History TearJerker / Uncharted

* ''TearJerker/UnchartedDrakesFortune''
* ''TearJerker/Uncharted2AmongThieves''
* ''TearJerker/Uncharted3DrakesDeception''

!! ''Drake's Fortune'':
* Nate's reaction to finding the pitiful remains of Sir Francis Drake in the middle of an empty vault, like he had simply laid down and died, without ever having found El Dorado. He even leaves Sir Francis ring with the body, symbolizing his crushed spirit. Of course, this is made better once we discover that Francis had actually sacrificed himself to prevent the curse of El Dorado from spreading into the world.

!! ''Among Thieves'':
* Just ''barely'' averted at the end. [[spoiler: Nate's]] helpless, stammering terror at the thought of [[spoiler: Elena]] dying is a very different thing from the adrenaline-fueled panic of his normal adventures.

!! ''Drake's Deception'':
* [[spoiler: Sully's "death"]]. Mostly because of the facial expressions and abruptness of it.
* Nate's real identity and his roots. Too bad [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot it doesn't really get embellished more]], at least in ''3''.
** ''4'' shows more of it, and while it shows Nate was not alone, it does show his childhood to have been thoroughly miserable.

!! ''Golden Abyss'':
* Marisa Chase is a real archaeologist to the bitter end, unlike Nate (who has a "money-first-history-later" mentality) and does so because of the intense passion instilled in her by her grandfather. So it's a somewhat tragic conclusion that [[spoiler:she finds that her grandfather died doing the thing he loved (and mere steps away from his ultimate goal at that) and asks for a moment alone to grieve]] (although it should be said she started her quest knowing it may end badly and ready to come to terms with that).

