Uncharted: Nathan Drake Is ‘Lucky,’ Doesn’t Take Bullet Damage
Uncharted fans know that each game in the series is a meticulously crafted bouquet of high-octane action set pieces and fantastic character interactions. Naughty Dog animator Jonathan Cooper took to Twitter today to talk about one of those small but important aspects of Uncharted 4. According to Cooper, series protagonist Nathan Drake doesn’t actually take gunshot damage, rather damage is actually incurred when bullets get a little too close. The red border on the UI actually means that his “luck” is running out and that when enemies do shoot him, it’s a kill shot.
That’s a mega-swing! Sidenote I learned on joining the team: Drake doesn’t ever take bullet damage. The red UI that shows ‘hits’ is to represent his ‘luck’ running out. Eventually enemies will get a clear shot and kill him if he takes enough near-misses. https://t.co/byzVKYXVe7
— Jonathan Cooper (@GameAnim) July 8, 2018
Creative lead on the series Amy Hennig also confirmed Cooper’s claims saying that they chose this method of representing damage since it matched the spirit of the game:
True! That was the original intention (to stay more aligned with the spirit and tone of the films we were homaging).”
While some eagle-eyed fans may have noticed this during their Uncharted playthroughs, the bullets onscreen come at the player so fast that it can be an easy detail to miss! As a fan of this series and Naughty Dog, though, it should come as no surprise that they sought to address one of the biggest sources of dissonance for most games.
Suspension of disbelief in games has always – in some regard – been needed in order to enjoy them, especially shooting games. From the days when Health Pack pickups that can heal the gravest of wounds made their debut in Wolfenstein 3D, we’ve all kind of accepted that simulating real bullet damage doesn’t always make for the most fun experiences. Thankfully, it appears that Nathan Drake won’t have to worry about bullet-hole scars, only the ones he gets from bouncing all over the environment.
So, thoughts on the Uncharted series? Were you aware that Nathan Drake didn’t actually take bullet damage? Let us know in the comments section below, and be sure to follow us on Twitter for our 24/7 news feed!
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Colin Regan239 Posts
Colin is a freelance writer for DFTG with previous bylines at other media outlets such as Twinfinite.
