Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is a 2011 action-adventure game created by Naughty Dog and released by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is the third main game in the Uncharted series. The story takes place two years after the game Among Thieves (2009). Players follow Nathan Drake and his mentor, Victor Sullivan, as they search for the legendary lost city of Iram of the Pillars. They face challenges from a secret group led by Sullivan’s former employer, Katherine Marlowe.

Development for Uncharted 3 started in 2010. The team chose new settings, such as deserts and cities, different from earlier games in the series. They took inspiration from the life of archaeologist T. E. Lawrence for the story. Naughty Dog aimed to improve the game’s realism by using more motion capture and voice acting. They also studied real locations to create better visuals and sounds. The team worked to enhance the multiplayer system, adding new competitive and cooperative modes. The game was one of the first to include the new online PlayStation Network Pass feature.

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception was praised for its voice acting, graphics, story, and movie-like quality. However, some critics said the game was too linear and not as good as its predecessor. It won Game of the Year awards from many publications and events. The game sold over nine million copies worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling PlayStation 3 games. It was followed by the sequel, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, in 2016. The game was also re-released on PlayStation 4 as part of Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection.

Gameplay

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is an action-adventure video game played from a third-person perspective, with the player controlling Nathan Drake. Drake has many different movement styles, allowing him to react to his surroundings. He is skilled in movement, able to jump, run, climb, swim, scale narrow ledges and walls, and perform other acrobatic actions. Drake can now fight enemies in more ways, such as hand-to-hand combat with multiple opponents, special melee attacks based on the situation, and new stealth options. The game also includes more varied movement techniques and detailed gunplay. Drake can carry up to two firearms—one for one hand and one for two hands—and four grenades. He can pick up weapons, automatically replacing the weapon he is currently using, and collect extra ammunition from defeated enemies.

Players can direct Drake to hide behind corners or low walls, using either aimed or blind fire to defeat enemies. Players can also have Drake shoot while moving. If Drake remains undetected, players can use stealth to eliminate enemies, such as sneaking up behind them and killing them with one strike or dropping onto them while hanging from a ledge. The stealth system has been made simpler and more effective. Some areas of the game require players to solve puzzles using clues from Drake's journal. A hint system provides guidance, such as showing the direction of the next goal.

Like Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Uncharted 3 includes a multiplayer mode with online play, offering both competitive and cooperative gameplay. The beta version allows players to customize their characters with options such as different skins, clown masks, ability boosters, skill medals, and a ranking system. The game introduces free-for-all modes, including standard deathmatch, character and weapon customization, and dynamic environmental events in multiplayer maps, similar to the campaign's set pieces—such as a hostile plane firing at players. Collectible treasures in multiplayer maps can be used as in-game currency to unlock new characters, customization items, and boosters. Customizations can change a character's appearance, such as clothing and skin tone, or improve weapon features.

A Buddy System is included in multiplayer. At the start of each match, a player may join with a random partner or a friend. The buddy's emblem is shown on the player's screen to indicate their location. With a buddy, players can perform cooperative taunts over defeated enemies and collect treasures for each other. Players can spawn near their buddy as long as the buddy remains alive and not in combat. To make multiplayer more flexible, features like joining ongoing games and playing with two PlayStation Network accounts on a single console in split-screen mode have been added. If a match ends in a tie or near-tie, it enters an elimination mode where players have one life and must eliminate all opponents within a set time.

New features include mechanics that help the losing team, purchased ability upgrades, special abilities unlocked by earning medals in a match, and "Uncharted TV," a video window visible during multiplayer menus that can be shared on Facebook, YouTube, or the XMB. Multiplayer includes a character creation system, allowing players to customize their in-game characters extensively. Cooperative multiplayer returns from Uncharted 2.

The multiplayer servers for Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception were shut down on September 3, 2019, along with its predecessor.

Plot

Two years after the events of the previous game, treasure hunters Nathan "Nate" Drake (Nolan North) and Victor "Sully" Sullivan (Richard McGonagle) meet with Talbot (Robin Atkin Downes) in London. Talbot wants to buy Nate's ring, which was inherited from Sir Francis Drake. Nate and Sully accuse Talbot of using fake money, and a fight happens. Talbot's helpers, Charlie Cutter (Graham McTavish) and Katherine Marlowe (Rosalind Ayres), subdue them and steal the ring. Cutter shoots Nate and Sully.