!! ''A Thief's End'':
* When Elena confronts Nate about lying to her and risking his life again. Even though the trailers meant that most people saw it coming, the pain in her voice and eyes still manages to be heartbreaking. She later [[spoiler:rescues Nate on Libertalia]] but says she almost decided against it, driving home that Nate really screwed up this time but [[Heartwarming/{{Uncharted}} love still triumphs]] (Nate even kicks himself later in monologue as he watches her scale cliffs and handle a gun that he very nearly ruined his relationship with the best girl he could ever find).
** When they find [[spoiler: the corpses of Libertalia's founders]], Nate's childlike enthusiasm and joy of discovery bubble back up in a way that seems very uplifting at first, until the camera focuses on Elena's face, as she sees him once again get swept up in the adventure. You can see on her face the realisation that, even without Alcazar's threat looming over Sam, Nate's passion for this life is too great to just leave it behind and have a normal life with her. The superb facial-capture and voice acting mean every flicker of emotion is right there for the player to see. [[HeartwarmingMoment It's the little smile, however, that tells you that this is her also realizing why she loves him, and its what leads to Nate apologizing for everything he's done.]]
** When Nate and Elena barely escape [[spoiler:falling down a waterfall, Nate stops Elena and tells her the real reason why he lied to her before. They had split up multiple times due to his greed for treasure hunting, and after the promise he made to give up that life he couldn't bear to lose her again, possibly for good. He wasn't protecting her, he was protecting himself from that pain. You can hear it in Elena's voice that she was fighting back tears upon her own realization that despite everything he's done, she still loves him.]]
* On a meta-level, the fact ''A Thief's End'' is the finale of the ''Uncharted'' story. Whether or not they go back to an earlier point to add another installment remains to be seen but with the insane attention to detail, SceneryPorn[=/=]VisualEffectsOfAwesome the game has achieved, and the quality of storytelling (fixing the plotting problems ''3'' was accused of having by having well-planned story threads), it is a fairly painful goodbye to this series if ''4'' is really meant to be the true end as the game had set the bar higher than ever for both itself as a series and every other [=PlayStation=] 4 game.
* Evelyn's story. Nate and Sam find StoryBreadcrumbs about her life: she was an adventurer and archaeologist in the early 20th Century, and dismissed by her peers because she was a woman. The only sympathetic ear was a Japanese archaeologist, who faced similar prejudice because of his race. They collaborated and shared their findings on artifacts they recovered, fell in love, married, and had a son named Edmund. But given their busy, adventure-filled lives, they were absent from their son's life for months at a time, which strained their marriage, leading to divorce. She was a completely absent figure in her son's life, and she was so consumed with treasure hunting that she missed both his graduation from university and her ex-husband's funeral. Her last letter from her son is a brutal denunciation for her absence in his life, and she spends her time in an empty house filled with treasures from days gone by. Then she falls ill, [[spoiler: and her protege, Cassandra Morgan dies]], leaving her to [[DyingAlone die alone.]] The only things you can examine in the final room, other than the CSM journals, are a picture of her family from long ago, showing clearly that she misses them. Once she realizes [[spoiler: that Nate and Sam are Cassandra's sons]], she actually seems excited to be able to share her theories with someone one last time before she dies, because that's all she has left. She's a reflection of what could happen to Nate if he put his love of treasure hunting above Elena: dying alone in a house full of relics, with no family who wants anything to do with them.
* Throughout Nate's journey he finds clues and letters detailing the quest of Burnes' grandson, how he wanted to honour his family, as well as his love for a woman named Claire. But, the more we find, the more we see him being consumed by his journey. Bad decision after bad decision finally culminated in his crew abandoning him and becoming fatally wounded. However, unlike Nate, his beloved wasn't there to save him and last note you find is on his long dead skeleton, which shows him still being determined to finish his quest, but that a part of him probably knew this was it. On the back of it is a sketch of Claire, whom he had drawn in his final moments. The worst part is that he was only a short distance from the treasure he had risked everything for.
* While he hardly has any redeeming qualities, one has to feel a little bit sorry for Rafe Adler. Unlike the previous Uncharted villains who are ObviouslyEvil warlords, mercenaries, or members of ancient conspiracies hellbent on finding the treasure to suit their evil agenda, Rafe is just another treasure hunter who only wanted to prove his worth, albeit in all the wrong ways. His MotiveRant during the final battle tells us that he's just a sad, miserable rich man with everything in his life handed to him who's DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife and finding it in Avery's treasure, then takes it upon himself to finish this lifelong quest no matter the cost. Rafe is a darker reflection of what Nate and Sam could've become. [[spoiler: Unlike both of them, Rafe doesn't get to walk away alive as his obsession with the treasure eventually drives him mad not unlike the Pirates of Libertalia, and the VillainousBreakdown that follows ends up being his undoing.]]

* Throughout Nate's journey he finds clues and letters detailing the quest of Burnes' grandson, how he wanted to honour his family, as well as his love for a woman named Claire. But, the more we find, the more we see him being consumed by his journey. Bad decision after bad decision finally culminated in his crew abandoning him and becoming fatally wounded. However, unlike Nate, his beloved wasn't there to save him and last note you find is on his long dead skeleton, which shows him still being determined to finish his quest, but that a part of him probably knew this was it. On the back of it is a sketch of Claire, whom he had drawn in his final moments. The worst part is that he was only a short distance from the treasure he had risked everything for.

* Evelyn's's story. Nate and Sam find StoryBreadcrumbs about her life: she was an adventurer and archaeologist in the early 20th Century, and dismissed by her peers because she was a woman. The only sympathetic ear was a Japanese archaeologist, who faced similar prejudice because of his race. They collaborated and shared their findings on artifacts they recovered, fell in love, married, and had a son named Edmund. But given their busy, adventure-filled lives, they were absent from their son's life for months at a time, which strained their marriage, leading to divorce. She was a completely absent figure in her son's life, and she was so consumed with treasure hunting that she missed both his graduation from university and her ex-husband's funeral. Her last letter from her son is a brutal denunciation for her absence in his life, and she spends her time in an empty house filled with treasures from days gone by. Then she falls ill, [[spoiler: and her protege, Cassandra Morgan dies]], leaving her to [[DyingAlone die alone.]] The only things you can examine in the final room, other than the CSM journals, are a picture of her family from long ago, showing clearly that she misses them. Once she realizes [[spoiler: that Nate and Sam are Cassandra's sons]], she actually seems excited to be able to share her theories with someone one last time before she dies, because that's all she has left. She's a reflection of what could happen to Nate if he put his love of treasure hunting above Elena: dying alone in a house full of relics, with no family who wants anything to do with them.

