I enjoyed Uncharted 4 when I first played it, but I was a little bummed that the Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley-helmed entry left some of the things I enjoyed most about the series behind. It moved on from the series’ supernatural elements entirely, and as someone who loved the weird little goblin guys from the first game, I was disappointed.
No one else was disappointed by this.
I was also disappointed that the series went in the direction of more grounded set pieces. In retrospect, this shift wasn’t as pronounced as it seemed. Uncharted 4 has thrilling sequences, too. But when compared with the epic boat set piece in Uncharted 3, Uncharted 4’s clocktower and car-based action seems a little subdued. Then again, next to Uncharted 3’s boat set piece, anything would seem a little subdued.
Uncharted 3 Deserves More Love
Though Uncharted 2’s train gets all the love, Uncharted 3 might just have the series’ best vehicular mayhem. But, over time, the game has been overshadowed. Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune was the debut, and is remembered for introducing the series’ Indiana Jones- and Tomb Raider-inspired formula. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is remembered for improving on its predecessor in every way, and routinely makes best game of all time lists as a result. Uncharted 4 brought in The Last of Us’ directors, and found greater depth in its characters as a result. And Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is the one without Drake, the game that teamed Chloe and Nadine up for a shorter adventure.
In comparison to the other games, Uncharted 3 just doesn’t really have a hook. It was the final Uncharted game released on PS3, which means it gets overshadowed by The Last of Us (the final Naughty Dog game to hit that console) and Uncharted 4 (the first new Naughty Dog game to hit the next console).
But Uncharted 3 is still well-worth going back to for the quartet of levels set on boats that hit at the game’s midpoint. The first 11 chapters have Nathan Drake flitting from location to location, with a bar brawl in London leading into a flashback to Drake and Sully’s first meeting in Colombia, then back to the present in London, where Drake and friends discover an underground library. There’s a detour to a chateau in the French jungle (?), a frantic shootout in a Syrian castle, and a hallucinogenic chase through a Yemeni city. The game takes you (literally) all over the map in its first five hours, so Naughty Dog’s decision to slow way down in the middle makes you stop and pay attention.
Not A Water Level, Water Levels
It’s the most memorable section of the game. I had assumed that was just because it was so well-done, but it’s also because, depending on your pace of play, it can last for two or more hours. It’s the centerpiece of the game, and it feels very different from everything that comes before or after.
The run kicks off with Nate getting kidnapped and waking up at sea, which leads into the game’s longest stretch without puzzles. Treasure-hunting goes out the window in favor of survival, as the game leans into water-based stealth, with Nate taking on his mercenary captors like the shark from Jaws attacking unsuspecting beachgoers. There’s also a heaping helping of combat, and one of the coolest details is that the water’s movement heavily impacts your aim. You might have a perfect headshot lined up and then a big wave hits the flotilla and you end up alerting your enemies for nothing.
The four-level length allows Naughty Dog to fully explore its ideas. You platform along a massive ship as opponents take potshots. You stealthily take on enemies among parked ships. You take down boats with a rocket launcher. You fight for your life in an opulent ballroom as massive chandeliers sway with the tide. Then the boat begins to sink and you have to make your way out as it floods and familiar locations flip upside down.
When it’s all said and done, Nate washes up on the shore in Yemen and trudges back into the city. It’s like he never left. But we know he’s just experienced the best four-level run in the series.
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