Dennis Sylvester Hurd

In a time when Indiana Jones whipped into the cinema to explore nooks and crevices in search of treasures, there would only be one big game franchise to offer the experience, and it was the PlayStation 1 classic, Tomb Raider, and its titular main character, Lara Croft. The game experienced ups and downs during this legacy, and most wanted more: more narrative diversity, more perilous sections, and a more charming character.  In 2007,  those prayers were answered, with the rocksteady step-out, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. Even as a big company, most have boiled down Naughty Dog Games to their childhood 3-D Platformers and Playstation exclusives. With their biggest being Jak and Daxter, and the Crash Bandicoot Series. With this chip on their shoulder and the only rival to the genre being the nearly washed-out fad of the Tomb Raider franchise, this is a chronicle of the beginning of the fortune, this game would hold nearly 17 years later.

The gameplay is based around parkour and regular shooting sections. The parkour reminds me of the second Assassin’s Creed with its very subpar movement system. However, the game presents a lot of great maps and perilous obstacles that hold up to this day, especially when you get later in the game. The game can be broken down into 3 sections, a regular cityscape, Mayan ruins, and towards the end you play in an abandoned laboratory. This game is a huge step out of your basic rock climbing and regular Indiana Jones shots and settings. The game presents a well balanced style of survival and exploration, which is just as close to the Indiana Jones series, as it can get. Discord user and staff member of the Uncharted server, Jack Danger believes that even though the controls have blemishes, it can still be enjoyable.

“Many people think it’s outdated and rough around the edges,” Danger said. “The level design isn’t the best and the combat can be kind of repetitive. Controls are a bit wonky too.”

Even though the game has somewhat held up, the art style can be broken down into regular motion capture, and face copying. This was done in a race to get to the most realistic-looking game, which is somewhat out of character for Naughty Dog, who showed a lot of style in the past. 

Even though this game hasn’t aged as well, and is very flawed, it is hard to ignore the impact it would have on the popularity of PlayStation exclusives and the rejuvenation of Naughty Dog Studios. I think this game is important stylistically for the story, always reminding 2.6 million people to expect the unexpected. For when they approach the riches of old, it may lead to unspeakable horrors, lost to time.