In retrospect, it's absolutely hilarious that Drake's Fortune somehow established one of the most important (for better and worse) franchises for this era of gaming, because it's a remarkably generic cultural product. It's like if the Wanted film adaptation somehow had the cultural impact of The Matrix. Look, I know there are plenty of vocal Uncharted haters out there, but the other games in the franchise have a lot going for them in terms of production values, creativity, and sharp blockbuster writing. They're not to everyone's tastes, and that's fine. Drake's Fortune has literally none of that: it's a soulless corridor shooter that feels like a B-grade Indiana Jones ripoff, complete with the lame supernatural twist near the end. There are many, many worse games out there, but nobody would remember Drake's Fortune if it wasn't for its sequels, and that really says it all. Also, this is my go-to example of a game that takes place mostly in one day (along with Sands of Time), so I guess it has value as an answer to that particular trivia question.

Reviewed on May 20, 2021


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