The Uncharted video game series is known for its well-researched narratives based on real-life explorers as well as its incredible set pieces that are unlike any other game. The Naughty Dog series is one of the most inventive game franchises, and there's no end to the studio's creativity. That's never more true than when it comes to the hidden extras.
There's a lot to these video games that even some devoted players don't know about. Between the hidden treasures telling the story of Naughty Dog's history, playing games in swimming pools, and strange Drake skins, there's a lot of much replayability in the whole series.
Play As Donut Drake
Naughty Dog rereleased the first three games in the Uncharted series as a remastered collection years later. As was expected, there are a few perks in this release for those fans who fully complete all the games. One of them is the ability to play as a very physically different version of Nathan Drake.
Players who complete all three games unlock the playable "Doughnut" Drake, an extremely overweight version of the character, and it makes for a fun skin. It's also nostalgically familiar to players who remember being able to make the player character CJ overweight in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas by eating fast food.
Win A Trophy For Beating Crash Bandicoot
Some Redditors think Uncharted 4 is the worst in the series, but regardless of how players feel about it, they all agree about how pleasant of a surprise it was to play Crash Bandicoot at the beginning of the game. Fans can play a level from the classic game as Drake. However, it isn't much of a secret, as it's very much implemented into the narrative.
But Uncharted 4 is bookended with the Crash Bandicoot level, as it's playable in the final chapter too. The difference is that, at the end of the game, fans are playing Crash as Drake's daughter, not Drake. Though the first playaround made it impossible for players to beat Elena's score, it is possible the second time. If players succeed in doing so, they'll win a trophy.
Play Marco Polo In A Pool
Marco Polo was a famous worldwide traveler from the 1300s, and of course there's also the popular pool game in which participants repeat his name. Uncharted players can treat themselves to an imprompty round of this Marco Polo in-game, which serves as two Easter eggs in one.
When Drake and Chloe are venturing through Nepal, one of the best Uncharted locations, they find themselves on a rooftop with a pool. The pool just happens to be there as the two explorers are passing by, but if players get the urge to go for a dip, Drake hilariously starts playing the game on his own. As the pool can be found in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, it ties in perfectly with the narrative, because the game is inspired by Polo's expedition to Eastern Asia.
Pull Down Rock Formations With The Car Winch
One of the biggest differences between Uncharted 4: A Thief's End and the rest of the series, besides the focus on stealth and the new grappling hook, are the more open levels. One of the best examples of this can be seen while driving around Madagascar in the 4x4.
The exploration in Madagascar is something that should be adapted for the Uncharted movie, but there's even more to do than meets the eye. Attached to the 4x4 is a winch, and players can attach it to trees to help the car up muddy slopes. However, it can be used to tear down giant rock formations as well, and if players discover that, they'll earn a trophy.
Obtain The Chiming Bracelet
Uncharted 4: AThief's End saw the series introduce levels with huge scope, and the follow-up, A Lost Legacy, took it even further. The game brought the open world to the Western Ghats of India. The location is filled with 12 tokens that can be found by tearing down walls and solving puzzles, but this isn't a mandatory part of the game, and few people even know it's possible.
However, it's in every player's benefit to do the side-mission, because if all of the tokens are found, the player is rewarded with a bracelet that chimes whenever they're near a hidden treasure. It makes finding treasure in the game much easier. Without the bracelet, it can grow tedious looking for treasure in A Lost Legacy compared to the other games, as the world in the fifth entry is so vast.
Learn About Naughty Dog's History Through Relics
Not only can Uncharted fans actually play Crash Bandicoot in Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, but there's a chance to learn more about Naughty Dog's history through finding all of the treasures. For example, A Thief's End features a treasure with the Firefly logo from Naughty Dog's The Last of Us. The fourth game also includes a hidden treasure that looks like a Wumpa fruit, the fruit on Wumpa Island that gives Crash more lives. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception has a treasure in the shape of a Precursor Orb from Jak and Daxter, another beloved Naughty Dog franchise.
Change The Game's Color Scheme
Just as fans are rewarded with Donut Drake for completing the remastered trilogy, players unlock a ton of fun perks when they complete Uncharted 4 too. There are loads of built-in mods that players can add to the game, such as slow down or speed up the gameplay, change the audio to 8-bit, and change the color scheme too.
One of the most fascinating is the trippy rainbow effect, which makes the scenery multicolored and move in a wave-like fashion. Though it's fun for a little while, it might make players a little dizzy if they attempt to plow through the whole game using the rainbow schematic.
Watch The Bloopers
In the remastered Playstation 4 release of the trilogy, Naughty Dog included some never-before-seen bloopers and outtakes for fans to peruse. The file is full of still shots of errors from production, and it's amazing to think that at some points, the games were as ugly as they look in the outtakes.
It's especially surprising considering how boundary-pushing the series is when it comes to motion capture in video games. But it's a testament to Naughty Dog's greatness, as even the outtakes look better than most other games.
Hide And Seek In Tibet
Among Thieves is the best game in the Uncharted series, and part of the reason why is because of how the narrative is told in a non-linear way. After the now-iconic train crash, Drake wakes up in the middle of Tibet in good health, and this part of the game is paced much slower, as players aren't even able to use the run function.
Instead, Naughty Dog wants fans to soak up the stunning graphics of the Tibetan village. When wandering around, a few village kids run from Drake, and they hide behind a wall. Drake can play hide-and-seek with the children, and players can decide to find them. Once players do find them, the kids will giggle before running off and hiding again.
Have Access To Any Weapon Upon Completing The Game
At the end of any Uncharted game, players are given the option to spawn any weapon they like, whether they restart the game from the very beginning or decide to dip into any random chapter.
However, which weapons players have access to depends on which difficulty they used to complete the game. If players completed it on the easiest difficulty, they won't have immediate access to RPGs and grenade launchers like the players who completed it on the hardest difficulty will.