Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

It has been almost a year since I last posted a review. Now that I have the time to do so, I am happy to be back and happy again to try my hand at game reviewing. The few people in the world who read this blog may have noticed that I tend to focus on adventure game and most of them have been on either the Nintendo DS or the Xbox 360.

At long last, this is going to change. This time, I am reviewing a game for the PlayStation 3. And I can think of no better way to start than by reviewing that widely praised gem, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.

A mix of multiple game genres, I view Uncharted as I do Mirror’s Edge: both break the high definition rule of the graphics being in either grey- or brown-scale. While I had enjoyed playing Uncharted, the game still has its weakness and as I always do in my past reviews, I am going to give credit where it is due and give constructive comments on the game and on how it can be improved.

Overview

Uncharted puts the player in the shoes of treasure hunter Nathan “Nate” Drake. According to the history books, British explorer, Sir Francis Drake, died and was buried at sea in 1596 and left behind no descendants. However, Nate is convinced that he is a descendant of Sir Drake and is intent on finding out what really happened after Sir Drake supposed final voyage.

With funding from a television reporter, Elena Fisher, Nate and his mentor, Victor Sullivan, locate Sir Drake’s coffin and find it empty besides a old journal. From there it is a cinematic action journey from remote jungle to an ancient Spanish ruin: all the while learning what has become of Sir Drake.

Gameplay

In a nutshell, Uncharted is mix of action, adventure and platforming. While there is the promise for variety in this game, most of the effort has been placed on the action element. Most of the time, the player will be engaged in fights ranging from gun slinging to close range melee.

Given that most of the game is action/combat, gameplay may soon become boring for some players. I personally found the battles repetitive and the fact there were only around three or four different character models used did not help the experience either.

In terms of adventure, the use of the term feels stretched at best. Puzzles are few, far between and often only involved finding a way to open a door to progress to the next area. The only other adventure element present was the underling mini-game where players could find ancient relics which unlocked in game bonuses: such as being able to have infinite ammo or making of videos.

Finally, there is the platforming aspect of the game. The best way to describe Uncharted’s platforming is to say they took the Tomb Raider concept and made it work. I have had a try of Tomb Raider in the past but one element that always ruined the experience for me was how picky Lara was with her ledges. In Uncharted, if Nate sees a ledge, he used it and tries to save his life.

Story

Coming from a Myst and J-RPG background, I like a good story. In the case of Uncharted, the best I can say is that the story is complete. The characters are rounded, there relations to other characters are clear and Nate as a character develops over time. He starts out determined to find out what happens to Sir Drake’s final voyage but when Elena comes into the equation, Nate is quick to try and find a way out for both him and her.

But, like my assessment of Myst, the completeness of the Uncharted’s story does not cover the fact that it is very thin and has been excessively stretched out by the numerous gun fights that happen throughout the game.

Graphics and Sound

As I have said at the start of this review, Uncharted breaks the (undesired) trend of high definition gaming having only grey- or brown-scale graphics. The graphics of Uncharted are vibrant and full of colour. Besides colour there is also a lot of detail to the environments.

When in forest areas, the environments are full of dynamic shadows, multiple light sources and animated foliage. The presence of nature could really be felt in these places and I could not help but feel that the environment itself was breathing.

The level of detail is clearly seen in the various ruins. All the stone and brick work in Uncharted actually give the impression that there were once people who lived there. It gave the environments themselves their own feel and I almost started to pity the decayed state of the ruins.

But where Uncharted stands out in terms of graphics is in its characters, specifically the amount of detail put to their faces. Each character has numerous express and all of them well detailed from their jaw line to their eye brows. This attention to realism is welcoming and it makes it a lot easier to relate to the characters.

Finally, the sound. Soundtrack wise, Uncharted is not that promising. There are a few tracks and they are similar enough to make it sound like the music is repeated. This deficiency I am willing to turn a blind eye to as it is the ambient sounds that won me over.

When out in the forests, one can clearly hear the rustle of leaves, the gurgle of streams and the crashing of waves on distant beaches. In ruins, the wind gives that empty howl that goes well with the fact that those who were there are no long gone.

Overall

I’ll be frank, Uncharted is not perfect, but it is a solid and safe game. While most high definition games come with the risk of being a wasted investment, Uncharted is a very sound purchase. The characters are relatable, the environments are vibrant and alive and the story is small yet complete. If anyone is thinking of getting a PlayStation 3, this is a game I highly recommend buying at the same time. In terms of improvements, all I can say is Uncharted could do with a richer story and that ratio of action, adventure and platforming be adjusted so that the game play is more varied.