Warning: This post may contain spoilers for the Uncharted games. I'm probably being too protective given it's been seven years since the last game, but better safe that sorry, eh?

Imagine spending your life traversing the world, from the hot and barren desert of the Middle East to the icy and hazardous Tibetian mountains, with tropical jungles in South America and Madagascar in the middle. Despite the trecherous travel, you're motivated by the pots of gold waiting to be found: Golden statues, pirate loot, a city said to contain immeasurable wealth, and even a tree with invincibility-providing sap.

But the challenges don't stop at nature: You're not alone in your treasure-hunting quests. Competitors from all walks of life are desparate for the treasure, willing to exhaust their inventory to get rid of any two-bit theives like you: pirates, a war criminal and his small army, an underground secret order, and rich businessmen with vendettas. Lest we forget the supernatural: Feral, mutated humans with incredible strength; Monsterous yetis who can handily take down any threat; demons born of smokeless fire.

All of this is encapsulated within the career of Nathan Drake. His adventures are experienced and lived through Naughty Dog's Uncharted.

The Rundown

Before I go endlessly go on and on about my love for the series, I should probably give you a quick little rundown on the games and characters. If you want to learn more, consider heading to the Uncharted Fan Wiki.

The Heroes

Nathan (Nate) Drake

Ambitious. Wise-cracker. Risk taker. Trustworthy... if you're on his good side 🙂.

Victor "Sully" Sullivan

Wise. Experienced. Funny. Ladies' man. Nate's mentor.

Elena Fisher

Brave. Smart. Supportive. Thrower of mean right hooks. Nate's partner.

Sam Drake

Cunning. I'll probably edit this later since my memory of Uncharted 4 is rusty 😛

Chloe Frazer

Cheeky. Seductive. One of the best drivers in the business. Nate's spoaradic partner in crime.

The Canon

Uncharted 1: Drake's Fortune (2007)

The search for El Dorado, the lost city of gold, takes Nate, Sully, and Elena into the South American jungle. What and who they encounter during their travel makes this a trip of survival and hijinks. Pirates, armed goons, and perhaps a reason why the original discoverers of El Dorado never lived to tell the tale...

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009)

Marco Polo's lost fleet is said to have held the Cintimani Stone, an artifact that can grant its holder invincibility. Nate and Chloe must navigate betrayal, a madman's small army, and the harsh Tibetan winter to arrive at their station. But as they get closer, it appears there is more to this stone than just great power...

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (2011)

Ubar, or Iram of the Pillars, is an ancient city said to contain immeasurable wealth, punished into hiding by God for the people's arrogance. Nate and his team trek across the London Underground, France, Syria, and Yemen to uncover what T.E. Lawrence documented and what Francis Drake discovered. But Francis Drake later covered up all information about his expedition, even hiding it from the Queen herself... what could have possibly motivated him to do that?

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (2016)

Years removed from his last heist, Nathan has settled down into a normal life, happily married to Elena. But the peace is disturbed when Sam, his brother long thought to be dead after a prison escape gone wrong, comes barreling back into his life. The celebration is short-lived as Sam's freedom comes at a price: half the treasure left by pirate legend Henry Avery. Nate's re-entry into treasure hunting takes on a whole new set of turns, including another figure from his past...

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (2018)

With Nate finally done, the focus shifts to Chloe with her own game set in India. She is joined by Nadine Ross on a quest to find the Tusk of Ganesh, a valuable, bejewled artifact. However, they're up against Asav: a doctor-turned insurgent of a rebel group looking to kick off a deadly civil war in the country. The stakes may not end at just Chloe and Nadines' lives, but perhaps the innocent of lives of many more people...

