Uncharted

By rights, one of the other topics I listed in that last post should go first. It would have been nice if I had done this in chronological order. But alas, the time for that has passed. And so Uncharted is going to be my first topic, as I've just recently finished it, and have a lot to say!

This is going to be a long post as I'm actually discussing 5 different videogames (Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, and Uncharted: Lost Legacy). Or possibly 7 games, because I'm gonna talk about Tomb Raider (2013) and Rise of the Tomb Raider) a LOT too. I'm going to try very hard in these posts to indicate all spoilers, and give a brief spoiler-free bit at the start but I will be talking a LOT about spoilers - especially for game 4.

The TL;DR of this post is this: Uncharted 4 is an absolute masterpiece, and is one of the bravest, most satisfying games I have played. Ever. This game has jumped my own personal rankings to take a seat with games like Tomb Raider (2013) and yes, even Mass Effect. I absolutely love this game, and really admire the love and bravery which went into its design. The love is evident, and the bravery is something I would like to bring out.

Before going into spoilers, let's start with the story of how I got here. Years ago - I was probably a freshman in high school - I remember going to a friend's house who had a playstation 3. I watched my friend play some of Batman: Arkham Asylum, and she told me about Uncharted (the first game) but I didn't see any of it played, just the pictures on the box and the description she gave me. Ever since that day I have been wanting to play these games, and have been actively avoiding spoilers for them. (The same for The Last of Us. Which, upon writing this, I still haven't played. Because of Uncharted.) About a month and a half ago I FINALLY purchased a PS4, and among the first games I bought for it were all of the Uncharted series (And Horizon Zero Dawn). I flew through the first three games, and tried to slow down for the fourth, but still I don't think I played any of the games in more than 4 sittings. Game 3 I beat in less than two days. It was quite the weekend. That was a few days ago now that I finished with Lost Legacy and I still can't get enough.

The other part of my story I want to tell is my love for another game: Tomb Raider. Specifically the "survivor" timeline games (2013 and Rise of the Tomb Raider). It is impossible to not compare Uncharted to Tomb Raider, and Tomb Raider is one of my favorite games of all time. So anything I say here about how uncharted is good and different from TR, I'm no saying it's better. But I've really enjoyed appreciating the differences. Playing the first Uncharted game felt very much like a love letter to the old Tomb Raider games (I recently played TR Anniversary) written by someone who wanted to make another TR but didn't have the IP. The second was more developed, and the third and fourth, until they really became their own thing. And it was about the time of the 3rd Uncharted that Tomb Raider itself got rebooted, and you can clearly see the influence starting to go the other way - from old TR to Uncharted back into new TR. I absolutely love seeing how games inspire and are related to each other (Like the System Shock/Bioshock/Dishonred/Prey/Thief family) so I have a lot of thoughts about this.

Uncharted and Tomb Raider have a lot in common. Both are adventure games seeking mythic treasures in which the hero must reach the goal before their opponent. Both have a lot of climbing and puzzles and figuring out how to get from here to there, or open a door. Both have good combat systems and are in 3rd person. Both feature exotic locals and both Nathan and Lara are constantly falling off of things! But there's just as much that they do differently, and I love them both.

Tomb Raider has several strengths; Lara Croft herself as a character is really terrific, and the story and locations are great. I love Lara's look and I adore her 2013 redesign. But it's real biggest strength is in the FEEL of the experience. Tomb Raider 2013 is wonderful because it's visceral and tangible and really caries you with it. You ARE Lara Croft when you play the TR games, and I for one LOVE being Lara Croft. I also really enjoy the game's stealth challenges. Learning patrol routes and making use of my surroundings and out-thinking opponents makes me feel even more like Lara. Even some of the things others might not like - how Lara dies a terribly gruesome death so often upon failure - draw me into this game, into feeling each hit Lara takes and investing myself in her. It's a much more earnest, more serious experience than Uncharted, and is darker, but isn't anything like horror, and I enjoy that a lot.

