If you like games with action, treasure hunting, and good stories that are satisfying but are not too long, then the Uncharted series is for you.
The Uncharted series follows treasure hunter Nathan Drake, the journalist Elena Fisher, Nathan Drake’s mentor and friend Victor “Sully” Sullivan, and Nate’s old partner Chloe Frazier, as they search for legendary treasures while racing against their rivals to see who can get there first. This usually leads to large battles where you must find cover and try to survive while managing your weapons, as well as your ammunition and health. A big part of the series is climbing from platform to platform to get to certain locations. Later in the series, they introduce vehicles you can drive.
Another big part of this game is stealth. You can sneak up on enemies and one-shot them by knocking them out from behind. There is also melee combat, so you can punch and kick if you are out of ammo. There is also puzzle-solving in the game, so you have to solve a puzzle to unlock the next clue in your epic treasure hunt. After the first game, they introduced multiplayer, so you could play with other people online. This game is fun because it combines the action of a third-person shooter, the difficulty of a puzzle game, and the suspense of a movie. There are currently 5 main games in the series, each one a masterpiece.
The first game, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, starts with you finding the coffin of Sir Francis Drake, the legendary explorer from the 1500s, and a map to El Dorado: the city of gold. But you are not the only one looking for El Dorado; the crime lord Gabriel Roman, his lieutenant Atoq Navarro, the pirate Eddy Raja and his gang of pirates, and various mercenaries that Gabriel has hired are all working against you to find El Dorado. The game takes place in several locations: the coast of Panama, the Amazon rainforest, and an uncharted island. It takes around 8 hours for you to complete the story, but there are also achievements and hidden collectibles you can get throughout the game that will take longer to complete. The game is difficult, but also really fun.
The second game, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, takes place two years after the first game. Nathan is approached by his former associate, Harry Flynn, and former partner Chloe Frazier, asking him to help steal a lamp that contains the map to the legendary hidden city of Shambhalla and the Cintamani stone. However, you are not the only one seeking it; the notorious war criminal Zoran Lazarevic and his private army of soldiers are also searching for it. This legendary journey will take you to several locations, including Borneo, Istanbul, Nepal, the Himalayas, Tibet, and finally the hidden city of Shambhala. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is widely considered the best game, but I disagree. The story takes around 10-12 hours to complete, but there are numerous achievements and hidden collectibles that will add hours of additional gameplay to the game.
The third game, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, takes place two years after the events of the second game. Nathan, Sully, and Chloe team up to find the lost city of Ubar. You start with a meeting with a man called “Talbot”(the main antagonist), trying to buy Nathan’s Ring, which could help him find Ubar, but Talbot tries to trick Nathan, but he fails, and a fight breaks out. Talbot gets the ring and leaves Nathan and Sully to die, but is tricked because the ring was a fake. Now you have to find the lost city of Ubar while racing against Talbot and his employer, Katherine Marlowe, and their secret agents. This epic quest will lead you to London, France, Syria, and the Rub al Khali desert (Yemen/Arabia). This game takes about 9 hours to finish the story, but with the achievements and collectibles, that can double.
The fourth game, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, starts several years after the third game, where Nate is retired and works as a diver for a salvage company. But when his brother Sam, whom he thought was dead, suddenly appears, he gets back into adventure. Sam needs Nate’s help to find the legendary pirate Henry Avery’s long-lost treasure, worth over 400 million dollars, to pay his debt to the crime lord Hector Alcazar. So you and your brother set off and search for Henry Avery’s pirate treasure. But you are not the only one after the treasure; the rich businessman/treasure hunter Rafe Adler is also after the treasure, and he has hired Nadine Ross, the owner of Shoreline, an army for hire, to help him find the treasure. This awesome adventure will take you to many places, including Italy, Scotland, Madagascar, and the legendary hidden pirate island of Libertalia. This game takes about 15 hours to complete the story, but with the achievements and collectibles, you can multiply that by two. This is personally my favorite game because it has the highest stakes, advanced combat, and high-quality graphics.
The fifth and final game, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, follows Chloe Frazier and Nadine Ross as they search for the legendary artifact, the tusk of Ganesh. But the doctor turned warlord, Asav, and his army of rebels want the tusk so they can cause a civil war in India. Now you have to race against Asav, solving puzzles and fighting his rebels to find the tusk of Ganesh. This game is significantly shorter than the other games, taking around 7-8 hours to complete. However, with achievements and collectibles, the total time can range from 15 to 20 hours. This cinematic experience takes place in the Western Ghats region of India, taking you through jungles, urban areas, and ancient ruins.
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune was released in 2007 on PS3 and then released again on PS4. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves was released two years later in 2009 on PS3 and then released again on PS4. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception was released two years later in 2011 on PS3 and then released again on PS4. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End was released five years later in 2016 on PS4, and then was released again on PS5. And just one year later, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy was released in 2017 on PS4 and then was released again on PS5. In 2022, the film adaptation of Uncharted was released, starring Tom Holland as Nathan Drake. Even though this movie did not do very well, it is still an example of how well-known the series has become. Combining all the sales from the movie plus all of the games, the Uncharted series has generated over 2.7 billion dollars. In a review by IGN of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, IGN writer Greg Miller stated, “Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune is the most fun I’ve had in a videogame this year.”
The Uncharted series is the essence of cinematic storytelling. If you play these games, I guarantee that you will not forget them. If you think these adventures look fun and exciting, I think you will enjoy this game. Play Uncharted and you will have a great time!
