Naughty Dog’s Uncharted series is without question one of Sony's flagship franchises on the PlayStation brand.
Yet, when the first game in the series, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune released on the PlayStation 3 in 2007, there was no telling of the heights the series would propel to by the time it reached the era of PlayStation 4.
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune was one of the PS3's earliest titles and as a result, it was also during a time in which Sony was insistent on everyone knowing about the Sixaxis motion controls for the DualShock 3. In theory, this should have been a cool feature, but the way it forces the player to throw grenades in Drake’s Fortune, it became a nuisance players were desperate to avoid.
Was Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune a perfect game? No, not by a long shot. But it still offered as our introduction to beloved protagonists Nathan Drake, Elena Fisher and Victor Sullivan, a trio in which the player would form a strong bond in the years to come.
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What’s more, despite its rough edges, the potential of this series was clear to see and it would spark the evolution of some of the best sequels there ever was. The next game in the series would be a personal favourite of mine, 2009s Uncharted 2: Among Thieves which had hands down, one of the greatest introductions to any video game ever.
Uncharted 2 was sequel perfection and considering this was only two years removed from the first game, it was leaps and bounds above its predecessor. Uncharted 2 played smoother with no silly emphasis on Sixaxis controls, it looked better, had more over-the-top set-pieces and was just a masterful joy to behold.
Four years later we had Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception which would complete the PS3 trilogy.
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Objectively, Uncharted 3 is better than both of its predecessors in almost every way. Yet, as much as I love all games in the series, the second game will always hold an extra special place in my heart.
Before we proceed into the next generation, I must also give a special nod to the PS Vita’s little darling, 2011s Uncharted: Golden Abyss developed by the Days Gone team, Bend Studio. Golden Abyss was a fantastic prequel offering, and an exclusion that was sorely missed in 2015s Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection which included remasters of the PS3 trilogy.
Let’s swiftly move on to the PlayStation 4 era, which offered up yet another gem and would ultimately act as Nathan Drake’s final story (at least for now), Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End in 2016. Like every Uncharted entry that came before, A Thief’s End would push the latest console generation to its absolute limits.
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Without giving too much away, because if you’ve not experienced the amazing Naughty Dog series yet, you’re seriously missing out on a treat. A Thief’s End told the tale of a retired Nathan Drake living a good family life. However, when a blast from his past returns, it pulls Drake back into the game. The fourth numbered was truly a remarkable game and other than being a masterfully crafted action adventure, its well-written story would pull at your heartstrings like no other game in the series had. As far as ending Nathan Drake's story, this was about as perfect as it gets. Though, I wouldn't be shocked if we’ve not seen the last of our charismatic hero.
Despite being the apparent end of Nathan’s story, that was not the end of Uncharted on PS4. What started out as an expansion, morphed into its own fully-fledged game. 2017’s The Lost Legacy gave the shining spotlight to Chloe Frazer, a multilayered old flame of Drake’s that was just as cunning and charismatic in her own way, but perhaps even a little more badass.
Speaking of being badass, taking place after the events of A Thief’s End, Chloe was accompanied by Nadine Ross, a character let’s say, made quite the first impression on Drake. The Lost Legacy is an amazing game, one not to be ignored and if anything else, it proved that as much as we love him, Chloe could hold her own should Naughty Dog require her to lead us into the future of the series.
So here we are, we’re nearly two years into the PlayStation 5 era with no new Uncharted game in sight. I know we’ve had the Legacy of Thieves Collection which included remasters of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and The Lost Legacy, but I’m not counting that here. Don’t get me wrong, I love playing even better versions of these games. Isn't it about time we had a new Uncharted?
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I mean, the last proper numbered entry was Uncharted 4 and that was in 2016, which is seven years ago at the time of writing. It’s likely that the PS5 might have at least five more years in the tank. So far, Naughty Dog has released the remake of The Last of Us and now there’s chatter of The Last of Us: Part III. Yet, there’s no talk of a new Uncharted game.
We’ve had rumours of Uncharted 5 and there’s even been talk of a series reboot. But all that is mere hearsay. The best official word we’ve had is Naughty Dog saying that it’s done with Uncharted. We don’t really know how true that statement is, but if it is in fact true, it will be a heartbreaking realisation for fans of the series.
At this stage, it seems more likely that Naughty Dog is focusing on The Last of Us: Part III for the PlayStation 6 and don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait for that. If The Last of Us: Part III is Naughty Dog’s next game and Uncharted isn't even a twinkle in Neil Druckmann’s eye, it will be an absolute travesty if, since the PS3, the PlayStation 5 is the first generation not to have a new Uncharted tale to tell.
Featured Image Credit: Sony/Naughty DogTopics: Uncharted, The Last Of Us, Sony, Naughty Dog, PlayStation 5