With or without Nathan Drake , Uncharted is one of the PlayStation brand’s workhorses. And despite the relative youth of the series compared to other great video game standards (in 2017 it was ten years old) it has established itself as a benchmark within action and adventure games .
Something that, on the other hand, is understood when seeing the signatures of the maximum involved in each delivery: Neil Druckman, Amy Hennig, Shaun Escayg and a Naughty Dog that, in general terms, has been positioning itself as one of the video game studios more powerful in the west with each new delivery.
Seen like this, a decade goes a long way . Especially for the rogue Drake: the PlayStation treasure hunter proved from his first adventure that he was much more than a replacement for Indiana Jones or Lara Croft’s umpteenth attempt at slipstream: the narrative and the weight of the plot of each installment have always heavy as much as the action itself, and that in Uncharted there has been action in abundance.
Of course, the pitch came with Uncharted 2: Kingdom of Thieves. Naughty Dog made it clear through an outstanding sequel that Drake could now rub shoulders with the great icons of PlayStation. After all, many of the characters most loved by DualShock players had been created by the Californian studio. But the tone and gameplay of Uncharted were very different.
The secret? None: in Uncharted everything was in sight. Heroes and villains chiseled with the ambition of Hollywood productions, epic storylines, endless levels and, as Lucas Pope would admit years later, various nuances that were borrowed from the Gears of War gaming experience and that Naughty accommodated to his terrain, to his new style of making games, even making them his own.
The challenge of establishing the ultimate Uncharted when (almost) all are essential
When the narrative and the story have so much weight in the game experience it is logical that some deliveries end up getting more and better than others . Not just between players, but on an individual level. The explanation is very simple, the cinematographic element is essential in the saga and it has been gaining shape and volume in each new installment. Sometimes retroactively.
That is not a negative thing. Quite the contrary: each new Uncharted release has had to be measured head-on against the previous one in each of its sections.
Therefore, objectively establishing what Nathan Drake’s greatest adventure has been is a challenge. Of course, after having shared so many good and bad moments with him, it is natural that we also like challenges.
we have organized all deliveries ofUnchartedand we have ordered them from worst to best. And we have used the same process as with the God of War or The legend of Zelda sagas: considering and scoring the individual quality of each game, the key scenes or the impact inside and outside the series, and evenadding new nuancesthat seek to correspond to the extra effort that has been put into achieving excellence in narrative.
We have always started from the idea that consensus is almost impossible in such exceptional experiences, but we are also clear that there are deliveries that stand out from the rest and that they deserve a special position.
Without further ado, all the games in the Uncharted saga , including the oddities and spin-offs, ordered from worst to best.
Uncharted: Fortune Hunter
- Systems: iOS and Android
- Release Date: May 5, 2016
: Uncharted: Fortune Hunter is the f2p for mobiles with which you can now unlock items for Uncharted 4
Just because you see Uncharted: Fortune Hunter closing the list doesn’t mean it’s a bad experience. In fact, it is quite attractive despite being a mobile game whose main purpose is to cover the release of Uncharted 4 . Which does not mean that he pales before others.
Developed by PlaySpree, Fortune Hunter is a puzzle game starring Nathan Drake in which each scenario is literally a puzzle. The best? With a little time and some skill we can unlock rewards for the PS4 title.
Uncharted: fight for treasure
- Systems: PS Vita
- Release Date: December 4, 2012
: PS Vita’s New ‘Uncharted: Fight For Fortune’ Looks Like This
Bend Studio not only signed the only title in the saga that was not developed by Naughty Dog, but also dared to give a total twist to the franchise that did not leave us indifferent: a digital card game based on the universe of Uncharted.
Not that it was a crazy idea, of course: the experience is on track in the typical battles between two decks facing each other in turns. Of course, fight for the treasure had an extra addition: it is possible to associate it with Uncharted: The Golden Abyss to unlock new cards based on our progress in the game.
Uncharted: The Golden Abyss
- Systems: PS Vita
- Release date: February 22, 2012
- Our Review: Uncharted: The Golden Abyss
Entering fully into the main saga we find Uncharted: The Golden Abyss , the only installment developed for Sony laptops and, as we said a little above, the only Drake adventure that was not developed by Naughty Dog. And, despite everything, a title that shone with its own light and deservedly in the PS Vita catalog.
That you see The Golden Abyss at this point is not due to the limitations of the console. What’s more, an attempt was made to take advantage of the hardware through its playability. But, in fairness, neither its plot nor its scale matched what was seen on table-top. Which, all told, doesn’t make it a bad game either. Quite the opposite.
Uncharted, Drake’s Treasure
- Systems: PS3, PS4 and PS Now
- Release Date: Nov 19, 2007
- Our Review: Uncharted, Drake’s Treasure
The original Uncharted was a very pleasant surprise. Although he was already pointing ways through his first advances, with the controller in hand it turned out to be a delight, becoming in record time one of the great claims of a PS3 that was having a hard time getting off the ground.
Drake’s treasure is the title that laid the foundations of what the saga will be, and that is unquestionable: the characters, the gameplay, the game experience … everything is there. But it will be in subsequent installments where Naughty Dog will end up making the real leap in quality and magnitude.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
- Systems: PS4 and PS Now
- Release Date: August 23, 2017
- Our Review: Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy was originally conceived as a DLC for Uncharted 4 , but its development reached such a large scale that it eventually became a full game. And also, an Uncharted in its own right.
The only installment that doesn’t star Drake is a formidable adventure that stands on its own and once again demonstrates the touch and mastery of Naughty Dog. Surprising in the technical and action scenes- However, it was on the verge of matching the previous installments . The bar was very high, all is said.
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
- Systems: PS3, PS4 and PS Now
- Release Date: November 1, 2011
- Our Review: Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Naughty Dog dismissed the Uncharted series for PS3 with a third installment that constantly sought to surprise: action in abundance, scenarios that further cemented that purpose and a Drake that, despite being constantly on the ropes, managed to keep the player glued to command.
Of course, there was a price to pay: while Drake’s Betrayal was a technical and visual delight in its day, the pace of this adventure forced a reduction in another key element of the saga: the plot and the narrative. Although not enough to deservedly enter our podium.
Uncharted 2: Kingdom of Thieves
- Systems: PS3, PS4 and PS Now
- Release Date: October 13, 2009
- Our review: Uncharted 2: Kingdom of Thieves
Naughty Dog hit the table loudly with Drake’s Treasure , but the true driver of the saga in each and every one of its aspects was its sequel: not only did it provide the perfect balance between action and narrative , but – as we discussed in our review – it ran in its own right as one of the best PS3 exclusives. And those are major words.
The Kingdom of Thieves was the template for everything that would follow, a source of inspiration beyond Uncharted , and one of the essential classics of any PlayStation console, masterfully blurring the playable and cinematic experience. Offering an unforgettable experience from start to finish.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
- Systems: PS4
- Release Date: May 10, 2016
- Our Review: Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Anyone who has completed the Uncharted saga knows that there are only two possible options to top this list. However, what crowns Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is not its cutting-edge look, its flawless narrative, or that way of infusing adventure into every part of the experience.
The key to understanding the magnitude of the best Uncharted of all is its way of bringing together the best of each installment (and of the Naughty Dog legacy), raising it above our own expectations and, finally, giving the whole a finishing touch to the height . And that is not easy.
As our partner Alex commented at the time, Uncharted 4: A Thief ‘s End is a carousel of emotions from start to finish, but also an experience in which it manages to reinforce our bond with Drake – and, through him, with all the saga- before saying goodbye. From that moment on, occupying a privileged place among our best memories in front of a console.