A flashback shows that 20 years earlier, a teenage Nate (Billy Unger) searches a museum in Cartagena, Colombia, for the ring. He sees Sully working with Marlowe to find it. Nate is chased by Marlowe and her helpers, but Sully saves him and becomes his mentor.

Back in the present, Nate and Sully are unharmed. Cutter was pretending to shoot them. With help from Chloe Frazer (Claudia Black), the group tracks Marlowe to an underground library. They learn the ring is fake and find a map of Francis Drake's voyage to Arabia. The map shows clues about the lost city of Ubar, which Drake was sent to find by Queen Elizabeth I. Clues are hidden in Crusader crypts in a French chateau and a Syrian citadel. Nate and Sully find one half of an amulet in the chateau but are attacked by Talbot and his helpers, who take the amulet and set the chateau on fire. Nate and Sully escape.

Fearing Talbot will harm Chloe and Cutter, Nate and Sully rush to Syria. They learn Marlowe leads the same secret society as Francis Drake. They find the other half of the amulet, revealing the next clue in Yemen. Marlowe, Talbot, and their helpers attack them again. Cutter breaks his leg, and he and Chloe leave.

In Yemen, Nate and Sully reunite with Elena Fisher (Emily Rose), Nate's estranged wife. She helps them find a tomb that describes Ubar's location in the Rub' al Khali desert. Nate is shot with a hallucinogenic dart and captured by Talbot and Marlowe, who steal the real ring. Marlowe finds documents about Nate's childhood, revealing he adopted the name Drake after growing up in an orphanage. Talbot finds Sully's location, and Nate chases him. Talbot defeats Nate in a fight and captures him. Nate is taken by Rameses, a pirate working for Marlowe, who claims to have captured Sully. Nate escapes, searches for Sully on Rameses' ship, and discovers Rameses lied. He sinks the ship, and everyone on it, including Rameses, drowns.

Nate washes ashore in Yemen. Elena tells him Sully was captured by Marlowe and forced to lead them to Ubar. Nate sneaks onto a cargo plane dropping supplies to Marlowe's convoy but is discovered. A shootout destroys the plane. Nate uses a parachute attached to a crate and lands in the desert.

After two days of wandering, Nate is rescued by a Bedouin tribe led by Sheikh Salim (TJ Ramini). Salim explains that Ubar was destroyed when King Solomon trapped Djinn in a vessel and cast it into the city. Salim and Nate attack Marlowe's convoy and rescue Sully. Nate and Sully lose Salim in a sandstorm but find and enter Ubar. Nate drinks from a fountain, and Talbot appears, shooting Sully, who seems to die. Nate chases Talbot and experiences hallucinations. He sees Sully, who reveals Solomon's vessel contained hallucinogenic materials that poisoned Ubar's water supply. The vessel was what Queen Elizabeth sent Drake to find, but Drake abandoned his mission after learning the truth.

Nate and Sully find Marlowe using a winch to recover the vessel from the water. Nate destroys the winch and a support column, causing the city to collapse.

Marlowe and Talbot corner Nate and Sully, but Marlowe falls into a sinkhole. Nate tries to save her, but she drowns with the ring. Talbot attacks Nate and Sully until he is shot and falls to his death. Salim rescues them as the city collapses. Nate and Sully return to Yemen. Sully gives back Nate's wedding ring, which he had kept safe since Nate and Elena separated. Elena joins them, and Nate offers her his ring. The three embrace and fly home on Sully's new seaplane.

Development

The game was first announced by Entertainment Weekly in December 2010. Creative director Amy Hennig said the team wanted to create a desert-themed Uncharted game to challenge themselves creatively and technologically. She explained that natural elements like sand, water, and fire are hard to make look real in games.

Game director Justin Richmond said the game feels more open than previous Uncharted games. He said, "We are not an open-world game, and we never will be. But we can try to make it feel more open. We want players to feel like they are lost in the desert, and to find adventure even when they are far from where the story happens." He added that the team aimed to make the game feel like an open-world experience.

Naughty Dog said that Uncharted 3 would not support PlayStation Move because the game was made before the controller was created. They said it would be too hard to change the game to work with Move.

Naughty Dog admitted that the multiplayer in Uncharted 2 could have been better if they had more time. For Uncharted 3, they took ideas from other games like Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and Red Dead Redemption to make their multiplayer the best on the PlayStation 3. They also said that damage and health in multiplayer should be the same as in single-player games. They said the game would not use a dedicated server because they wanted the game to last for four years.

