Nathan Drake (né Morgan) is a character and the protagonist of the Uncharted franchise, most notably in the video game series, developed by Naughty Dog.
He is played through voice and motion capture by Nolan North, who influenced Drake's personality by ad-libbing segments of the character's dialogue.
To make him relatable, the character was dressed in jeans and a Henley long sleeve, and given an everyman persona; he is strong-willed, and often jokes and quips.
The designers focused on giving him realistic reactions to his environment; for example, he stumbles while running, barely clears objects during leaps, and recognizes the absurdity of the situations in which he finds himself.
[12] Neil Druckmann, lead designer of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, explained that Drake was meant to react to situations in the manner that the average player might.
[16] Sony Entertainment of America line producer Sam Thompson mused that Naughty Dog had created iconic characters before, including Crash Bandicoot.
[20] According to animator Jonathan Cooper, Drake does not take bullet damage during gameplay; the red effect in-game indicates his luck running out before he is finally shot.
Matt Casamassina of IGN commented on the character's interactions during gameplay that reveal Drake's nature: "it's lighthearted and amusing, but it also demonstrates that Nate is aware of how absurd his predicaments sometimes are.
[24] Drake's outward appearance is fairly generic,[17] consisting of either a plain T-shirt or henley, jeans, and a gun holster on his back.
When Sully and Drake follow the diary to the indicated spot, they learn that El Dorado is a large golden idol that the Spanish had tried to remove from the island centuries ago.
Though briefly captured by pirate leader Eddie Raja, an old acquaintance, Drake and Elena reunite and flee to the old customs house on the island.
A wealthy benefactor hires Drake, Harry Flynn, and Chloe Frazer to steal a small lamp from a Turkish museum.
[18] Flynn brings the information obtained from resin found in the lamp to his employer, war criminal Zoran Lazarevic, who seeks the Cintamani Stone that the fleet was supposedly transporting.
Here, he finds Karl Schäfer, an SS officer who had led an Ahnenerbe expedition to Shambhala, though he had killed them all to stop the Nazis from obtaining the power in the city.
He ran away from the orphanage and traveled to Colombia, where, at the age of 15, he acquired Francis Drake's ring (which he has referred to as a family heirloom in the first game) by stealing it from a museum.
Salim explains to Drake they must stop Marlowe and Talbot from reaching the lost city so they will not get their hands on the hallucinogenic power of the Djinn.
Drake and Sully destroy the winch pulling the brass vessel containing the Djinn from the waters causing the whole city to collapse.
The fourth and final entry in the series featuring Drake, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, centres around him searching for the treasure of infamous pirate Henry Avery.
They break into the house they had been sold to where the elderly owner reveals she knew their mother, a historian who had theorised that Francis Drake had heirs.
Some years before the events of Drake's Fortune, Nate and Sam, with the help of associate Rafe Adler, infiltrate a Panamanian prison where they uncover a cross depicting Saint Dismas, the good thief.
Sam, who survived and spent the intervening years alive and imprisoned, visits Nate and reveals he was broken out of prison by drug lord Hector Alcazar, who has forced him to find Avery's treasure or be killed.
Nate lies to Elena he has taken a salvaging job and, together with Sam and Sully, steals another cross from an auction, bringing them into conflict with Rafe and his partner, mercenary leader Nadine Ross.
[54] Stephen Totilo of Kotaku remarked that "the short take is that Nathan Drake has attitude without being a jerk, and he cheerfully but woefully gets in over his head.
[56] GamesRadar later ranked Drake in 2012 as the third "most memorable, influential, and badass" protagonist in games, saying: "With his half-tuck, quick wit, wry grin, and messy hair, Nate perfectly captures the sentiment of being the guy all the other guys want to be and all the gals want to be with..."[57] Empire included Drake on their list of the 50 greatest video game characters, ranking him in 22nd place.
[62] He was ranked as one of the best video game characters of the 2010s by Polygon staff and writer Colin Campbell wrote that "he is apt to make jokes about the sticky situations he finds himself in, and the many convoluted conspiracies he faces.
One commentator pointed out: "Very few of our protagonists (Nathan Drake and Alan Wake to name a few exceptions) depict men in what I would call a non-degrading manner".
[72] GamesRadar named Drake "Mister 2007", stating that he was not picked just because they could "stare at his ass for hours on end", but because he is heroic and has a "winning attitude".
[53] An article published by Vice Media, which told of the then upcoming release of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, included a lengthy interview with Dr. E. Lee Spence, who was described as "a pioneer in the field of underwater archaeology, a world-renowned treasure hunter, and just about as close to an actual living, breathing Nathan Drake as you're ever going to find".
[97] In 2007, Sony placed promotional material in Empire stressing Drake's everyman personality and showcasing his similarity to adventure film characters.
[101] In February 2016, Naughty Dog announced the release of a 7-inch Nathan Drake action with articulated joints and an arsenal of gear and accessories.