Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3/PS4) - Video Game Review

After finishing The Last of Us Part 2 (check out my review here), I found myself feeling nostalgic for something more light-hearted while still retaining that Naughty Dog magic. With that being said, I figured I'd go back and start the Uncharted series from the beginning and make my way through the series. For those Resident Evil fans, don't you worry your zombie-loving heads one bit! I'm still going strong on that series so make sure to check out further reviews in the near-future! Without further ado, I have played the original Uncharted: Drake's Fortune on numerous occasions for the PlayStation 3, however for my review, I played it on my PlayStation 4 as part of the Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, which is available on the PlayStation Network Store.

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General Information

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is a third-person action-adventure game and is the first installment in the popular Uncharted series. It was developed Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was originally released on 20 November 2007 as a PlayStation exclusive, and was later combined as part of the Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection bundle for PlayStation 4 on 2015. The game, and its following sequels, have frequently been compared to Hollywood blockbuster films, as well as pulp adventure franchises like Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider (it has been affectionately nicknamed "Dude Raider"). Although Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is widely considered the weakest of the series, it was still awarded by IGN as the PlayStation 3's game of the year.

The Story

Nathan Drake is a treasure hunter in modern-day on the hunt for the lost city of gold, El Dorado. Throughout his journey, he will team up with his cigar chomping mentor/accomplice, Victor "Sully" Sullivan, and travelling correspondent, Elena Fisher. Together, the gang will compete with an international loan shark, Gabriel Roman, as they track down a treasure hunted by historical figures like the Nazis and even Sir Francis Drake.

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Drake and Sully are the ultimate dynamic duo

Overall, the story reminds me a lot of pulp movies like The Mummy or Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. I totally get the "Hollywood blockbuster" vibe critics have called it as there are tons of action set-pieces and adventures that really made me feel like an action hero as Drake. It doesn't take itself too seriously, while avoiding going too far into the schlock territory that some other pulp-style stories go. 

The Gameplay

Throughout the game, players will find themselves in one of two realms: combat or platforming (with minor puzzle solving for kick). The combat is pretty solid as there's a good variety of weapons while the AI for both enemies and ally NPCs is pretty good. I hate games where NPC allies don't actually contribute in a fight and just sort of stand around while you fight for your life. To be fair, Elena and Sully definitely won't carry you through a fight, but they'll help with covering fire and kill a pirate or two from time to time. The enemies are far more lethal (especially on harder difficulties) as they will attempt to flank, flush out with grenades, and charge depending on the circumstances. I actually liked that certain enemies were clearly smarter than others. For example: Eddy Raja's pirates are far dumber than Roman's elite mercenaries as you'll see the pirates break cover to mock Drake. Different enemy types will behave in different ways as well, so there's plenty to look out for.

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Jet skis and grenade launchers make an interesting combination

The platforming side of the game is where I get most annoyed with this game as the game does not always follow through on its own rules. For example: Near the beginning of the game, you are instructed to press circle near ledges so Nathan will know to hop down and hang off the edge for climbing segments. This does not always work out the way it seems though, which can get very frustrating. Nathan does not apparently need you to press circle near ladders, and some edges (even when clearly connected to the climbing segment) will not require circle either. What this means is that Drake will just roll right off the edge to his death and you'll have to restart. In other segments, Drake's jump distance wildly varies. Sometimes he can defy physics and leap across great chasms with little difficulty, while other drastically shorter distances seem too far and cause him to plummet to his doom.

In regards to puzzles, they're all unbelievably easy as Drake's little notebook apparently has the answer to every trap and lock that sixteenth century Spanish conquistadors dreamt up of on their mystery island. I believe there's even one where you don't have to do anything as Sully essentially solves it for you. Despite the simplicity, I was fine with them being easy since it helped act as a break between combat sequences.

Audio/Visual

The audio of this game is a true selling point as everything from the background music to the voice acting is top notch. The witty banter between Drake, Sully, and Elena is really charming and I could see why voice actor, Nolan North (who voices Drake), later became such a household name in the voice acting business. On the music side, I found it all to be really appropriate for whatever setting the game was trying to present as it really helped sell that pulpy action movie image.