Uncharted also has many strengths. Again, the locations themselves and the stories around them are really wonderful. The combat is fun and rewarding (esp in the later games), and the puzzles are good too. But where Uncharted REALLY shines is in the writing. In its humor and in the characters; in their dialog, in everything about them. I absolutely love Nathan and Elena and Sully and Chloe and Nadine. Sam is alright too. I love the way they talk - the banter in Uncharted is some of the best I've ever heard. The writing is brilliant and hilarious. Uncharted isn't nearly as visceral as TR. It's not as down and dirty and present, and it's a lot more lighthearted. I've described Uncharted as "Tomb Raider, but is Lara Croft actually had a sense of humor and friends". Not that I don't love Jonah and Roth and Sam but Lara is very much a loner. And that works. But for Uncharted Nathan is almost never all alone, and I love that. And all of this has a very interesting effect. I love Nathan Drake in a different way than I love Lara Croft. I love BEING Lara Croft, but I love being WITH Nathan Drake. I love hanging out with him and his friends. I love watching him and Elena. I love being involved with their story and getting to witness it. And don't get me wrong, I like being Nathan Drake too. But I really love hanging out with Nathan's friends. And that's why I find the fourth game so extremely satisfying.

I don't think I can say much more without spoilers. Can you believe I've made it this far? Well here we go, diving in:

<SPOILERS>

For those who haven't played but don't mind spoilers I'm gonna give a short summary for the Uncharted games (1-4). The basic plot of the Uncharted games is that Nathan Drake, a modern day treasure hunter, is following after the great treasure hunters of the past. in each game Drake finds an ancient lost city and a treasure that it turns out he both cannot and should not take home. Each time, the bad guys also want the treasure, but often for bad reasons, uncaring of the moral problem that turns Drake away. Game 1 follows Sir Francis Drake to El Dorado, game 2 Marco Polo to Shambala, game 3 T.E. Lawrence AND Francis Drake to Iram of the Pilliars, and game 4 the pirate Henry Avery to Libertalia. Along each of these adventures Nathan is assisted by his mentor Sully (a smuggler, dishonorably discharged from the US Navy) and his acquaintance-then-ex-then-wife Elena Fisher (a journalist and war correspondent with a knack for showing up in Nathan's path). The other game - Lost Legacy - does not follow Nathan Drake but rather Chloe Frezer, a fellow treasure hunter introduced in game 2, to find another treasure in Halebidu and Belur in India.

The thing I mostly want to talk about in this spoilery section is Nathan and Elena's relationship, and how much I adore it, along with the real bravery that it took to conclude game 4.

In the first game, Nathan and Elena's romance is to put it bluntly, expected. He's a guy, she's a girl, they're in trouble together and save each other. They bicker and fight but are there for each other, and their love makes sense. By the way, I'm not trying to knock it by saying it's expected  I really love Elena from the get-go. She is not at all the damsel in distress and doesn't need saving. One of the first big things she does is actually to save Nate from a prison cell. Elena has been described by the game devs as a female version of Nathan. They both love the same things, are both stubborn and passionate and capable, are both cool headed and resourceful, and both love adventure. And I really love this idea. The devs have created characters who could be wonderful friends even if they weren't romantically involved, and if circumstances allow. The one major difference between Elena and Nate is that they have different goals, and - at least at the start - Elena has a better moral compass than Nathan. It sounds corny but loving Elena really does make Nate a better man. I'll have more on this later.

By the second game, it appears that the two have broken up, and a new character, an old flame of Nate's from before he met Elena, Chloe Frezer, shows up. Chloe and Nate appear to be a couple for a bit, and when they run into Elena she seems upset. She introduces herself to Chloe as "last year's model". But I actually really like how Chloe and Elena's relationship was handled. Elena isn't upset just out of jealousy. And the game does not simply pit Elena and Chloe against each other for the sake of drama. Even though they both love the same man, their conflict is about something much more important. The first conflict they have is over their different reasons for being in an active war zone. Nate and Chloe ostensibly for their own gain, and antagonizing the villain killing everyone. And Elena to try and make the rest of the world aware of the war in order to help support its victims. It's an ideological conflict, and one that pits Elena against Nate more than against Chloe. And the biggest conflict the ladies have - the one that swings Nate from Chloe's side to Elena's - is over the fate of another man's life. Elena's cameraman, who is injured, is slowing the group down and Chloe insists that they must leave him, while Elena will not. They don't end the game as enemies either. Chloe can see that Elena and Nate are together and so makes a graceful exit, with no hard feelings all around.