My Experience

My first experience with Uncharted was somewhere around 2014-15. My uncle gifted me a PS3 along with several games, including Drake's Deception. I started the first chapter... but my interest lay more into other games, like FIFA 13 and Need for Speed: Most Wanted. However at some point I reloaded the Uncharted disc in again and this time, it stuck. I liked the game. I really liked the game. Not only did I complete the campaign, my brother and I made a habit of playing the co-op mode. We either tried to kill each other or work together to take down hordes of enemies (now I remember those "chokers"... ugh, annoying bastards). I dabbled into online multiplayer a few times, but I didn't really have a whole lot of success... 😅

My passion turned me into a mega fan of the Uncharted series during the late 2010s. I bought and completed A Thief's End, the original trilogy bundled and remastered into Uncharted: The Nathan Collection, and The Lost Legacy. Thus, I had completed the canon1. I even read The Fourth Labyrinth, the non-canon book, and watched the Eye of Indra animated comic. You can view it here. My fandom didn't go unnoticed in high school, one classmate joking that I was obsessed with the series... they weren't wrong!

But at some point during the turn of the decade, it fizzled out. Per my save files, I didn't play any game since 2021. I kind of just... moved on. After all, it's normal for younger folks like me to have comers and goers when it comes our passions. My game time on the PS4 was transferred to the Nintendo Switch, playing Super Smash Brothers and Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (which deserves a shrine entry of its own!). With university and internships also taking up time... something had to give, which was... Uncharted.

At some point last year, the longing for the adventures woke up. I was mulling over giving the series another try. That was the domino that started off a re-entry into the series, this entry being a part of it.

As of writing (typing?), I've re-completed the original trilogy and going through A Thief's End. My oh my, what a blast from the past...

  • The witty, humourous banter ("I'm sweating like a hooker in church...")
  • The absolute brilliant set pieces (Take a look at train and plane set pieces!)
  • The instrumental music amplified the vibes, from action to horror.
  • The gorgeous scenes, beautiful even for games remastered from two console generations ago.

Take a look at some of the screenshots I've taken over the years:

During my playthrough of the trilogy, I was back to loving this franchise. Everyone at Naughty Dog deserves a thunderous round of applause. If anyone from ND is reading this: Thank you, thank you very much ❤.

The Future

It's been seven years since the last original release. An Uncharted movie did come out in 2022 starring Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg as young counterparts to Nate and Sully. While video game adaptations can work well like the Illumination Mario Bros movie, the Uncharted movie didn't look very appetizing. Based on the trailers and some internet chatter, It was... way off. Like an action movie that just has the Uncharted label slapped on top of it 2.

As for Naughty Dog, they've been busy with their flagship franchise The Last of Us. Since 2018, it had earned a sequel and an HBO show adaptation. They will also be busy with a new franchise: Intergalactic, a space/sci-fi game.

I've seen folks within the fandom wish for more Uncharted, be it starring Nate and Elena's daughter Cassie or a prequel involving Sully. While another installment sounds appetizing, I'm a little conflicted...

One one hand, A prequel involving Sully's time in the navy would be super fun (imagine all the new one-liners we'd get!), as would Cassie making waves in the treasure hunting world with her father guiding her through.

But... in a world where damn near everything has a new sequel or a spin-off being made... wouldn't some closure be a good thing? The fact that we have "the end", a conclusion... wouldn't a continuation of the story ruin it? Sorry if I'm talking nonsense, but having everything from start to finish planted is good for the canon's sake. 3

In terms of facts, Neil Druckmann has stated the franchise is over, done. However, Naughty Dog is working on a new game for the past three years, led by Shaun Escayg... who was the director of the Lost Legacy... hmm...

Conclusion

That's... all I have to let out regarding Uncharted. I didn't even know I had this much to write! Perhaps it's a perk of a personal website: who'd read a Facebook post or a tweet of this size, eh? I don't think I'll be done with Uncharted and this website. I do have an idea or two for some Uncharted-related blog posts, but for now I've plenty on my plate online and off.

Anyways, thank you for reading and have a safe adventure!

Let me end this with a quote from Sully, my favourite quote from any video game:

"We don't get to choose how we start in this life. Real greatness is what you do with the hand you're dealt."

Footnotes

1

An Uncharted game did come out on the Playstation Vita known as Golden Abyss. However I didn't really bother with it as it wasn't canon and I didn't have a Vita (although maybe I should watch a playthrough...)

2

Although... I should probably give it a fair shake one day...

3

Although The Lost Legacy is a spin-off that I highly enjoyed, so perhaps there is more nuance to this line of thinking...

Published: April 12th, 2025