Juan Jimenez, a software manager at Sony Spain, said Uncharted 3 used the PlayStation Network Pass, a feature first used in Resistance 3. First-time buyers received a code for free online multiplayer access, but second-hand buyers had to pay extra. Justin Richmond said the money from the pass helped fund the online content.

Richard Lemarchand, a lead designer, said Naughty Dog made "the biggest and most epic game" with Uncharted 3. The game reached gold status in October 2011, meaning it was ready for production. The game disc included four behind-the-scenes videos and codes for early access to a Starhawk multiplayer beta.

Arne Meyer, a community strategist at Naughty Dog, said Uncharted 3 was made like a Hollywood movie, especially the motion capture and voice acting. The team used two motion capture spaces: one in their studio for small actions and a larger one at Sony Studios for full performances. This process, similar to making a movie, helped make the characters' movements and voices look and sound realistic.

Naughty Dog said the game used an improved version of the same engine from earlier Uncharted games, which made the physics, visuals, and environments better. The game added new effects for sand, fire, smoke, and water, as well as more realistic character movements and textures. They said Uncharted 3 looked better than Uncharted 2.

Arne Meyer said real physics and environment changes are important for making the game feel real. Justin Richmond said the game pushed the PlayStation 3's graphics to their limits but did not improve as much as the jump from Uncharted 1 to 2 because the console could not handle more.

At GamesCon 2011, Arne Meyer said Uncharted 3 was much bigger than Uncharted 2, which was about 25GB. He said the game would be over 50GB but still fit on one disc. He said working with the PlayStation platform allowed them to create more detailed content.

Two months before the game's release, Naughty Dog's co-president, Christophe Balestra, shared a photo on Twitter showing that the game's files took up about 24.2 terabytes of space. He joked that they needed to finish the game quickly. The large size meant the game had more detailed characters, environments, and audio.

Mick Hocking, a director at Sony, said Uncharted 3 would show a new level of 3D gaming. He said the game looked amazing in 3D and would help people see the value of full-screen HD 3D technology.

Marketing

In August 2011, Sony Computer Entertainment America and Spike TV held a contest for Uncharted fans. The challenge was to become "a better adventurer than Nathan Drake." Fans who were 21 years old or older could enter and win a chance to play Uncharted 3 before it was released to the public. On October 31, Spike's GameTrailers TV aired a 30-minute special called Uncharted 3: Race to the Ring. The show featured five fans from the United States competing in physical and mental challenges. The winner received a prize package with a Sony home theater system and other Uncharted-themed items.

In September 2011, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe started a competition for Uncharted fans. The goal was to win the title "Uncharted Treasure Hunter." Fans who were 18 years old or older could enter and win a chance to join an adventure in the Arabian Desert inspired by the game. The event took place from October 2 to October 6, with 20 competitors from Canada, Europe, the Middle East, and Australasia. The winners received $10,000 worth of prizes.

From October 18 to October 20, AMC Theatres hosted an event called "Play it First in 3D" for Uncharted 3. Theaters across the United States showed the game in 3D and gave attendees a chance to meet the developers from Naughty Dog. Tickets cost $25 for general admission and $60 for "Insider Access." Those who paid the higher price received a copy of the game delivered to their homes on October 25, giving them a week of early access.

The first TV advertisement for Uncharted 3 aired on September 8 during the 2011 NFL Kickoff game. Another TV spot was released on October 16 by Naughty Dog. A Japanese commercial featuring actor Harrison Ford was shown on October 19. Sony held promotional events in October 2011 where people could try the game and ask questions to Naughty Dog developers. These events happened in places like Norway and the UK. On October 15, Sony let gamers try the single-player campaign of Uncharted 3 at The Pelican Bar in London. Developers from Naughty Dog attended and answered questions.

Sony Computer Entertainment UK spent £5 million on marketing for Uncharted 3, which the company said was the largest software launch in its history. The campaign included a documentary by Edward Zwick, TV ads, online videos, and posters.

To celebrate the game's release, Sony and Media Molecule created a Nathan Drake costume for LittleBigPlanet 2. Players could download themed stickers from the PlayStation Store in November 2011, the same day the game was released in North America and Europe.

Two official guides for Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception were released with the game. The standard edition had a walkthrough, maps, and multiplayer tips. The collector's edition included a 16-page gallery of Naughty Dog cast members, a special in-game emblem, and a CD with music from the game.

Nolan North, the voice actor for Nathan Drake, wrote a book called Drake's Journal about the game's development. The book was released in November 2011 and included photos from the motion capture studio and videos of the game's creation. Buyers who pre-ordered the book received a discount and a chance to win a signed copy of the game.