By the third game it appears that Nathan and Elena have actually gotten married - which itself isn't common in games! - buuuut Nathan has screwed it up with his want of adventure and adverse attitude towards settling down at all, and they're separated. Elena still wears her wedding ring (she says this is because it helps in the culture of Saudi Arabia to appear married. But based on her later comments I think it's more than that) while Nate does not (although it turns out Sully has been carrying it for him). They meet under less than ideal circumstances again, with Elena helping Nate out, and always being there to save his ass. It also turns out that when she thinks Nate dead, Elena is willing to risk her own life to save Sully - who are shown to be good friends by game 2. Both respinsible for taking care of Nate. They're back together as a couple at the end of game three and THAT brings me to one of my favorite sections of any game. A Normal Life.

Uncharted 4 has several introducing sequences. There's some boat combat, a flashback to Nathan's childhood, then when he's a young man, but finally gets onto it's main time line if you will catching up with Nate and Elena and their married, law-abiding life. Nathan has a day job in marine salvage, and Elena is still writing articles about world interest. They have a house - I believe in New Orleans? - and a sweet, domestic life. Their house is still decorated with things from travels and images of far off places. Nathan has set up shop in the attic, with relics from his treasure hunting days, and even targets set up to fire a foam dart toy gun at, which he can play around with. They have a lovely scene having dinner together, in which Nathan loses a game of Crash Bandicoot, and the banter is as strong as ever, but this time even sweeter because they're happily married. I say sweeter because I super enjoy this type of relationship and do NOT see it portrayed well enough in media. A loving, married couple, who get along. Sure they disagree and tease each other but they don't fight, and they both operate with each other and each other's happiness as a priority now. They're also comfortable together, living honestly, not trying to impress. And there is still love and sex appeal and all that between them but they're able to rest in the assurance of each other and of their life. It's missing a bit of adventure, but this seems like a cost they've both been willing to pay now. They're done with that life. Nathan says this a few times. He doesn't take that kind of work anymore. When his boss offers a big job which is all ready except the permits, even Elena says he should take it, but Nathan refuses to do anything not 100% according to the law. Which makes a lot of sense. He's been in and out of jail a lot, especially as a kid.

Now I wanna pause here for a sec and talk about Nate's moral shift throughout the games. Because I think it's a super interesting and very intentional writing decision. In the first game, Nate isn't the most moral of characters. He isn't a bad guy. He works hard to save his friends, and after he finds out about the horrid curse on the treasure he's willing to let it sink to the bottom of the sea and go home empty handed. But he doesn't have any real qualms about the life he's living, the people he's killing in combat, etc. Pretty normal for a video game character. Very early in game two however Nate is shown to be unwilling to kill unarmed guards. This was super intentional and was the moment I realized that the game devs cares a lot about making the audience aware that Nate was a good guy. Later on, Nate is with Elena in that he won't abandon the injured camera man. In the third game Nate is a bit in the wrong already since he's run out on Elena, and he continues to ignore everyone's warnings - Sully, Elena, Chloe, and even Sir Francis Drake - that he should give up and that the city was hidden for a reason. But again, before the ending comes he's transitioned from seeking treasure to seeking to save his friends, and to keep the baddies from acquiring a powerful weapon. In each of these situations, Nate is a good guy, but Elena is better. And I'm not saying that Nate wouldn't come around to the right without her - he probably would. But it certainly helps. These themes of the good, reformed thief, willing to give up treasure to save the world or save a friend, of being someone not so obsessed with their goal that they lose sight of all else, and of Nate being someone who slides down this slope until his friends drag him back up, continues and is really emphasised in the fourth game.