Visually, this game has not aged as well as its later sequels. To be fair, Naughty Dog's portrayal of lush, tropical environments remains stellar, and I never got tired of taking in beautiful set-pieces like the Nazi U-boat stranded atop a waterfall. Water physics are pretty hit-or-miss for some reason though. It looked great most of the time, but then there were other times (especially in the jet ski segments) where the water occasionally took on this sludgy white appearance that made me think I was driving over melted ice cream.

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I don't think that's how submarines are supposed to work...

The character models also show that early PS3 style where you could tell the developers were still getting used to developing for a new system. Drake's hair looks like it has enough hair gel to drown a household pet, while there were other times that Sully's shirt looked highly pixelated. It's not ugly, but as soon as you play any of the sequels, you'll see a clear contrast from the original.

Replayability

This is a perfect game for speed-runs and I believe the Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection version even has a feature that enables that so all cut-scenes are automatically skipped. Players can unlock infinite ammunition for weapons, as well as alternate skins (Doughnut Drake is the best). Hunting down all of the hidden treasures in the game can be pretty fun too as they're neat little collectibles to look at. For those that expect to see anything new or hidden after the first play-through though, you will be a little disappointed.

The Best of the Best: Sully is my hero in this game and I never got tired of his quippy one-liners. 

The Worst of the Worst: Certain parts of the platforming straight-up pissed me off. I've played this game countless times and still sometimes forget where I can and cannot jump to. 

Would I Recommend?

*****

Although this game has aged, it's a true joy to play and a solid entry into a series that would become one of the crown jewels of the PlayStation's roster of exclusive titles. I would honestly recommend playing Uncharted 2: Among Thieves first and then come back to this game. You won't miss out on any big plot-points that carried over to the sequel, and you'll be more attached to the characters in this game if you start with a far better game in the series. With all that being said, I recommend this one to anyone who owns a PlayStation as it's a ton of fun to play.

----------------------------------------------------Spoiler Comments--------------------------------------------------

• Eddy Raja is one of those villains you know will die in the end, but sort of wish would have survived to be featured in a sequel. He reminded me somewhat of Benny from The Mummy, but just more evil. Alas, he is now zombie food.
• Speaking of zombies, I did not expect Nazi/Conquistador zombies at the end of this game! I really liked that pulpy addition!
• The end-game conflict felt a little anti-climactic to me. Roman, the main villain of the game, died like a fool and you end up duking it out with Navarro, who has about as much personality as chewing gum stuck under a desk. I'm glad that Naughty Dog rectified this minor issue in the later titles where bigger villains stayed center-stage.
• I get that El Dorado sank to the bottom of the ocean after that last big fight (with Navarro in-tow), but I feel like it probably didn't sink too far. They weren't too far off the coast of that island when it went down. I'm seeing a spin-off where James Cameron finds it and turns the cast of Avatar into zombies. He would probably be doing us a favor...

----------------------------------------------------References--------------------------------------------------

*Amazon. (n.d.). Uncharted: Drake's Fortune game cover image. Retrieved from: https://www.amazon.com/Uncharted-Drakes-Fortune-Playstation-3/dp/B004Y3D4B6. 

**Parkin, J. & Tach, D. (2020, April 30). Drake and Sully image. Polygon. Retrieved from: https://www.polygon.com/guides/21242964/uncharted-drakes-fortune-treasure-location-collectible.

 ***Fitzgerald, M. (2015, October 13). Uncharted jet ski segment image. Gaming Respawn. Retrieved from: https://www.gamingrespawn.com/features/2348/retro-respawn-uncharted-drakes-fortune/. 

****JohnnyDFox. (2013, February 18). Nazi U-boat on waterfall image. YouTube. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwrRrXv2KmU. 

*****PrimoGif. (n.d.). Uncharted: Drake's Fortune gif. Retrieved from: https://www.primogif.com/p/ZGHa8LP3xEKvm.