Where Am I? How an Uneventful Level in Uncharted 2 Paved the Way for a New Kind of Gaming
- Ben Stembridge
- Jun 21, 2016
- 3 min read
You wake up confused, in pain, and surrounded by people you don't know in a Tibetan village you've never heard of. You've been fighting off bad guys for days, blowing up helicopters, and even derailing trains. Oh, and you got shot. Welcome to "Where Am I?", Chapter 16 of Naughty Dog Studio's legendary Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009). This level involves our treasure hunting hero Nathan Drake waking up, drinking tea, and walking around a mountain village unable able to speak Tibetan. You walk, you try to talk, and you explore. While following his trusty guide, Tenzin, Drake interacts with villagers and observes his surroundings. So, what's so special?
To start, we should mention that observing the environments and surroundings of a video game world has been a huge part of video games since their creation. It's one of the biggest differences between games and traditional visual medias. In a movie, you can't stop the main character dead in their tracks and read a poster on a wall. Games, however, depend on the player's ability to check out his or her game world from any point-of-view possible. Uncharted changed this facet of gaming in a wonderfully simple way.
As you enter Chapter 16, the middle of Uncharted 2, you are not shooting at mercenaries or free-climbing ancient ruins. Instead, you are just taking a break. It's a non-combat situation that expertly acts as an intermission for the game, and lets the player recapture their composure after a very intense few levels leading up to Drake essentially kicking the bucket in the middle of the Himalayas. "Where Am I?" introduces players to one of the very first instances of Naughty Dog's signature brand of non-combative "exploratory gaming." Seen perfected in 2013's masterpiece, The Last of Us, this level laid the foundation for just being able to slow it down and look around. The player can walk down the village road at their own pace, observing the denizens hard at work, or even trigger interactions.
Kick a soccer ball back to a few young kids? Okay! Approach a mountain Yak from behind?
Not sure why, but knock yourself out! These initial interactions that Drake can experience are quite literally grandfathers to the exploratory gaming of future titles. In The Last of Us, walking around searching houses can yield natural and beautiful conversations to participate in, or simply listen to. A style that stems directly from this level. The "optional conversations" are even recognized as such by Naughty Dog during Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. Nothing too exciting, but these instances of exploratory gaming can provide valuable insight into a story line, or a touching moment of dialogue.
The influence of "Where Am I?" can not only be found in releases developed by Naughty Dog, but in other games as well. The 2015 cine-shooter The Order: 1886 opens the first main chapter with a very well-developed exploratory level. Walking around, saying hi to people, and investigating the many trinkets in your surroundings with a complete lack of high-octane action. Even first-person games are beginning to catch on to this very progressive and refreshing way to design game levels. Wolfenstein: The New Order is designed to let players stroll around your home-base and have very revealing conversations, all while taking a break from killing Nazis. Hell, even the opening to the ultra-violent Gears of War 3 features a few pleasant conversations during a stroll.
For better or for worse (probably better), Uncharted 2's "Where Am I?" sparked a very simple but fundamental trend among game developers. It has brought games to the modern age by providing players with a more well-rounded game. A non-violent exploratory level can work wonders for any given story line, and enhance a game world by making it seem like a functioning piece of virtual reality. Rather than rocketing from firefight to firefight, these sequences can make a world shine with realistic interactions among seemingly real people.
Ben Stembridge, Editor-in-chief
Ben leads the reviews and news coverage for Game Chop. He also offers opinions on games and the industry, covering a wide range of genres and platforms. Ben especially enjoys discussions on game narratives, design styles, and independent titles.
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