Uncharted is one of the most successful exclusive series in Sony's library, and the gaming world has fallen in love with its charming hero Nathan Drake. However, Uncharted wasn't always the blockbuster hit it is now, as the first game was a brand new, unproven IP.
Sony has announced a Play at Home initiative during the Coranavirus pandemic, giving players a couple of free games to encourage people to stay home. The first is the indie darling Journey, while the second is Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, which bundles together the first three games.
It's a fantastic value, especially for free, but not all three games are worth playing through. Namely, the first Uncharted simply doesn't stack up to the rest of the franchise, and it's not worth returning to.
Uncharted's Gameplay Is Rough
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune released in 2007 on the PS3, and it was Naughty Dog's first foray onto the new system. Like many third-person shooters of the generation, Drake's Fortune simply isn't all that fun to play. The shooting feels incredibly twitchy and imprecise, and the game is filled with crazy difficulty spikes at random moments.
At the same time, Naughty Dog hadn't found the perfect level design and way to telegraph where players should go next, or what they're able to climb. Everything great about future Uncharted's gameplay just isn't there in the first game. It seriously drags down the experience, especially when players hit those difficulty walls.
The Series Simply Hadn't Found Its Groove
Apart from the obvious gameplay issues, the first Uncharted doesn't have the same heart that makes the others so special. Drake's Fortune isn't necessarily a bad game, but it's one that age hasn't been kind to. Pacing is a big issue in Drake's Fortune, as there are segments of the game where things just aren't happening, and it's only one combat arena after another. Uncharted 2 did a fantastic job with pacing and mixing things up with interesting gameplay, but the first Uncharted didn't have that figured out. The other problem is that Drake's Fortune doesn't do much interesting with its setting, and an absurd twist partway through flips things on its head. The series would become known for having some crazy twists, but the first game's twist just feels completely unnecessary and out of left field.
Uncharted didn't find it's real groove until the Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, which vastly improved on every single aspect of the original game. Players can start with the second game as there's nothing about the story in Drake's Fortune that needs to be known to enjoy the second. Among Thieves is really where the writing and characterization started to shine, and the gameplay was good enough to back it up.