Uncharted is an action-adventure and platformer game that follows the travels of professional treasure hunter Nathan Drake and his companions.
Great Characters
Great Graphics/Art
Great Story
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Story & Themes
Like Lara Croft and James Bond before him, Nathan Drake is an adventurer and an action hero. He is a descendant of explorer Francis Drake, and he has a talent for getting into trouble on the hunt for ancient treasures.
In the first game, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Nathan Drake and journalist Emily Fisher find directions to the fabled city of El Dorado when they bring Francis Drake’s coffin up from the seafloor off the coast of Panama. Drake, Emily, and Drake’s mentor Sullivan find out that the city is in fact a statue, which Francis Drake had purposefully abandoned on a deserted island after realizing it contained a virus that turns people into bloodthirsty mutants. In the end, Drake must drop the statue in the ocean and hope it is never found.
The games are very much in the spirit of Indiana Jones and other action movies, focusing around magnificent set pieces and out-there ancient artifacts. It uses lots of historical characters—mostly for flavor—and so creates a visually appealing, if light, story.
Save Points
Uncharted saves at checkpoints throughout the game.
Difficulty
Uncharted has different difficulty settings to accommodate various levels of expertise, including the unlockable Crushing mode. On easy, the game is pretty accessible, while on hard mode confrontations with enemies will prove much more challenging.
Heads Up!
Violence The Uncharted series features shooting action as well as melee fighting, with mild blood. When the player is shot, the screen becomes edged in red.
Scary Imagery In Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Drake faces off against some zombie-like mutant humanoids.
Sex & Nudity All the games feature some innuendo in dialogue, especially between Nathan Drake and female characters.
Strong Language The game features quite a bit of swearing, but no f-bombs. Other strong language, however, is common, including some gendered slurs.
Substance Use One side character smokes a cigar.
Discrimination The game's major failing is its lack of ethnic diversity among the protagonists. Minority characters are often enemies and therefore not portrayed in a favorable light. Otherwise, gender representation is solid.
Conversation Starters
- Why are adventure and archaeology stories like this so popular? How does Uncharted compare to other adventure stories that you've enjoyed?
- Does the use of historical figures in these stories make you curious to learn about their lives?
- What do you think of the locations that Drake travels to? Would you like to go to any of them yourself?
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