Naughty Dog’s hugely popular Uncharted series chronicles the adventures of a roguish treasure hunter globe-trotting the world in search of humankind’s most priceless and mysterious artifacts. Sound familiar? If you’ve drawn a comparison to the rollicking escapades of Steven Spielberg’s archaeologist Indiana Jones, that’s not a coincidence. Uncharted’s daring anti-hero, Nathan Drake, is inspired by the film role that made Harrison Ford a household name, and is considered to be one of the most popular fictional characters of all time.

Both Nate and Indy swashbuckle through legendary hidden temples, punch Nazis, and tackle supernatural situations all with a wink and a glib remark. But where Indy’s exploits are funded by a prestigious university, Drake often skirts the law to get his relics, no doubt a method acquired through his much tougher upbringing. He’s different enough from Indy to not be a direct copy (and besides, Harrison Ford himself has played Uncharted and given it his seal of approval). Read on and uncover the 5 striking similarities and 5 differences between the two action-packed franchises.

10 SIMILARITY: BOTH FEATURE TREASURE-HUNTING IN EXOTIC LOCALES

While Indy may find his way into ancient indigenous temples and Drake may locate 3 million dollar shipwrecks all across the globe, their goals are the same; to hunt treasure. The artifacts they go after, whether priceless heirlooms or the Ark of the Covenant, get them the fortune and glory they both desire.

In both cases, Drake and Indy are going into places they have no right to be. Drake has no qualms looting UNESCO sites, and Indy has no problem stealing precious idols from tribal places of worship. They travel to some of the most exotic and mystical locations on Earth and plunder their riches for their own gains.

9 DIFFERENCE: CHARACTER BACKSTORY

At least for the first four games, we are led to believe that Nathan Drake is related to the great Sir Francis Drake, infamous explorer and privateer. The Drake legend is woven throughout the Uncharted series, and it helps Nate cope with his lineage by imagining himself the heir to the heritage.

As we learn from Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade Indy’s mother may have passed on before she’s ever seen in the films, but she was present in his life as a young boy. He was raised by his single father, a scholar and historian, who made sure that his son got the best education available and drilled him in his history and linguistic studies.

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8 SIMILARITY: THEY FOCUS ON THE SUPERNATURAL

Though both franchises are steeped in a fair amount of reality, they’re both highly fantastical, pulling in elements of the mythological, the spiritual, and the supernatural. Indiana Jones tracks down religious artifacts like the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail, shown to be capable of awesome power, as well as relics from extra-terrestrials!

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Nathan Drake may take the supernatural aspects even more literally, with his adversaries including zombies in the very first Uncharted game. The second game included a yeti-like creature, and the third game features wild hallucinations from a poisoned water supply. All the supernatural elements pertain to Nate’s adventures directly, and most have a “real” explanation that turns into “legend” after he discovers them.

7 DIFFERENCE: NATHAN DRAKE IS A GRIFTER AND INDY HAS MORALS

While Indiana Jones may be a rogue every now and again, he’s on the whole an ethical man with principles. He may raid tombs, but it’s to preserve artifacts in museums, or under contract from the occasionally wealthy collector and financier of his digs.

Nathan Drake on the other hand is a grifter, who isn’t much different from the bad guys chasing him down in the Uncharted series. He has more in common with Harrison Ford’s other iconic role, the smuggler Han Solo, than he does with Indiana Jones when matters of ethics are involved. He’s even betrayed his own friend to take the majority share of the treasure.

6 SIMILARITY: BOTH THEIR LEADS ARE CHARISMATIC AND REBELLIOUS

Something that Indiana Jones and Nathan Drake have in spades is a sense of charisma and rebelliousness. Like the characters in adventure serials of the 30’s and 40’s with stars like Cary Grant, or action films in the 80’s with tough guys like Bruce Willis, they have a winning mixture of irreverent humor, charm, and brazen confidence.

Both Indy and Nate react to the situations and predicaments they find themselves in just like fans would; often with a witty retort and a joke. A line like, “Snakes…why did it have to be snakes” makes Indy relatable and just like his fans who would have problems with unexpected reptiles. But as Nate would say, “Tables turn, bridges burn, you live and learn.”

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5 DIFFERENCE: INDY IS FUNDED BY A UNIVERSITY WHILE NATE IS FUNDED BY PRIVATE EMPLOYERS

Everything that Indy does is on behalf of Marshall University, though he occasionally skirts the law to ensure they get the artifacts they need. They pay him handsomely for his efforts on top of his professor salary, so his future and benefits are always assured.

Nate on the other hand only enjoys the financial security and stability of the wealthy individual backing his mission.As a result of a somewhat mercenary lifestyle, he can enjoy pillaging, looting, and otherwise being a scoundrel without worrying about sullying his academic or professional reputation.

4 SIMILARITY: BOTH LEADS ARE FALLIBLE

In both the Uncharted series and the Indiana Jones films, Nathan Drake and Indiana Jones are presented as fallible men who don’t possess superior fighting skills or ridiculous strength. They survive their adventures because of their resourcefulness and the ability to think on their feet.

Because they’re not masters of combat and can get visibly winded, or are less than sure footed, they appear to be more like real people. They don’t always know if they’re going to clear a jump or make a landing, but they try all the same because the success of the mission calls for it.

3 DIFFERENCE: THEIR LOVE INTERESTS

When we encounter the first love interest of Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Marion Ravenwood, we learn that they had a relationship when she was still in high school and he was in his early 20’s. He unceremoniously dumped her, which would set the tone for his disastrous track record with the rest of the women in the franchise.

Nathan Drake, by contrast, has managed to have a long-term relationship with Elena Fisher, the reality television personality turned investigative journalist that features in all 4 Uncharted games. They may have gotten off to a rocky start when Drake abandoned her in the very first game for drawing too much attention to his activities with Sully, but through the games they grew closer and eventually married, realizing they made the best team.

2 SIMILARITY: THEY BOTH INVOLVE PLENTY OF HISTORY

While Indiana Jones may have received the best education available, Nathan Drake’s education was much more self-taught. Both men grew up being fascinated by history, Drake perhaps more so, because he connected much of what he learned about Sir Francis Drake to himself.

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Both speak several languages and know the history of the world’s ancient civilizations, which come in handy during their adventures. Drake,  like Indy, constantly spouts off bits and pieces of historical facts while he searches for hidden treasure or hidden places, like the Lost City of El Dorado or Iram of the Pillars.

1 DIFFERENCE: A STRONG FOURTH INSTALLMENT

For many fans of the Indiana Jones movie franchise, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull didn’t deliver the patented Indy magic. As the fourth installment in the franchise and a highly anticipated entry after The Last Crusade, it featured a poor storyline and little character development, two things that the action series has been celebrated for including.

Uncharted 4 on the other hand, eschewed some of the most bombastic action sequences for more character development and few supernatural elements. Rather than turning fans off, they embraced the concept, feeling closer to Nathan Drake, the supporting cast, and the series as a whole.

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About The Author


Kayleena Pierce-Bohen
(1349 Articles Published)

Kayleena has been raised on Star Wars and Indiana Jones from the crib. A film buff, she has a Western collection of 250+ titles and counting that she’s particularly proud of. When she isn’t writing for ScreenRant, CBR, or The Gamer, she’s working on her fiction novel, lifting weights, going to synthwave concerts, or cosplaying. With degrees in anthropology and archaeology, she plans to continue pretending to be Lara Croft as long as she can.

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