This is accomplished by contrasting Nate with Sam, his long lost brother whom he thought dead 15 years ago - in fact he thought he watched him die. I'm not going to go into this whole story, but just say that when I saw the lovely Normal Life scene I was, while completely delighted, also scared because I just knew that Nathan was going to do something to screw it up. And he does. Sam pressured Nate into helping him out - one last job, to save Sam's life from a debt - which also happens to be the job that Sam and Nate have been wanting to go after their whole lives - and instead of bringing his long lost brother home to meet his wife, Nathan, like an absolute dolt, calls Elena and lies to her, saying he too the permit-less job. This goes down about as well as you'd expect. He has to keep lying for a few days, and then eventually Elena finds out. Because Elena is not an idiot, and has even more connections than he does. She shows up at his hotel and learns exactly what Nathan has been doing. They fight, of course, and Nathan says the expected, bullshit line of "I was protection you", and she calls him out on it. We all know she's his best partner and could have been out here with him this whole time. Elena walks away from him, and Nathan, idiot that he is, does not go after her. He tells himself it's because he has to save Sam's life.

Later it turns out that Sam was also lying and that his life was not on the line, he just wanted to find this treasure with his little brother. And then, as he is want to do, Nathan almost dies. And who is magically there to save his hide and help him back up? His wife, of course. I absolutely bowled-over LOVED this twist. Sure it was convenient but I don't care. Elena is patient, and listens to Nate. Nate knows exactly what he did wrong and Elena does not rub it in. She's already yells at him and she actually does help him process his response, and then accepts it. Eventually he admits that he wasn't protecting her, he was protecting himself, because he was scared of how she'd react if he broke his promise to be done with this life. And I really loved watching this. The other side of the conversation is that Elena says she almost didn't come back, but what changed her mind was the fact that she had made a marriage vow - for better or for worse. And y'all I cannot say how much I adored this. I have often thought that vows are not ever taken seriously enough in media, especially vows like this one. It's so refreshing to see a couple who actually are seriously committed, and would let something like this be as important as it should and control their actions even when they don't feel like it. It made me remember too that Elena never took off her wedding ring even when Nate did. They share some really wonderful scenes, talking about their funny idea of romantic, and work together more closely than we've seen before. They really are perfect partners, and I love seeing them together. It's a real shame they spend so much of the four games separated!

So Elena helps him, and it's about this time that Nathan really has to decide if he's here for the treasure like everyone else, or if he's here for Sam. And now that they don't need the treasure to save Sam, they can just leave. Leave the mystery and the discovery and the gold. And just go home and save their lives and family. This is very similar to how everyone else wanted Nate to stop in the third game. But this time, Nate is the wise one who knows when to quite, and Sam is the fool who thinks it'll be worth it. In the end Nathan does find the treasure, only because Sam does and he has to save Sam from it - or from the villains who have also found it. And of course the treasure stays there, but Nathan saves Sam. (Side note: why is there always a Sam? whether it's Samuel or Samantha or Samwise, there's always a Sam.)

I love this because it's such a good reflection of and really concentration of the main theme of the game, and spotlight on Nathan's character development. Because Sam is basically who Nathan was before he met Elena. Before the games started.

And finally, we can talk about my favorite part of this whole huge game. The ending. Nathan goes back to his day job. Elena does too. Sully and Sam might still have adventures, but there's something healthy I think in showing a great adventuring character going back to a normal life and not complaining about it. Because I have a normal life. So, as silly as it seems, maybe it helps me complain less too. It's good to see represented. But the game doesn't leave Nate and Elena in the same place as it found them, as good as that was. It leaves them somewhere better. Elena sets plans to buy the company Nate works for, gets the permits, and takes them on the job. She and Nate become equal partners in their own, legitimate, law-abiding treasure hunting company. He's still a treasure hunter - specialized in marine salvage, and she's still a journalist, hiring a crew to make a show based on their finds. They still get to travel and see the world and discover it's lost mysteries, but together, and without risking everything to do so.