In March 2012, Sony held an online contest called "Multiplayer Character Worldwide Auditions" to create a new in-game character. Ten finalists from Europe competed in Los Angeles, and the winner met Naughty Dog developers, including Nolan North.

In September 2012, Taylor Kurosaki and Mike Mukatis appeared on America's Next Top Model: College Edition. Contestants acted in a scene from Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, and the winner's move was added to Uncharted 3.

In October 2011, a month before the game's full release, players in North America who bought certain Subway items could access the multiplayer mode of Uncharted 3. The "Subway Taste for Adventure" promotion ran from September 29 to October 31. Players could enter a code from a special drink cup to unlock the multiplayer mode early. Subway items like a cap or shirt could be unlocked in the game.

In Europe, South Africa, the Middle East, Australia, and New Zealand, only PlayStation Plus members could access the multiplayer mode from October 5. Other players could check local PlayStation blogs for ways to join. These regions did not have Subway-themed items like the US version. Instead, players could unlock a PlayStation 3 theme, a weapon skin, or a virtual costume.

On October 13, PlayStation Home was updated with a new Uncharted 3-themed space. The event, called Uncharted 3: Fortune Hunter, let players unlock exclusive content in Drake's Deception. The event recreated a level from the game and included a cover-based shooting system. Players fought waves of enemies and earned rewards in PlayStation Home.

Release

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception was first released in North America on November 1, 2011. It was released in Europe and Japan on November 2, and in Australia on November 3. In the UK, the game was originally scheduled for November 4, but the release date was moved to November 2 in July 2011. This change made the UK release date the same as the rest of Europe. On October 22, reports said that some gamers in Europe and other regions had already received retail copies of the game before the official release date. Retailers sold copies early, which caused the leak. Soon after, more images of the game’s title screen appeared online. Later, the release date was moved forward to October 28, 2011, in some parts of Europe.

Justin Richmond, a game director, said on VideoGamer.com: "I don’t know the costs of making or shipping the game. But I know the game has thousands of hours of content. It doesn’t seem like a high price to me. If players choose to buy the game in November, I hope they pick ours because it offers something unique. If they don’t, I understand. The game will still be available for purchase later, like in February or March. People often want to buy games on the day they are released, but sometimes they can’t."

In North America, players could pre-order the game and receive bonuses like multiplayer weapon mods, medal kickbacks, and boosters. The specific bonuses depended on where the game was pre-ordered. Bonuses included items like the Regeneration Booster, Carpet Bomb Kickback, and Clip Size Mod for weapons, as well as a PSN Avatar and Static Theme for PlayStation 3. Similar bonuses were available in Europe, though they varied by retailer. In the Nordic countries, players who pre-ordered from GameStop received a bonus pack with two posters, a T-shirt, and six in-game codes. Players who pre-ordered from other retailers like Elkjøp and Game received a bonus pack with the same six codes and the T-shirt.

The Special Edition was only available in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. It included a "Steelbook" journal-style game box, a PSN voucher for downloadable content, and Drake’s Journal with illustrations, screenshots, and sketches from the game. The Collector’s Edition was exclusive to North America and included a Nathan Drake statue, replicas of his belt buckle and ring, and a "Steelbook" case in a "Traveling Chest" package. The Explorer Edition was available in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. It included the Nathan Drake statue, belt buckle, and ring from the Collector’s Edition, along with the Special Edition’s DLC, pre-order bonuses, and a larger "Uncharted Wooden Travel Case" that could hold 19 PlayStation 3 games.

In Japan, a special DualShock 3 controller with a tan and brown color scheme and a map design was bundled with the game for 9,980 yen ($129). In the UK and Ireland, GameStop sold a 320GB "Classic White" PlayStation 3 system bundled with two controllers, one day before the game’s release in Europe. In North America, a limited edition bundle included a 320GB "Charcoal Black" PlayStation 3 system, a matching controller, a free month of PlayStation Plus, and a copy of the game.

A Game of the Year Edition was released in Europe on September 19, 2012, and in North America on September 25, 2012. It included all previously released downloadable content (DLC), such as 14 pieces of content from the "Uncharted 3 Fortune Hunters’ Club." Justin Richmond said the multiplayer mode had hundreds of hours of content and that the team planned to add more DLC after the game’s release. However, no DLC was planned for the single-player mode because the team preferred to create new games instead of episodic content.

