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Concept art appreciation Uncharted

Features
By Henry Gilbert published January 27, 2013

Like a gorgeous travelogue with explosions

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TOPICS
Naughty Dog
CATEGORIES
PlayStation Platforms
PRODUCTS
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception Uncharted: Golden Abyss UNCHARTED: Fight for Fortune
Henry Gilbert
Henry Gilbert
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Henry Gilbert is a former GamesRadar+ Editor, having spent seven years at the site helping to navigate our readers through the PS3 and Xbox 360 generation. Henry is now following another passion of his besides video games, working as the producer and podcast cohost of the popular Talking Simpsons and What a Cartoon podcasts. 

Welcome to concept art appreciation, our new semi-regular feature that pays tribute to some the best work done by the artists behind the scenes. Before the developers can start building people out of polygons, the characters and worlds within a game need to be defined on the page by an artist. Some select games feature art so gorgeous that you just have to stand back and appreciate it outside of the game, and that’s certainly true for…

Games: Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

Artists: Robh Ruppel, Andrew Kim, Eytan Zana, Shaddy Safadi, Bryan Wynia (and many more)

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  • Dev behind cozy mashup of Ghibli and Zelda says working on Diablo and Overwatch taught him "storytelling isn't just an enhancement to world-building – it's what gives it meaning"
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  • Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis was almost "based on an unproduced Indy script," says project lead: "But after reading it, I decided it was unproduced for a reason"

Though most AAA games have massive budgets and top-tier graphics, some find more artistic uses for those pricey visuals than others. For example, the Uncharted series put some real artistry into its blockbuster adventures. Each entry showed that an artist’s vision could still be a part of a mega-budget game, something that shined through in the many gorgeous locales and well-realized characters.

The original Uncharted was cut from the same cloth as Tomb Raider and Indiana Jones, and it sent roguish treasure hunter Nathan Drake and adventurous journalist Elena Fisher running for their lives on a tropical island. Despite being restricted to a single region, the artist found ways to make each new area feel unique. Ancient tombs, abandoned airplanes, and long canals dotted the island, and they showed off the kind of HD artistry that the PlayStation 3 made capable.

For as good as the first game looked, Uncharted 2 was a huge leap forward for the artistry of the series. This time Nathan’s journey took him all around the world, freeing the artists to design a very diverse collection of settings. There were austere museums, war-torn cities, snowy mountain tops, and ancient machinery hiding lost cities. When you look at the concept art Naughty Dog created, the potential of these colorful locations pops off the page. Uncharted 2 also added striking new characters to the series, like the provocative Chloe or the intimidating Zoran.

By Uncharted 3, the concept artists and the rest of the team at Naughty Dog are firing on all cylinders. The new characters and outfits for Nate look great. The desert locales find a way to be artistic while still looking desolate. The streets of England look spectacularly grimy. And after the many secret temples and cities that came before in the Iram of the Pillars, the art team still found a way to make it distinct to its setting and cultural background.

Millions love Uncharted for being an action-packed rollercoaster of a game, but you should take a moment to slow down and admire the scenery you’re running past. If you want to take a closer look on your own time, there are two books collecting some of the work. There’s one for Uncharted 2 and another for Uncharted 3 that can be found on Amazon. And keep a look out for the great art design in Naughty Dog’s next game, The Last of Us.

See more Playstation Features
Read more
Europa
Dev behind cozy mashup of Ghibli and Zelda says working on Diablo and Overwatch taught him "storytelling isn't just an enhancement to world-building – it's what gives it meaning"
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle screenshot of Indiana dressed as priest, looking over a book
After playing Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on PS5 for 12 hours, I'm convinced it's the small details that make this an adventure for the history books
Indiana Jones and Sophia Hapgood in Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, asking about a lost Plato dialogue that may lead to them to the ancient city
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis was almost "based on an unproduced Indy script," says project lead: "But after reading it, I decided it was unproduced for a reason"
Naoe kills a target with a black and white filter over the camera highlighting the red of blood spray in Assassin's Creed Shadows, with an On The Radar orange frame
Assassin's Creed Shadows "has a little bit of Tarantino flavor", but its real secret ingredient is intrigue: "It's almost like you're watching an episode of Shogun"
in Assassin's Creed Shadows
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Naoe perched in front of a castle in Assassin's Creed Shadows
I've spent 20 hours in Assassin's Creed Shadows chasing drip and decor, and it's proving to be my biggest source of motivation in the RPG
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