Uncharted
Uncharted is an action-adventure video game franchise published by Sony Interactive Entertainment and developed by Naughty Dog. Created by Amy Hennig, the "Uncharted" franchise follows a group of treasure hunters who travel across the world to uncover various historical mysteries. The series features historical fiction, elements of fantasy and folklore, and fictional characters alongside real-world historical figures and events. In the main series, players control Nathan Drake; in the expansion, players control Chloe Frazer. The franchise's first game, "", was released in 2007 and has featured seven further titles, with the main series including the direct sequels   (2009), "" (2011), and "" (2016). Spin-offs "" (2011), "" (2012), and the standalone expansion "" (2017) also support the main series. Originally published exclusively for PlayStation consoles, the franchise later released games for other platforms, with the mobile spin-off "Uncharted: Fortune Hunter" (2016) and remasters of "A Thief's End" and "Lost Legacy" for Microsoft Windows due in 2022. The main games are played from a third-person perspective, with gameplay mostly revolving around combat, shooting, exploration, and puzzles, while platforming is used to navigate the environment. Later titles began including competitive and co-operative multiplayer game modes, stealth, and driving gameplay . "Uncharted" drew inspiration from other games, film, and additional media, and is known for featuring exotic locations. Several adaptations of the series have also been released, including a live-action film, board games, comics, and a novel. The main series received widespread critical acclaim, with praise for the story, cast, animation and characters, graphical and gameplay mechanics, and music, with its high production value being frequently compared to Hollywood-produced action-adventure films. It has also been credited by critics and publications for raising standards for single-player games, and is consistently ranked among the greatest video games. "Uncharted" has  shipped over 41 million units, making it one of the best-selling video game franchises, helping the success of PlayStation during the seventh and eight generation and elevating Naughty Dog's reputation as a developer. Titles. Main series. "Drake's Fortune", the first game in the series, was released for PlayStation 3 in November 2007. The system carried the following two installments of the main series, after Naughty Dog agreed to exclusively release the games on Sony systems. "Among Thieves" was published in 2009, and the creative team were afforded a greater license to utilize a larger amount of the  system's random-access memory (RAM), due to an improved proprietary engine. It subsequently introduced more locales, higher free roam and combat abilities, and a larger map. "Drake's Deception", released in 2011, built upon this aspect, while it also added an improved online multiplayer mode. The following main installment, "A Thief's End", was published on PlayStation 4, and focused on realism and detail. The last in the series to feature the main protagonist, it added driving elements and improved other gameplay aspects, like stealth and role-playing, and comprehensive upgrades to multiplayer. It was released to massive financial  success, breaking multiple records. A free-to-play game for iOS and Android, "Fortune Hunter", was released to tie in with "A Thief's End". Other games and compilations. "Golden Abyss" was published in 2011, and is the first in the series to be released on PlayStation Vita, marking the series' first on a handheld console. It is considered a prequel to the main series, although, some developers have stated that it acts as a separate, original story. In 2012, a turn-based card game titled "" was released. It was developed by One Loop Games, and contained interactive elements suitable  for the Vita. "The Nathan Drake Collection" is a remastered collection of the series' first three installments, and was ported to PlayStation 4 by Bluepoint Games in October 2015. It was released to compensate for the delay in production for "A Thief's End", which was originally slated for release in summer 2015. The game also included a voucher for the beta for the multiplayer for "A Thief's End". The games feature enhancements such as new trophies, an in-game Photo Mode, and improved textures and gameplay. The multiplayer modes from "Uncharted 2" and "Uncharted 3" are excluded. It  received positive reviews, with most praising the technical improvements and visual enhancements. The game was offered for free as part of Sony's "Play at Home" initiative during the COVID-19 pandemic in April–May 2020. "The Lost Legacy" was released as a standalone expansion to "A Thief's End", and marks the first entry in the series not to feature Drake. It features the characters Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross, who previously appeared in "Among Thieves" and "Drake's Deception", and "A Thief's End", respectively. It was released on PlayStation 4 in 2017. "Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection", a  remastered version of "A Thief's End" and "The Lost Legacy", was released on January 28, 2022 for PlayStation 5; a Microsoft Windows version, in development by Iron Galaxy, will be released later in 2022. Common elements. Gameplay. Gameplay in the "Uncharted" series is a combination of action-adventure elements and 3D platforming with a third-person perspective. The player is given various physical tasks which must be completed to progress through the storyline, such as jumping, swimming, grabbing and moving along ledges, and climbing and swinging from ropes. Other aspects, including shooting, combat, and puzzle solving, also regularly feature . In later titles, driving, boat riding, and other acrobatic actions were added or developed. The "Uncharted" games grant a reasonable amount of freedom through the design of the maps. Later games contain elements of open world design, in order to encourage free-roaming to secure collectibles or stealth to avoid enemies. In "A Thief's End", role-playing was expanded to include side discussions with other characters. The "Uncharted" series follows the structure