Sony and Naughty Dog offered the "Uncharted 3 Fortune Hunters’ Club," which gave players access to multiplayer map packs and skin packs at a discount. The first batch of content was released in November 2011, and members received PSN messages with links to the DLC. The club was updated in January 2012 to include 14 total packs, saving over 60% for members. The program ended in 2012.

Reception

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception was shown to video game fans at the 2011 E3 event. It received four nominations from the Game Critics Awards for categories like "Best of Show," "Best Console Game," "Best Action/Adventure Game," and "Best Online Multiplayer Game." The game was named "Best PS3 Game" by several media outlets, including 1UP, X-Play, IGN, Digital Trends, GameSpot, GameSpy, Game Informer, and Electric Playground. It also won "Best Action/Adventure Game" from X-Play, Machinima, and Game Rant, "Best Action Game" from Shortlist, "Best Third-Person Shooter" and "Best Visuals" from VGChartz, "Best Graphics" from GameTrailers, and "Best 3D Graphics," "Best Multiplayer," and "Best Third-Person Shooter" from other sources. The Official PlayStation Magazine called it "Best Game of E3," and GameRevolution listed it among its top ten "Best of E3 2011" games.

Uncharted 3 was ranked third in Big Picture Big Sound's "Top 10 Best Games of E3 2011" list and was included in GamesRadar's and Official PlayStation Magazine's "Most Valuable Game Award." It was also shown to audiences at the 2011 Gamescom event and received one nomination for "Best Console Game." Many gaming websites named it one of the most anticipated games of 2011. 1UP and IGN ranked it number one in their "Top 10 PS3 Games of 2011" lists. Metacritic listed it as one of the most anticipated games of 2011 and noted that Sony's console had many exclusive titles planned for that year, with Uncharted 3 being one of the biggest. In Japan, Famitsu magazine listed it as one of the most anticipated games in its reader poll. Stores across the country advertised its November 2 launch date with large displays.

Uncharted 3 received many "Game of the Year" awards and has a Metacritic score of 92 out of 100, making it one of the most critically praised games of 2011. The first review came from the Spanish magazine Playmania, which gave it a score of 9.9 out of 10, the highest score the magazine had ever given. The second review was from the Dutch magazine Power Unlimited, which awarded it 94% and called it "jaw-dropping" and "one of the best games ever for the PlayStation 3." The Spanish edition of the Official PlayStation Magazine gave it a 9.8 out of 10 score and called it "a masterpiece to remember." The UK edition of PlayStation Official Magazine gave it a perfect score and a gold award, stating it was "a visual, technical, and narrative tour de force." The US edition of PlayStation Official Magazine called it "the height of technical achievement" for the PlayStation 3.

Many mainstream reviews praised the game's graphics and cinematic quality. Garrett Martin of Paste wrote about a scene on a cruise ship that used the game's rules and environment creatively. Ben Kuchera of Ars Technica praised the writing and voice acting, saying they were as good as those in movies or television. Tom Hoggins of The Telegraph called it "a little trimmer, more slick" than previous games. Dan Silver of the Daily Mirror called it "one of the most spectacular entertainment experiences ever produced." The Sydney Morning Herald reviewer said it had "gorgeous presentation, exhilarating set pieces, and robust combat."

1UP gave the game a perfect score, calling it "a fun and rewarding adventure" and "one of the best games this year." IGN's Greg Miller also gave it a perfect score, saying it was "a complete package" with "top-notch" characters, graphics, sound, and story. Edge gave it a 9 out of 10 score, comparing it to ancient engineering marvels. However, some reviews were less positive. Simon Parkin of Eurogamer called it "narrow, focused, and ultimately shallow," while Hank Whitson of The Technique said it did not live up to the legacy of its predecessor, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

Some players criticized the game for being too linear, meaning the story followed a fixed path. Amy Hennig of Naughty Dog explained that too much freedom could hurt the story. Another issue was the aiming system during gun battles. Naughty Dog responded to complaints about it being inaccurate but did not fully address the concerns.

Sequel

In an interview with Official PlayStation Magazine UK about Uncharted 4, Richmond talked about possible new directions for the franchise and how to keep fans interested while avoiding going too far. Richmond explained that the character Nate still had many stories to tell, and the studio would continue making new Uncharted games as long as fans wanted them. Richmond noted that the studio never planned to create a trilogy. Instead, the team viewed each game as a separate adventure, with every title standing on its own. They stated that if they could create something new and interesting, and fans still wanted more, they would make another game. The fourth game in the series, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, was released for PlayStation 4 on May 10, 2016, and marked the end of Drake's story.