* Just ''barely'' averted at the end of ''Among Thieves''. [[spoiler: Nate's]] helpless, stammering terror at the thought of [[spoiler: Elena]] dying is a very different thing from the adrenaline-fueled panic of his normal adventures.
* [[spoiler: Sully's "death"]] in Uncharted 3. Mostly because of the facial expressions and abruptness of it.

* In ''A Thief's End'' when Elena confronts Nate about lying to her and risking his life again. Even though the trailers meant that most people saw it coming, the pain in her voice and eyes still manages to be heartbreaking. She later [[spoiler:rescues Nate on Libertalia]] but says she almost decided against it, driving home that Nate really screwed up this time but [[Heartwarming/{{Uncharted}} love still triumphs]] (Nate even kicks himself later in monologue as he watches her scale cliffs and handle a gun that he very nearly ruined his relationship with the best girl he could ever find).

* On a meta-level, the fact ''Uncharted 4'' is the finale of the ''Uncharted'' story. Whether or not they go back to an earlier point to add another installment remains to be seen but with the insane attention to detail, SceneryPorn[=/=]VisualEffectsOfAwesome the game has achieved, and the quality of storytelling (fixing the plotting problems ''3'' was accused of having by having well-planned story threads), it is a fairly painful goodbye to this series if ''4'' is really meant to be the true end as the game had set the bar higher than ever for both itself as a series and every other [=PlayStation=] 4 game.
* Evelyn's's story in ''Uncharted 4''. Nate and Sam find StoryBreadcrumbs about her life: she was an adventurer and archaeologist in the early 20th Century, and dismissed by her peers because she was a woman. The only sympathetic ear was a Japanese archaeologist, who faced similar prejudice because of his race. They collaborated and shared their findings on artifacts they recovered, fell in love, married, and had a son named Edmund. But given their busy, adventure-filled lives, they were absent from their son's life for months at a time, which strained their marriage, leading to divorce. She was a completely absent figure in her son's life, and she was so consumed with treasure hunting that she missed both his graduation from university and her ex-husband's funeral. Her last letter from her son is a brutal denunciation for her absence in his life, and she spends her time in an empty house filled with treasures from days gone by. Then she falls ill, [[spoiler: and her protege, Cassandra Morgan dies]], leaving her to [[DyingAlone die alone.]] The only things you can examine in the final room, other than the CSM journals, are a picture of her family from long ago, showing clearly that she misses them. Once she realizes [[spoiler: that Nate and Sam are Cassandra's sons]], she actually seems excited to be able to share her theories with someone one last time before she dies, because that's all she has left. She's a reflection of what could happen to Nate if he put his love of treasure hunting above Elena: dying alone in a house full of relics, with no family who wants anything to do with them.
* Marisa Chase from ''Golden Abyss'' is a real archaeologist to the bitter end, unlike Nate (who has a "money-first-history-later" mentality) and does so because of the intense passion instilled in her by her grandfather. So it's a somewhat tragic conclusion that [[spoiler:she finds that her grandfather died doing the thing he loved (and mere steps away from his ultimate goal at that) and asks for a moment alone to grieve]] (although it should be said she started her quest knowing it may end badly and ready to come to terms with that).
* Burnes' grandson in 4. Throughout Nate's journey he finds clues and letters detailing his own quest, how he wanted to honour his family, as well as his love for a woman named Claire. But, the more we find, the more we see him being consumed by his journey. Bad decision after bad decision finally culminated in his crew abandoning him and becoming fatally wounded. However, unlike Nate, his beloved wasn't there to save him and last note you find is on his long dead skeleton, which shows him still being determined to finish his quest, but that a part of him probably knew this was it. On the back of it is a sketch of Claire, whom he had drawn in his final moments. The worst part is that he was only a short distance from the treasure he had risked everything for.