of traditional action games, where players complete a single track series of levels with linear gameplay, and is navigated through a third-person perspective. Shooting is central  to the game's function, as players are also required to bypass a string of foes. Although a wide variety of weapons are present in the game, the player can only carry a sidearm such as pistol, a primary weapon such as a rifle or shotgun, and a handful of grenades. These weapons are obtained by picking up weapons dropped by a downed foe, or from those scattered around the various maps. If the player dies, they will respawn at a specific level checkpoint. In "A Thief's End", the use of vehicles in an explorable environment was developed. It  provides the player with freedom to take vehicles wherever they please, albeit, must be driven to a certain location to progress the story. In "Among Thieves", multiplayer was introduced. It features both competitive and co-operative gameplay. The co-op multiplayer mode allows up to three players to take the roles of Drake and two other "hero" companions and features missions involving gunfights, platforming, and teamwork-based objectives. Players can also assist their comrades if they become critically injured or if they are grabbed by an enemy. The competitive multiplayer allows a maximum of ten players to play against each  other in two teams of five. Six competitive modes are featured, including single or team-based deathmatches, and team-based objectives. In "A Thief's End", survival mode was introduced, which features wave-based progression on swarms of increasingly powerful enemies, as well as completing other objectives. Furthermore, multiplayer allows players to accrue points and rank up, which can be used to purchase more skins for both heroes and villains. Setting. In "Uncharted: Drake's Fortune", the game is set off the coast of Panama, in the Amazon rainforest, and an uncharted island off the coast of South America. The  second entry in the franchise, "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves", was the first in the series to experiment with several locales. The game is set in the snow-capped mountain landscapes of the Tibetan Plateau in southernmost China, a museum in Istanbul, the jungles of Borneo, and the urban landscapes of Nepal. Subsequent games followed this concept, with "Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception" featuring the streets of London and Colombia, as well as a château in France, a castle in Syria, a city in Yemen, and the sprawling deserts of the Rub' al Khali. "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End" features  a Panamanian jail, an estate in Italy, a cathedral in Scotland, several locations in Madagascar, and many uncharted islands in the Indian Ocean not far from Africa, to reflect Libertalia. Boston and New Orleans are also included, in both the past and present respectively, where the titular character resides. The prequel game "Uncharted: Golden Abyss" features a dig site and several other locales set in the forests of Panama while the standalone expansion "Uncharted: The Lost Legacy" features the locales set in and around the mountain ranges of Western Ghats in India as well as a small bazaar and a  city in Tamil Nadu. Many of the locations represented were extensively researched for the series. The development team organized field research trips with tour guides and architectural historians and captured many photos and hours of video footage to properly reflect the settings. Characters. The series has included a wide variety of voice actors, with the development team settling on the decision that prominent characters would be voiced by lower profile actors. Only three characters have featured in every main installment, while Chloe is the only other single-player playable character: Other media. Games. Section::::"Uncharted: Drake's Trail". "Drake's Trail  is a now-defunct 2007 online game. The game was a browser-based game with alternative reality elements. Consisting of ten chapters, the story, serving as a prequel to Drake's Fortune", recounts journalist Elena Fisher hiring a private detective to track down famous treasure hunter Nathan Drake believing he is onto something big. The game was played using a Google Maps plugin to locate game areas within the real world, in conjunction with a Flash Player to explore those fictional locations (such as Drake's apartment) for clues to the next location. Section::::"Uncharted: The Board Game". "Uncharted: The Board  Game" is a board game published by Bandai in 2012. It was designed by Hayato Kisaragi and allows between two and four players to compete for treasure and fight enemies. Comics. Section::::"Uncharted: Eye of Indra". Sony Computer Entertainment America released the first of a four-part motion comic series adventure called "Uncharted: Eye of Indra" in October 23, 2009. It is a prequel to "Uncharted: Drake's Fortune". The second part was released on November 25, while the third and fourth parts released simultaneously on December 7. Section::::"Uncharted: Drake's Fortune". A motion comic adaptation of the prolog of "", starting  with the discovery of Francis Drake's coffin and up to the first encounter with Gabriel Roman. Uses the same voice clips from the video game. Section::::"Uncharted". An "Uncharted" comic book was released by DC Comics around the time "Uncharted 3" came out. Written by Joshua Williamson, with art by Sergio Sandoval and covers by Adam Hughes, it was released on November 30, 2011, as part of a 6-issue mini series. In the story, a quest for the legendary "Amber Room" launches Nathan Drake on a journey to the center of the Earth. Novel. A novel titled "Uncharted: The  Fourth Labyrinth" was published in October 2011. The novel is written by Christopher Golden and published by Del Rey Books, and follows the search for Daedalus's Labyrinth, a maze used to hold the Minotaur, a monster from Greek mythology. Film adaptation. A film adaptation was released in 2022. Ruben Fleischer helmed the picture, from a script by Art Marcum and Matt Holloway. The film served as an adaptation of the games, with Tom Holland (who also serves as an executive producer) as Nathan Drake and Mark Wahlberg as