A lot of rumors have been floating around regarding a future Uncharted game, and while it's still far from confirmed, it's starting to look a little bit more likely. Some fans don't feel like a fifth Uncharted game is necessary because A Thief's End wrapped up Nathan Drake's story so perfectly, but there's still a lot that could be explored within the world.
When fans last saw Nathan Drake, he had married and retired to a picturesque beach house with Elena and their teenage daughter, Cassie. When Cassie discovers some artifacts from Nathan and Elena's adventures, the parents are forced to come clean about their past and share their treasure hunting stories.
It seems very unlikely that Nathan Drake will be the protagonist of Uncharted 5, but there are several more characters that would make great protagonists. Sam and Sully are still working together, and Chloe and Nadine could very well embark on another adventure picking up after The Lost Legacy. The new protagonist most often suggested is Cassie, but there's no shortage of options.
Along the same lines, there is also no shortage of mythical legends or treasures for the Uncharted crew to discover. The first three Uncharted games had a supernatural element towards the end, and while Uncharted 4 broke that pattern, it could easily return without being questioned. That alone opens up some very interesting possibilities for what could be discovered in Uncharted 5, but there are also plenty of treasures to discover that don't require any magic.
Sunken Nazi Treasure in Lake Toplitz
Towards the end of World War 2 when it was becoming clear Germany was going to lose the war, it's rumored that the Nazis went to incredible lengths to conceal the vast treasure they'd accumulated through looting museums and stealing from their victims. To hide it, the treasure was supposedly dumped into Lake Toplitz in Austria. The legend suggests that billions of dollars worth of gold are still at the bottom of the lake.
Of course, many divers have gone looking for it, but it's not as simple as it sounds. Lake Toplitz is freezing and to date, at least seven divers met their end trying to find the Nazi treasure. Diving into freezing water in search of a treasure that might not exist isn't advisable, but those kinds of stakes are nothing for Uncharted.
There are a lot of interesting directions that Uncharted 5 could take by building a foundation on this legend. There were even whispers of a Nazi "ghost train" that transported gold through a labyrinth of underground tunnels in Poland before it was dropped in the lake. There's a lot of mystery surrounding this legend that would be fun to explore in a future Uncharted game - maybe the lake rumor was just a decoy for the Nazi's true hiding place.
Valverde's Lost Inca Gold
Valverde's lost Incan treasure isn't quite as famous as some other legendary treasures and cities, but it has a fascinating story. It would merge exceptionally well with Uncharted, especially if Uncharted 5 chooses to go the more grounded route and forego the supernatural aspect.
According to legend, the treasure is hidden somewhere in Ecuador. In the 16th century, the Incan king Atahualpa was captured and held for ransom by Francisco Pizarro, a Spanish commander invading the land. However, Pizarro grew impatient and had Atahualpa killed before the final- and largest- ransom delivery was made. The Inca then hid the treasure in a secret mountain cave.
50 years later, another Spaniard named Valverde was allegedly led to the gold. Before he died, he left written instructions for how to reach it. As one might expect, a lot of treasure hunters have tried and failed to find the legendary treasure. There are a lot of historical figures involved in the legend as well, similar to the story of Henry Avery in Uncharted 4. If anyone can find Valverde's gold, it would certainly be someone from the Uncharted cast.
The Fountain of Youth
For as long as humans have lived on Earth, they have sought immortality. Accepting mortality can be a terrifying thing, and the idea of living forever is very attractive. For particularly powerful people who don't want to give up all they've worked for to a successor, immortality is even more alluring. Many ancient rulers spent their lives trying to extend their lives and become like gods.
That's where the idea of the Fountain of Youth comes from. Legend says that drinking water from the fountain will reverse aging and extend one's life. That sounds like exactly the kind of thing Nathan Drake's enemies would be interested in finding. There was a rumor floating around before its release that Uncharted 3 might feature the Fountain of Youth - there was a fountain, but it caused hallucinations instead of returning youth. Uncharted fans responded positively to the idea all those years ago and it would be a welcome addition to the franchise.
Stories about the Fountain of Youth are seemingly limitless, but one of the most well-known documents Ponce De Leon, an explorer who supposedly discovered the fountain in St. Augustine, Florida. Obviously, it has not been seen since, but especially if Uncharted 5 decided to go back to its supernatural roots, the Fountain of Youth would be a great place to start. It also seems like a great introductory quest for a new protagonist like Cassie.
The Sunken City of Atlantis
Atlantis always felt like a glaring omission from the Uncharted series. In Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, Nathan discovers the lost city of Ubar which is known as the "Atlantis of the Sands," but it's not the same. Atlantis did originate in fiction as a creation of the Greek philosopher Plato, but something about the legend has captured imaginations for centuries. Many explorers have spent their lives trying to locate the lost city, which is said to be a hub for technological advancement.
The series did a great job of starting with a legend or historical fact that has some truth or legitimacy to it, and building a story outwards from there. Atlantis would be a perfect candidate, and it could go in so many different directions. Atlantis is something that could easily lend itself to magic and the supernatural, but it could also be approached from a more scientific angle.
There is something inherently magical about the idea of an underwater city, and gamers need only look to BioShock and the city of Rapture to experience that wonder. Visually, Atlantis could also be one of the most visually stunning environments in the Uncharted franchise. Atlantis would be the perfect way to bring Uncharted back with a bang.
Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection is available now on PlayStation 4.