* Burnes' grandson in 4. Throughout Nate's journey he finds clues and letters detailing his own quest, how he wanted to honour his family, as well as his love for a woman named Claire. But, the more we find, the more we see him being consumed by this quest. Bad decision after bad decision finally culminated in his crew abandoning him and becoming fatally wounded. However, unlike Nate, his beloved wasn't there to save him and last note you find is on his long dead skeleton, which shows him still being determined to finish his quest, but that a part of him probably knew this was it. On the back of it is a sketch of Claire, whom he had drawn in his final moments. The worst part is that he was only a short distance from the treasure he had risked everything for.

* Burnes' grandson in 4. Throughout Nate's journey he finds clues and letters detailing his own quest, how he wanted to honour his family, as well as his love for a woman named Claire. But, the more we find, the more we see him being consumed by this quest. Bad decision after bad decision finally culminated in his crew abandoning him and becoming fatally wounded. However, unlike Nate, his beloved wasn't there to save him and his last note you find is on his long dead skeleton, which illustrates him as still being determined to finish his quest, but that a part of him probably knew this was it. On the back of it is a sketch of Claire, whom he had drawn in his final moments. The worst part is that he was only a short distance from the treasure he had risked everything for.

* Burnes' grandson in 4. Throughout Nate's journey he finds clues and letters detailing his own, how he wanted to honour his family, as well as his love for a woman named Claire. But, the more we find, the more we see him being consumed by this quest. Bad decision after bad decision finally culminated in his crew abandoning him and becoming fatally wounded. However, unlike Nate, his beloved wasn't there to save him and his last note you find is on his long dead skeleton, which illustrates him as still being determined to finish his quest, but that a part of him probably knew this was it. On the back of it is a sketch of Claire, whom he had drawn in his final moments. The worst part is that he was only a short distance from the treasure he had risked everything for.

* [[spoiler: Eveyln's story in ''Uncharted 4''. For such a minor character in a very brief mission towards the final quarter of the game, her story really packs a punch, especially since she dies so abruptly. It directly parallel's Nathan's choices in the story proper, and even warns of what may become of him should he continue on the same path: alone in a museum of relics, with no family left to want anything to do with her. It certainly leaves an impression on young Nate, as even he remarks on how sad the outcome of her life became.]]

* Burnes' grandson in 4. Throughout Nate's journey he finds clues and letters detailing his own, how he wanted to honour his family, as well as his love for a women Claire. But as we find more and more we see him being consumed by his quest, making bad decision after bad decision, finally culminating in his crew abandoning him after so many losses. He himself being wounded much like Drake was earlier. Unfortunately, unlike Nate, his beloved wasn't there to save him and his last note you find is on his long dead skeleton, which shows him still determined to finish his quest, but a part of him probably knew this was it. As on the back of it is a sketch of Claire, that he had drawn in his final moments. The worst part, he was only a short distance from the treasure he destroyed himself over.

* Burnes' grandson in 4. Throughout Nate's journey he finds clues and letters detailing his own, how he wanted to honour his family, as well as his love for a women Christine. But as we find more and more we see him being consumed by his quest, making bad decision after bad decision, finally culminating in his crew abandoning him after so many losses. He himself being wounded much like Drake was earlier. Unfortunately unlike Nate, his beloved wasn't there to save him and the his last note you find is on his long dead skeleton, which shows him still determined to finish his quest, but a part of him probably knew this was it. As on the back of it is a sketch of Christine, that he had drawn in his final moments. The worst part, he was only a short distance from the treasure he destroyed himself over.