Victor Sullivan. Antonio Banderas, Sophia Taylor Ali, and Tati Gabrielle have  also been cast in supporting roles. It was theatrically released in the United States on February 18, 2022, produced by Columbia Pictures, Atlas Entertainment, and Arad Productions. PlayStation Productions executive produced, while Sony Pictures Releasing distributed. Principal photography began on March 16, 2020, shooting in Berlin, but was shut down in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was believed filming had resumed on July 15, but Sony Pictures clarified, while production has not yet resumed, they were undergoing preparations with the hope to start production soon. Production resumed on July 20, shooting in areas around Germany On August  5, Banderas temporarily left production after he tested positive for COVID-19, during the pandemic. Banderas later recovered from COVID-19 in late August, with the intention of returning to production imminently. On September 16, filming moved to Berlin, with set photos being released online. Filming wrapped on October 29, 2020. Fan film. In July 2018, director Allan Ungar posted a fan-made 15-minute short film, starring Nathan Fillion as Nathan Drake, who for years had been campaigning for the role. It was very well received, with particular praise given to Fillion's performance as Drake, and to an action sequence  shot from an over-the-shoulder angle, similar to the shooting sequences in the video games. The short also features Stephen Lang as Victor Sullivan and Mircea Monroe as Elena Fisher, with appearances from Ernie Reyes Jr. and Geno Segers. The reception towards the fan film has resulted in some speculation as to whether it is expected to influence and alter the plans of the official film. Druckmann, vice-president of Naughty Dog, tweeted a heart emoji towards the fan film, with film director Shawn Levy also praising it, while Ungar expressed his support towards the official film. Reception. The  Uncharted series has been a major success, both critically and commercially; by September 2017, the series had sold over 41 million copies worldwide. Much of the praise for the series has gone towards the graphics Naughty Dog have produced and attained, as well as the writing and voice acting, with GamesRadar ranking it the second best franchise of the seventh generation. The "Uncharted" series is widely credited with bringing up Naughty Dog's reputation and has them regarded as one of the best developers in the industry. As the protagonist of the series, Nathan Drake is seen as a PlayStation  mascot, while "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves" is considered of all time. It received over fifty Game of the Year awards, with critics heralding it as a gaming milestone. The game currently lies among the highest ever rated PlayStation 3 games on Metacritic. "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End" is also ranked as one of the best in the series, and among the finest video games of the eighth generation. Sales. The first installment was a member of the PlayStation Essentials range, having shipped over 2.6 million copies worldwide. "Uncharted 2" was the highest selling game in the month of its  release, and by the end of their life-cycles, the games combined sold over 13 million copies by 2011. Sales for "Uncharted 3" were revealed to have been over double that of its predecessor by Naughty Dog's product marketing manager Asad Quizilbash, which "far" exceeded their expectations, and the game eventually helped bring the "Uncharted" series to verified sales of over 17 million copies worldwide. Prior to the release of the fourth main installment, Sony revealed the "Uncharted" series has sold over 28 million copies worldwide. "Uncharted 4" is the best selling installment of the series to date, with  over 15 million individual copies sold, making it one of the best-selling PlayStation 4 games of all time. Sales accrued, which included from the "Lost Legacy" expansion pack, in a December 2017 panel in celebration of the 10 year anniversary of the series at the PlayStation Experience event, revealed that the series has sold 41.7 million units globally. Accolades. "Uncharted: Drake's Fortune" was awarded as PS3 Game of the Year by IGN. "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves" received several awards by 2009 Spike Video Game Awards (Game of the Year, Best PS3 Game and Best Graphics) and by 2010  BAFTA Game Awards (Story, Action, Use of Audio, Original Score). The game also won in 10 categories, including Game of the Year, at the 13th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards and in 5 categories, including Game of the Year, at the 10th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards. It was the game that won the most GOTY awards in 2009. "Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception" received several awards by 2011 Spike Video Game Awards (Best PS3 Game, Best Graphics) and by the 15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards (Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering, Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction, Outstanding Achievement in Animation). The  game also was awarded in the category VideoGame Writing by Writers Guild of America Awards and in the category Best Visual Arts by Game Developers Choice Awards. It was one of the most awarded games of 2011 in the category Game of the Year. "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End" received several awards by The Game Awards 2016 (Best Narrative, Best Performance) and by D.I.C.E. Awards (Adventure Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Story, Outstanding Technical Achievement, Outstanding Achievement in Animation). The game also won as Best Game at the 13th British Academy Games Awards, as PlayStation Game of  the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards and as Best Video Game at the Empire Awards. It was the game that won the most GOTY awards in 2016. "Uncharted: The Lost Legacy" won in two categories (Game, Franchise Adventure and Sound Editing in a Game Cinema) at the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards and in the category Best Music/Sound Design (People's Voice) at the Webby Awards.