Naughty Dog’s Uncharted franchise has not only received critical and commercial acclaim with every entry, but has also managed to cement itself as one of Sony’s tent pole franchises. The adventures of Nathan Drake and friends have now become a household name in gaming, and fans just can’t seem to get enough of them.
Between the recent confirmation of three games being in active development at Naughty Dog and the release of Uncharted on the big screen, many fans are hoping to see this beloved franchise return on Sony’s latest console. Whether that eventually happens remains to be seen, but a new Uncharted game would house the perfect opportunity to address one major narrative criticism nevertheless.
Uncharted and Ludonarrative Dissonance
The medium of games is known for its ability to tell stories through interaction, although most modern AAA titles use both gameplay and curated cutscenes for narrative purposes. When both work in harmony with each other, a ludonarrative symmetry is achieved. However, when the gameplay and the narrative elements start to go into different tangents, a ludonarrative dissonance grows. Uncharted has been one of the strongest examples of this point of narrative criticism.
Series protagonist Nathan Drake is a cold-blooded killer with a body count that ranges in the thousands, yet he is portrayed as a jolly and charismatic character in cutscenes. When viewed through a gameplay lens, Nathan Drake is clearly a remorseless killer, yet he wouldn’t kill his nemeses when given the chance. These are two very extreme personalities that seem to be mixed into one person, which can make the character feel messy as a result. While one can argue that Uncharted has always been about light-hearted action adventures that are a homage to the likes of Indiana Jones, these narrative oddities do start to feel more and more noticeable as the franchise and the medium of games itself matures.
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While the original Uncharted trilogy suffers heavily from ludonarrative dissonance, Uncharted 4 did make efforts to address these criticisms at some level. Nathan Drake isn’t the same happy-go-lucky fellow he was before, and he is actually descending a rabbit hole of obsessive treasure hunting while putting the lives and trust of those he loves at stake. Even in gameplay, there’s a larger focus on stealth - so he can somewhat avoid having to kill many of the enemies who lie in his way.
However, one cannot deny that these efforts are mostly primitive if appreciable, as they leave a lot to be desired. The next Uncharted game - if there is actually one - should definitely work toward solving this long-running franchise problem. This might involve changing up the protagonist, especially since Nate is clearly done with treasure-hunting at this point, or maybe shaking up the core mechanics to keep the gameplay and story more in line with each other.
Naughty Dog has already alleviated the issue of ludonarrative dissonance with The Last of Us. Set against a post-apocalyptic world, Naughty Dog’s 2013 title quickly paints a picture of a brutal and unforgiving world where one has to make inhuman decisions on a whim in order to live another day.
The protagonist Joel is one such character, who wouldn’t hesitate to take someone’s life if it ensures his survival. However, his fatherly love for Ellie becomes a big redeeming factor for his personality. He roughly falls under the banner of an anti-hero, yet legions of fans still love him despite all his flaws. As such, The Last of Us might be the perfect place for Naughty Dog to start looking for ideas and inspirations toward how to address the problem of ludonarrative dissonance in its other premier franchise. Whether it be through Nathan Drake reflecting on how much killing he has done or via a new character with different morals, it is something for Naughty Dog to keep in mind if and when it returns to Uncharted.
