Finally, PC gamers can join the bandwagon on one of the best action-adventure franchises in the industry. So, we think it’s time to revise all Uncharted games and see what we’ve been missing.
The Story of Unchartered Game
The Uncharted tetralogy consistently gets near-perfect scores. These are masterful games, as they express their mechanics and stories flawlessly. The Last of Us creators use similar formulas on all of their games, and it mostly works. Their stories are cinematic and character-driven. Moreover, these games focus on a web of side characters moving the plot forward. In essence, you play as Nathan Drake, a reckless but charming treasure hunter. It opens up a linear action-adventure game with big action set pieces, cinematic storytelling, and plenty of character development. Another significant element is the puzzles and platforming segments. Often, Nathan would write down the clues in a notebook. You’d have to check if you don’t find the way forward. The gameplay comes through a third-person shooter. It wasn’t at its best during the initial trilogy, but it gets better and better with every game. Drake can use a variety of guns, shotguns, rifles, and melee weapons to defeat the enemies. He can also sneak to take down the mobs silently. There’re no other elements and no RPG features in Uncharted games. There’re collectibles, nonetheless, hidden throughout the journey. Finding these special items rewards PlayStation trophies. We have not heard anything about new Uncharted games. All we have is the upcoming Uncharted movie starring Tom Holland. Checking the series’ archeology, though, we found four main titles, three spin-offs, one expansion, and one bundle. The total is nine Uncharted entries.
Uncharted Games In Order
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune – 2007
Drake’s Fortune debuted in 2007 for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Network. The game is inspired by Sir Francis Drake’s mythical treasure. So, the protagonist is Nathan Drake, a young treasure hunter. He claims to be a descendent of the legendary English conqueror. The game starts when Drake finds Francis Drake’s burial site. Elena Fisher, a journalist, is recording a documentary about it. However, everything changes when Drake finds a journal inside the coffin, with a secret route to El Dorado. Drake searches for his friend and mentor, Victor Sulivan, to begin a journey to the lost South-American city. The trio travels across Peru and Chile. It’s a journey that takes 22 chapters and about 15 hours of playtime. The gameplay combines action-adventure, 3D platforming, third-person shooting, and puzzles. Nathan can swim, jump, grab, climb, swing from ropes, move across ledges, and do other acrobatic movements. Drake can perform melee combos at close range or use his firearms. He can only carry a weapon at a time, so picking another gun changes what Drake is carrying. Also, the game doesn’t have a health bar. Instead, when Drake takes damage, the graphics change and lose color. Lastly, Victor and Elena may travel alongside Drake. For example, there’re vehicle sections where Elena drives and Drake shoots or uses a mounted turret.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – 2009
The sequel debuted in 2009 for PlayStation 3. The story starts with Nathan Drake on a damaged train, just about to fall into a precipice, in China. Then, the game travels back 5 months to tell the story. Three years after Drake’s Fortune, Drake, Cloe Frazer, and Elena Fisher make a team search for the city of Shambhala and the Cintamani Stone. However, war criminal Zoran Lazarevic leads a mercenary group hunting the protagonists. The game takes inspiration from Marco Polo’s real travels. The characters found a Marco Polo map pointing the route to the mythical city. Like so, they must race to reach Shambhala before the mercenaries. The game happens across 26 episodes and about 12 hours of playtime. Sadly, it is shorter than the last one. However, the cinematic action is at its best. Scenarios are creative, the danger is thrilling, the action is dynamic, and the story is engaging. Needless to say, most fans and critics would consider Among Thieves to be one of the best games of all time. That said, the game plays similarly to the previous entry. Drake is agile and adept at jumping, climbing, swinging from ropes, and shooting. Also, he can now take cover behind corners or low walls and fire while moving. Another new feature is using stealth to sneak by, knocking enemies out, or pushing enemies out of ledges. Lastly, Uncharted 2 has a competitive and co-op multiplayer. Co-op allows up to three players on special missions. Competitive allows up to ten players on various PvP modes like Deathmatch.