This is made even more complete by the epilogue. After I played Uncharted 4 I replayed the epilogue three times. That's how much I love it. (I also just had to get that high score on Crash Bandicoot!) The epilogue is set at least 14ish years later, and stars Cassie, Nathan and Elena's daughter. They have a house on the beach, filled with eclectic and miscellany from their travels. They go sailing and climbing and cycling. They still have their frineds, Sully and Sam, over to visit. They still uncover mysteries and take footage of it. They have a long successful history of totally legal finds. And they have a daughter, and even a dog. They're settled but not stagnant, and enjoying life and love together. It's relaxed and lovely and I adore it. In this epilogue, Cassie finds out what her parents are hiding from her - the stories of their less-than-legal crazy adventurous past, and how they met. And seeing Nate and Elena as parents, ones with such a good relationship to each other and to their kid? THAT is what's missing in media. And I cannot say how much I love seeing it. Seeing healthy relationships between spouses and between parents and children. Seeing trust and love and seeing families enjoy being around each other. That's what I want. I don't want drama. I want love and trust.

I told my friends the other day that I would happily buy a full priced $60 game that was JUST playing through the domestic every day life of the Drake and Fisher household post-game 4. And I really would. I honestly still am having a hard time believing that it was SUCH a good ending. And that was one of the things I found most interesting about this game. It took real guts to make it as good as it it.

Imagine you're the game devs at Naughty Dog. You've got a super successful video game series. Loads more adventures could be written. He's at the top of his game and raking in the dough. You could do sequels for years and have a dedicated fan base. So what do you do? What do you do with this recognized character, Nathan Drake? You give him a happy ending. You retire him while he's ahead. You, in fact, actually follow through on the main lesson of the game itself. That it's not about the treasure. It's about family and friends. You prioritize your story and your characters above anything else. You write them without the agenda of leaving an opening for another game, and more drama. You write a story with a beginning, middle, and end. You don't invent drama for the sake of it. And that allows these characters that SO FEW other characters get. The chance to follow through on commitment. The chance to trust and not invent drama. The chance to be happy, and have a happy ending. Naughty Dog prioritized making the best game, and best story, and best characters they possibly could, and were willing to walk away from the prospect of more games staring Nathan Drake. I don't know who originally made that call, or how many people had to approve it, but I honestly commend their courage and willingness to do what was good and right and best. More than any other game I've ever seen, I can tell that this game was made with love. Love for the players and the characters. It's earnest in it's message because not only the characters but the developers follow through.

I also love that it hasn't totally stopped them from making more, though! I would LOVE to see more games in this world! They released Lost Legacy, proving concept of an Uncharted game that doesn't mess up Nathan's happy ending, and I would love to see more! Ok I'm gonna move on to some final thoughts.

</SPOILERS>

Uncharted is such a wonderful series. Well and lovingly made. A wonderful atmosphere and mindset to be in. Terrific characters to just be around and interact with. It made me long for adventure, but even moreso for my friends. It made me want to be more like Nathan Drake - not in the way that I want to be more like Lara Croft, but more that I want to live his kind of life, with his kind of mindset. I want his positivity, and I want friends like his. I want his perseverance but also his ability to appreciate good times.

I will probably play the whole Uncharted series again, and will doubtlessly replay the fourth game (and probably Lost Legacy as well). It's going to be added to the list of games I play when I just need a mood change. When I need a positive place. And that is not what I was expecting even when I excitedly bought the games, after years of wanting to play them! These games more than exceeded my expectations.

This post has gotten extremely long, and a huge chunk of it is just summaries. I would apologize for that, as it's not great writing habits, I know. But do you know what? This is my blog. And this is what I want to do. I'm not here to stretch my critique muscles or write a formal review. I'm here to point at the cool stuff I like and just say "Look how cool this stuff is!!" If you're down to read that, I thank you. You don't need to feel any pressure to read all of these posts, as they will probably be like this one. But if you do, let me know! I'd love to chat with anyone who has thoughts, on these games or on my posts.

If you have a PS4 and haven't played Uncharted, I really don't know what you're doing with your life. You're missing out not only one some of the best adventures, but also on one of the best families, and the best romances I've seen.

Thank you, Naughty Dog devs. For going above and beyond, and for walking the talk.

Rissa.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise him all creatures here below. Praise him above ye heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.