Why Uncharted 5 Should Take 007 First Light’s Route

The future of the Uncharted franchise is certainly a big mystery: it's not clear when, or even if, the franchise will continue. If Naughty Dog and Sony do end up deciding to bring Uncharted back (as they are wont to do—the Uncharted franchise is immensely profitable), then there will be at least one big obstacle in the way.

Spoilers ahead for Uncharted 4.

That obstacle, of course, is the status of Nathan Drake and his allies, who have all apparently retired from treasure-hunting by the end of Uncharted 4. Nate and Elena have had a daughter, Cassie, who could conceivably steward the franchise moving forward, and one mustn't rule out the possibility of a "one more job" story that brings Nate and Elena out of retirement, but both of these avenues are a bit pedestrian, and may not provide the space for innovation and change that a new entry in the series would demand. Rather, it might be best for the Uncharted series to turn back the clock, taking a few pages out of IO Interactive's notebook.

007 First Light May Be a Long-Term Solution to This James Bond Problem

007 First Light is introducing a fresh start for James Bond, and it could prove to be the gift that keeps on giving for franchise fans.

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By LB Beistad

The Case for Uncharted 5 Getting the 007 First Light Treatment

007 First Light Is an Early James Bond Story; Uncharted 5 Could Be an Early Nathan Drake Story

007 First Light is taking a smart, if not totally original, approach with its narrative: it's a prequel story to a character that audiences around the world know and love. By being set early in James Bond's espionage career, First Light has a lot more breathing room, able to introduce new characters, conflicts, gadgets, and the like, instead of having to work around lengthy, already-established lore.

A younger, more inexperienced lead can also be more interesting than a weathered and world-weary one, since they still have a lot of lessons to learn, and more opportunities for failure, which in turn provide more opportunities for interesting growth. Cassie Drake could be this younger protagonist, but putting her in the lead role runs the risk of retreading old ground. Moreover, Cassie being the protagonist of Uncharted 5 has the potential to undermine the themes of Uncharted 4, which revolve around the less-than-savory elements of Nathan's obsessive treasure-hunting ways.

If Cassie follows the same dark path as her father, then Uncharted 4's narrative could fall flat in retrospect. But if players got to fill the shoes of a young Nathan Drake, following him on his first adventures, then Uncharted 4 could tell a powerful coming-of-age story about a hero that millions of players already know and love.

Showing a younger version of an older protagonist would also be a nice change of pace from the ever-popular "dad genre" that exploded in the wake of games like The Last of Us and God of War (2018).

Uncharted 3 and Uncharted 4 both follow the early adventures of Nathan Drake to a certain extent, but there's a gap between his childhood pickpocket days and his globe-trotting criminal career that hasn't been explored to its fullest potential. It would be interesting to see, for instance, the first time that Nathan took a life, or the first woman he fell in love with, considering his womanizing tendencies. More importantly, a prequel game could help to further flesh out his relationships with Sully and Sam, as these dynamics are arguably the best in the series. The Uncharted movie adaptation proves that there's an audience interested in seeing Nathan Drake's early days, so it makes sense for a game to follow a similar route.

From a gameplay perspective, Uncharted 5 could adopt a completely different mechanical framework. Nathan wouldn't be the nigh-unstoppable superhuman he is in the later games, and this would allow Uncharted 5 to be slower, more methodical, or more challenging, akin to third-person shooters like Resident Evil 4. All in all, there's a world of potential in a Nathan Drake prequel story, and Naughty Dog should consider capitalizing on it.

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