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception – 2011
The third entry debuted for PlayStation 3 in 2011. Naughty Dog created the game in parallel with The Last of Us. This title takes inspiration from archeologist T.E. Lawrence. Otherwise known as “Lawrence of Arabia” (1888 – 1935), he was an army officer from Wales who led the Arab Revolt (1916 – 1918) against the Ottoman Empire during WWI. The 2011 action-adventure title is about finding the Iram of the Pillars, a lost Arabian city. Lawrence of Arabia tried to find it. Drake and Victor try to complete the task while another mercenary group is hunting them down. The “Deception” comes because the enemies are led by Katherine Marlowe. She’s an old friend of the protagonist duo. It opens up a plot that goes across 22 chapters and about 10 hours of playtime. Such a setting delivers a highly praised story. Voice-acting, writing, graphics, cinematography, and writing won the Game of the Year Award. Gameplay-wise, it adds new features to the action-adventure formula. For example, Drake can now fight multiple enemies at the same time. Additionally, new animations allow the protagonist to be more agile, climb better, and perform better melee and stealth attacks. Also, Drake can carry two firearms (a single-handed and a dual-handed gun) and four grenades. Lastly, Uncharted 3 has various competitive and multiplayer modes. In particular, the Co-Op Adventure is a two-player mode through a linear narrative story that takes players to Drake’s Fortune areas.
Uncharted: Golden Abyss – 2011 (spin-off)
The first spin-off debuted in 2011 for PlayStation Vita. It’s the first game in the series for a handheld console. Because of that, and because of the studio behind the title (Bend Studio), we call it a spin-off. The title follows Nathan Drake on a canon story before the first game. He joins treasure hunter Marisa Chase to find the lost city of Quivira. At the same time, he’s competing against treasure hunter Jason Dante. The antagonist works alongside war criminal Roberto Guerro, so it’s a dangerous duo. The gameplay delivers a simplified version of the console games. There’s third-person shooting, platforming, puzzles, melee, and stealth.
Uncharted: Fight for Fortune – 2012
The next Uncharted spin-off debuted in 2012 for PlayStation Vita. The developers behind the title are Bend Studio and One Loop games. This is a turn-based game using thematic cards. You collect series elements and characters and play through a single-player campaign. During combat, the collectible cards can reduce the opponent’s health. One card attacks and the opponent’s card absorbs the attack. At the beginning of each round, the player places a card in one of the five spots. Each one has a set of stats, buffs, and abilities.
Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection – 2015
The first Uncharted collection packs remastered versions of the original trilogy. It debuted for PlayStation 4 in 2015. These games lacked multiplayer modes and had no additional content or features.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – 2016
A Thief’s End is the 2016 closure of the series. It debuted for PlayStation 4. The story picks up many years after the last story. Nathan Drake is now retired, but he comes back to his former life after hearing news of his old brother. Soon, he joins Sullivan to search for clues about Henry Avery’s lost treasure. Drake, Elena, and Victor travel across 22 chapters and 15 hours of playtime. Then, the gameplay is an upgrade over its predecessors. Still, it’s similar, with platforming, third-person shooting, melee combat, stealth, and puzzles. One of the novelties was a grappling hook. Drake can use it to move across ledges and climb. Similarly, the character animations are better than before, so the character feels more acrobatic. Also, the game focuses more on stealth. Drake can hide in tall grass and use the hook to sneak by enemies. It’s best to be stealthy, as the enemy AI is hostile, smarter, and more reactive than in previous games. Lastly, the game has a multiplayer mode. It allows up to 10 players in co-op missions on campaign scenarios.
Uncharted: Fortune Hunter – 2016 (spin-off)
PlayStation Mobile Inc. created the first mobile Uncharted game. It debuted for iOS and Android in 2016. This is a puzzle game. You follow the series’ events, characters, and places through a series of puzzles to unlock rewards.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy – 2017 (expansion)
The Lost Legacy debuted in 2017 for PlayStation 4. It’s a standalone expansion for A Thief’s End. The game picks up right after the events of the last game. Instead of controlling Drake, players now embody Chloe Frazer. Chloe is seeking the Tusk of Ganesh in India. Ex-mercenary Nadine Ross is helping her on their quest. Both are fighting against a merciless warlord and his army from starting a civil war in the Asian country. Even though it’s the first game without Nathan Drake as the character, it plays similar to previous entries. It’s a third-person action-adventure with puzzles, stealth, platforming, and shooting.
Every Uncharted Games in Chronological Order
