Uncharted Vita: The Art of Treasure Hunting

Let's face it: Naughty Dog is Sony's most talented and most popular first-party developer. That's really saying something as Sony owns outright 14 other PlayStation-only studios. These are the guys and gals that gave us Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter, but more importantly, they gave us Uncharted, the most enduring franchise appearing exclusively on PlayStation devices this generation.

When PlayStation Vita launched in Japan in mid-December, I was lucky enough to get one of my own. And I've been very busy with it ever since. Sure, I've spent an ample amount of time with games like Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational and even attempted (unsuccessfully) to get all of the Trophies in Welcome Park, but the bulk of my time has been well-spent with Uncharted: Golden Abyss.

We won't be reviewing Golden Abyss until February, at which point IGN will give you the final verdict on the version hitting English-speaking shores. But let me give you an early indication of how it is: it's excellent . It's unreal to play a game of that caliber on a handheld. And I think you're going to be really impressed when you jump in and give it a go for yourself. Those dual analog sticks and that crisp OLED screen are to die for. Trust me.

But that's only an aside to the larger point of this article. Because while you wouldn't expect Sony and Naughty Dog to just hand over their crown jewel to a mediocre studio, you may be surprised by just how well Bend Studio has treated Uncharted, and moreover, how much it's managed to contribute to the series. Believe it or not, Bend Studio has managed to work enough newness into Golden Abyss that the brilliant minds at Naughty Dog would be wise to take a look at it as they no doubt jump into the development of Uncharted 4.

Since its 2007 debut on PlayStation 3, Uncharted's always been about adventuring and exploration. It does most of what it does better than any game that came before it. But one thing that I always found rather grating about Uncharted was how arbitrary the optional act of treasure hunting was. Treasures were strewn around the environment, and grabbing them essentially allows you to unlock in-game perks and PlayStation Trophies.

But there was no rhyme or reason to any of it. Treasures could be examined, but without a story to go along with them, they were just items in the void for Drake to find, collect and move on. It gave us a reason to explore every inch of terrain as a collectible scheme but something was decidedly missing.


Bend Studio realized this and did something about it in Golden Abyss, and other than a sometimes-cumbersome emphasis on touch controls, it's what's undoubtedly going to stand out to you most when you begin to play. While there's still plenty to find in the environments -- far, far more than anything ever seen in the Uncharted trilogy on PlayStation 3 -- there's an actual reason you're finding items. Everything tells a story and optionally contributes towards fleshing out more ancillary parts of the larger plot.

Golden Abyss generally splits collectibles into different categories that still often intermingle with one another. While some tasks have you collecting things in a more straight-forward fashion -- for instance, 40 Turquoise Glyphs or 30 Jade Carvings -- some are far more complicated than that. At its essence, the game emphasizes solving "mysteries" that require far more thought and effort.

As an example, the first of many mysteries you receive in the game is called Secrets of the Kuna. To complete the mystery (thus learning the full story surrounding the mystery as well as a Bronze Trophy), you have to find five assorted items over various chapters, such as a statuette, a death mask and a ceremonial axe. But that's not all. Drake will also be charged with taking four photographs with his handy-dandy camera at certain points in certain chapters, adding four more pieces to the puzzle, as well as making a series of charcoal rubbings using the front touch pad to garner more clues.

What this all adds up to is something fresh and unique for Uncharted. You're not just looking for glowing points in the environment anymore. Now, you're trying to learn something new by finding items, taking photographs and generally being the treasure hunter that Nathan Drake was always purported to be. It's an awesome aspect of Golden Abyss and something that I think gamers around the world are going to really enjoy. No longer are you bumping into every corner of every inch of every map just to earn Trophies. Now, you're advancing your understanding of the game's many events, and doing so in an incredibly meaningful and satisfying fashion.

And those aren't the only side quest-like extras, either. There are bounties to collect, too. But more on that another time.

Bend Studio should be heavily credited for this approach, an approach that Naughty Dog, with its insane talent pool, never conceived of itself. And I really hope that a similar approach, combining many times the treasure usually found in an Uncharted game -- but with purpose -- is included in Naughty Dog's next, native installment of its Uncharted franchise. It would make the series stronger moving forward, just as Bend Studio has managed to do by putting its own special touch on a franchise it was entrusted with.

Clearly, that trust was well placed.


Colin Moriarty is an Editor of IGN PlayStation, co-host of IGN's Podcast Beyond and a man absolutely desperate for a new Metroidvania-style Castlevania game. You can follow his gaming, political and sports-related antics on Twitter.

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