The Saga Uncharted by Nicolas Deneschau and Bruno Provezza - Book Review

After thoroughly enjoying The Mysteries of Monkey Island back in October last year, I thought I'd try another of the growing range to tomes from Third Editions, and since I've loved Uncharted since playing the first game on the PlayStation 3, this tome seemed like the natural choice. 

A team effort by Nicolas Deneschau and Bruno Provezza, over the course of seven chapters they have delivered a highly detailed and interesting look at what the Uncharted series is, and why it became such a beloved series.

The coverage the book provides can be divided into four keys topics: the founding of Naughty Dog, the making of the main series entries and the spin offs, a retelling of the various narratives combined with deep dives into the inspirations for each of the stories, and then an analysis which, as you may have already guessed,  covers Drake's reputation as a mass killer along side the more usual thematics arising from the nature of the games. 

As befits the standard set by my experience with the Monkey Island volume, this is another well written tome, with a lightness of touch and a sense of humour running throughout the 230 pages. Illustrations are kept to maps at the beginning of each chapter, which match the style so familiar to fans of the games. 

There is much on offer as far as learning about the series goes, and there's no sugar-coating the perils of video game development during the period the series established itself. As someone who detests the crunch culture and brazen unfairness of the current industry, it would be nice to see leadership types suffer the same pressures and worries as the devs/artists/writers/QA and many others involved in game creation. Sure, there's a "vision", but continuing to hear about long hours, people never going home, and mental and physical burnout, is that price worth it? Especially when it's those who suffer these conditions are usually the first to be kicked out the door in the name of streamlining and "agility'. No, corporate leadership, you made the decisions, you fall on your swords first. Anyhoo, rant over. 

Taken as a whole, The Saga Uncharted is a great single volume focusing on a gaming series that has made countless fans over the years, as well as cementing Nolan North, Emily Rose and Richard McGonagle to name just three as brilliant actors within the video game art form. Video games are more than just interactive movies, but the quality of the performances within the Uncharted series are truly high points.

Checking Amazon recently, it seems the only version of this book is for the Kindle, and the hardback copy isn't showing on the publisher's website. That's a shame, though there do still seem to be copies available from other retailers, so an online search will sort you out. As for my copy, it will join its Monkey Island cousin as a go to future reference, for you never know if someday the Uncharted games will be no longer playable, so this excellent tome will remain as a highly regarded record of them. 

The Mysteries of Monkey Island by Nicolas Deneschau - Book Review

Ah, the Point and Click Adventure. A genre I've loved ever since the days of my Amiga 500, a genre I still love to this day (my 12th P&C adventure review for Fusion is in issue 61 and there's a couple more on the way for them too, demonstrating how vibrant the form is to this day, especially amongst Indie developers), and one where my first steps were taken on Melee Island. This is where Nicolas Deneschau's 300-plus page opus from Third Editions comes in. 

If you've ever wanted to know the history of the seminal series in one place, then this is the book for you. You'll first notice the high quality of the book itself - a hefty tome with a clean presentation and well spaced text. There are few illustrations, but those that are included are top notch and fit the subject perfectly, and a foreword is provided by Larry Ahern, co-director of Curse of Monkey Island.

The layout of the tale is pretty straightforward, gently easing the reader in with a potted history of Lucasfilm Games, the move to point and click adventures, and the creation of the SCUMM engine. From there, each title is detailed in chronological order, with cursive text boxouts offering Guybrush's diary of what occurred in each release. 

From the beginning, there is very much a personal angle from the author, and as a long time M.I. player, that approach resonated highly with me. This isn't just a history of the games themselves, but also of the state of gaming at the time, how people played games back then (disk swapping, urghhh), and how the market changed as the series evolved. 

Much research has been carried out and there are numerous footnotes pointing you to original sources. The author also uses footnotes to relate personal experiences and commentary. Many of these are funny, if not down right hilarious and adds greatly to the overall personality permeating the writing. 

There is plenty to learn here, especially about the movie adaptation that was once mooted, and of course the story doesn't end with the third game, Curse of Monkey Island. No, from there we move on to the Telltale Games entries and beyond, finishing with the most recent of the series, Return to Monkey Island. All the while, the narrative is interwoven with quotes and amusing bon mots, and it's almost a shame when you reach the last of the main chapters, as you realise that you've more than enjoyed the company of Nicholas. That also draws attention to the quality of the translation: it is superb!

Four appendices finish proceedings off: the first details the insult fighting replies from the first game, the second offers potted biographies of key individuals, the third lists the classic adventure games from LucasArts, and the fourth contains the lyrics to "Plank of Love".

This was the first book from Third Editions that I'd heard of, courtesy of a tweet from Konstantinos Dimopoulos of Virtual Cities fame. Having checked out the other titles from the publisher list at the back of this volume, and having enjoyed this one so much, is it any surprise that I ordered another book from them, this one heading for Uncharted territory...

You can pick up a copy of this and other Third Edition books from Amazon. Bear in mind that as a UK customer, there is a bit of a wait between ordering and delivery but such is the way of things, and it would be a shame for anyone to miss out on such a well written, heartening narrative of one of the best games series ever created. You can also follow the author on X - @Nicozilla_FR.

A review of this recent arrival will also be coming soon (well, as soon as I've read it...).