Watch out Lara Croft, Nathan Drake has come to tomb raiding town and I think he just stole your treasure. Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune came out late last year in the midst of a fury of titles that included the likes of Call of Duty 4, Mass Effect, Rock Band and was exclusive to a platform that has been fighting an uphill battle since launch. The game is already something of a lost gem and should truly be dug up by anyone with a PS3, heck; it may even be a reason to buy the system.

Uncharted begins with charming everyman treasure hunter Nathan Drake pulling up an empty 400 year old coffin from the depths of the ocean. The coffin is that of his distant ancestor Sir Francis Drake (real life explorer and pirate) and rather than Sir Francis’ remains he finds a little diary that sets an adventure of grand proportions into motion. The narrative is akin to Romancing the Stone and Indiana Jones complete with lush jungles, old disintegrating fortresses, dark tombs and the usual race between two sides for the ultimate treasure. This all may sound par for the course of an escapist adventure story and it is. However, developer Naughty Dog brings a level of sophistication to character development and interaction that has yet to be seen in a game of this nature. Nathan Drake is a true everyman, not a bulletproof chunk of meat and his companion Elena is steadily built up as a strong female character that stands toe to toe with her male counterpart.

Gameplay:

The narrative is always developing at a brisk pace and to mirror that popcorn flick style the gameplay is a simple sometimes perfectly crafted mix of platforming, action and some very basic puzzle solving elements thrown in-between. The gunplay is the usual third person action fare, borrowing heavily from Gears of War. Cover is paramount while popping up and taking out wave after wave of pirates. There is also a hand-to-hand combat system that won’t be used that often but it provides a 2x multiplier on ammo dropped by enemies taken out melee style. Its great have this option; it mixes up gameplay and provides you with a lot more ammo if you have run out. While it is nothing that we haven’t seen before the game implements these third person action concepts quite well and is a blast to play.

Sometimes, it’s up to the player to decide if the jump is worth the risk. 

For the most part platforming elements focus on traversing a deadly environment with accuracy rather than speed. At some points in the game you will find yourself observing before taking any action to see what jumps are realistic and where you could take a leap of faith. Drake can perform some incredible feats but it is up to the player to ride the line of risk versus reward.

A fantastic flow and rhythm is found in blending these two play styles and some extremely simple (almost too simple) puzzle solving is thrown in for good measure. It mostly involves matching a series of icons to a series of environmental buttons left by some ancient civilization, experienced players will want more complexity but this may have broken the great pace the game achieves. This game is hampered a couple of times by gunplay sequences that drag on for a little too long and two water vehicle sequences that could have used more time in the oven.

8.5/10

Controls:

There is no auto aim to speak of in Uncharted, this is a little bit jarring at first but once you get the hang of pulling off quick accurate shots you will be capping pirate heads in no time. Drake is extremely nimble and everything feels very tight during combat. The same can be said for platforming when carefully lining up your jumps.

9.5/10

Visuals:

This is simply the best looking game I have played. There is a stunning level and attention to detail throughout the game both artistically and technically that really shows the processing might of the PS3. Naughty Dog even pulls off some very impressive large scale vistas considering the graphic fidelity. Character models are fully emotive digital actors and are shown off during cutscenes that transition seamlessly from the gameplay. The animation on Drake is not only dynamic to the environment his character really comes through with all his movements. He has a goofy recklessness that is portrayed in the cutscenes and is seamlessly carried over into gameplay, the game never ceases to focus on the great characters.

This game shows what the PS3 is truly capable of.

10/10

Audio:

To make the in-game digital actors a reality the voice acting is nothing but Hollywood caliber. Topnotch dialogue is delivered with punch and wit and gives great depth to the cast. The gameplay audio is all mixed well and every location has a great ambiance. Naughty Dog got the great Greg Edmundson (of Firefly fame) to score the game and features sweeping orchestral pieces along with tribal elements. All of this comes together as an audio package that could match any blockbuster movie and it all furthers the emotive experience of game.

9.5/10

Lasting Appeal:

The nature of Uncharted is that it is a playable blockbuster popcorn movie and is an excellent one to boot. The game can be beaten in a weekend and this will bother a lot of people considering there isn’t any multiplayer. It is a blistering adventure with often pitch perfect pace and adding levels just for the sake of adding value would have hindered the overall experience. There is a ton of content to be unlocked by getting any of the 1000 points (achievements). One way of getting points involves scouring for glistening treasure within levels which becomes rather addictive. You will want to play through at least twice and four difficulty levels are available, the last of which will require considerable skill. Naughty Dog made a good effort to further this short adventure and it still merits a purchase over a rent.

8.0/10

Overall:

Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune is some of the most fun I had with a game last year. The narrative is deep and entertaining and some of that even comes through while in gameplay. Gorgeous graphics, a rousing orchestral score, solid action and platforming all come together as a towering adventure that you will want to play from start to finish and after that, play again.

Gameplay: 8.5/10

Controls: 9.5/10

Visuals: 10/10

Audio: 9.5/10

Lasting Appeal: 8/10

Overall: 9/10

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