best developers in the industry. Each Installment has receives several accolades & awards, while Uncharted 2: Among Theives receiving fifty Game of the Year awards, it is considered one of the greatest games of all time.

between all mainline games (Metacritic: 88-96^{[8][9][10][11]} – GameRankings: 89.67-96.43%^{[12][13][14][15]} – OpenCritic: 86 for "The Nathan Drake Collection"^[16] & 92 for "Uncharted 4"^[17]), Uncharted 2: Among Theives has highest score (Metacritic: – 96/100^[9] GameRankings: 96.43%^[13]) out of all the Uncharted games.

As of December 2017, the series has sold 41.7 million units globally.^[18]

Online Presence

The Uncharted series has quite a fanbase. As of June 29th, 2018, both subreddits has been created (/r/Uncharted^[19] and /t/unchartedmultiplayer^[20]), with 20,655 and 3,273 Subscribers respectively. Fanarts has been spawned from Tumblr^[21] and DeviantArt^[22]:

Uncharted has been played by several Let's Players, from Super Best Friends, ChristopherOdd, PewDiePie, TheRadBrad and more.

Search Interest

External References