Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Cover art, depicting protagonist Nathan Drake against the backdrop of a cargo plane crushed into the Rub' al Khali desert, one of the most prominent events of the game

### Developer

Naughty Dog
Bluepoint Games (*Remastered*)

### Director

Amy Hennig
Justin Richmond

### Programmer

Pål-Kristian Engstad
Travis McIntosh
Christian Gyrling

### Designer

Richard Lemarchand
Jacob Minkoff

### Artist

Erick Pangilinan
Robh Ruppel

### Platforms

PlayStation 3
PlayStation 4

### Release

**PlayStation 3**
NA: November 1, 2011
EU: November 2, 2011
AU: November 3, 2011

**PlayStation 4**
PAL: October 7, 2015
NA: October 9, 2015
UK: October 9, 2015

### Mode(s)

Single-player, multiplayer

***Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception*** is a 2011 action-adventure third-person shooter video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3 console. A PlayStation 4 remaster, developed by Bluepoint Games, was released in 2015 as part of *Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection*. It is the sequel to 2009's *Uncharted 2: Among Thieves*, and the third main installment of the *Uncharted* series.

Set two years after its predecessor, *Drake's Deception* follows treasure hunter Nathan Drake and his mentor Victor Sullivan in their quest to find the lost city, Iram of the Pillars; among returning characters are Elena Fisher and Chloe Frazer. In their quest, the pair are opposed by an Hermetic order led by Katherine Marlowe, Sullivan's one-time employer and an old enemy of Drake's. The game continues the same formula of its predecessors, combining action segments, platforming and puzzle-solving while controlling protagonist Nathan Drake from a third-person perspective. A multiplayer mode includes both competitive and cooperative gameplay and a wide selection of customizable character skins.

*Drake's Deception* began production following the release of *Among Thieves*; its development ran concurrently to that of 2013's *The Last of Us*. Naughty Dog built the game around elements presented in the previous titles as well as the idea of developing urban and desert-like locales, while the plot drew inspiration from the life of T.E. Lawrence. Naughty Dog also focused on increasing the game's openness and realism, with improved motion-capturing, voice acting, environmental design and audio design. As with other PlayStation games released during the early 2010s, *Uncharted 3* included stereotypic 3D support and required PlayStation Network Pass for its online functions. It was officially announced in December 2010.

*Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception* received critical acclaim, and won several end-year accolades for its technical and narrative aspects, as well as Game of the Year nominations and awards. It received praise for the visuals, writing, vocal performances, set-pieces and multiplayer mode, though several outlets believed it partly failed to live up to its predecessor; other criticism was pointed at the gunplay and pacing, with Naughty Dog addressing the former in a later update. *Drake's Deception* was a commercial success, selling over 6.6 million copies by 2015 and outpacing its predecessors. A sequel, *Uncharted 4: A Thief's End*, was released in 2016.

## Gameplay

*Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception* is an action-adventure video game presented from a third-person perspective. Players control protagonist Nathan "Nate" Drake on his quest to find the mythical Iram of the Pillars. Nate can walk, sprint, jump and climb, as well as obtain and use a variety of firearms and weapons scattered or looted throughout the game. *Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception*'s single-player story campaign is a broken into several chapters located in areas and regions such as the United Kingdom, France, Syria, Yemen and the Rub' al Khali desert. Progression is linear and alters between story-focused cutscenes, action sequences involving set-pieces and third-person shooter segments, puzzles and platforming sections.