* Barnes grandson in 4. Throughout Nates journey he finds clues and letters detailing his own, how he wanted to honour his family, as well as his love for a women Christine. But as we find more and more we see him being consumed by his quest, making bad decision after bad decision, finally culminating in his crew abandoning him after so many losses. He himself being wounded much like Drake was earlier. Unfortunately unlike Nate, his beloved wasn't there to save him and the his last note you find is on his long dead skeleton, which shows him still determined to finish his quest, but a part of him probably knew this was it. As on the back of it is a sketch of Christine, that he had drawn in his final moments. The worst part, he was only a short distance from the treasure he destroyed himself over.

* Barnes grandson in 4. Throughout Nates journey he finds clues and letters detailing his own, how he wanted to honour his family, as well as his love for a women Christine. But as we find more and more we see him being consumed by his quest, making bad decision after bad decision, finally culminating in his crew abandoning him after so many losses. He himself being wounded much like Drake was earlier. Unfortunately unlike Nate, his beloved wasn't there to save him and the his last note you find is on his long dead skeleton, still determined to finish his quest, but a part of him probably knew this was it. As on the back of it was a sketch of Christine that he had drawn in his final moments. A short distance from the treasure he destroyed himself over.

* Barnes grandson in 4. He's throughout Nates journey he finds clues and letters detailing his, how he wanted to honour his family and his love for a women named Christine. But as we find more and more we see him being consumed making bad decision after bad decision, culminating in his crew abandoning him after so many losses. He himself being wounded much like Drake was earlier. Unfortunately unlike Nate, his beloved wasn't there to save him and the his last note you find is on his long dead skeleton, still determined to finish his quest, but a part of him probably knew this was it. As on the back of it was a sketch of Christine that he had drawn in his final moments. A short distance from the treasure he destroyed himself over.

* Marisa Chase from ''Golden Abyss'' is a real archaeologist to the bitter end, unlike Nate (who has a "money-first-history-later" mentality) and does so because of the intense passion instilled in her by her grandfather. So it's a somewhat tragic conclusion that [[spoiler:she finds that her grandfather died doing the thing he loved (and mere steps away from his ultimate goal at that) and asks for a moment alone to grieve]] (although it should be said she started her quest knowing it may end badly and ready to come to terms with that).

* Marisa Chase from ''Golden Abyss'' is a real archaeologist to the bitter end, unlike Nate (who has a "money-first-history-later" mentality) and does so because of the intense passion instilled in her by her grandfather. So it's a somewhat tragic end that [[spoiler:she finds that her grandfather died doing the thing he loved and asks for a moment alone to grieve]] (although it should be said she started her quest knowing it may end badly and ready to come to terms with that).

* Marisa Chase from ''Golden Abyss'' is a real archaeologist to the bitter end, unlike Nate (who has a "money-first-history-later" mentality) and does so because of the intense passion instilled in her by her grandfather. So it's a somewhat tragic end that [[spoiler:she finds that her grandfather died doing the thing he loved and asks for a moment alone to grieve]].

* In ''A Thief's End'' when Elena confronts Nate about lying to her and risking his life again. Even though the trailers meant that most people saw it coming, the pain in her voice and eyes still manages to be heartbreaking.

* [[spoiler: Eveyln's story in ''Uncharted 4''. For such a minor character in a very brief mission towards the final quarter of the game, her story really packs a punch, especially since she dies so abruptly. It directly parallel's Nathan's choices in the story proper, and even warns of what may become of him should he continue on the same path: alone in a museum of relics, with no family left to want anything to do with her. It certainly leaves an impression on young Nate, as even he remarks on how sad the outcome of her life became.]]

* On a meta-level, the fact ''Uncharted 4'' is the finale of the ''Uncharted'' story. Whether or not they go back to an earlier point to add another installment remains to be seen but with the insane attention to detail, SceneryPorn[=/=]VisualEffectsOfAwesome the game has achieved, and the quality of storytelling (fixing the plotting problems ''3'' was accused of having by having well-planned story threads), it is a fairly painful goodbye to this series if ''4'' is really meant to be the true end as the game had set the bar higher than ever for both itself as a series and every other [=PlayStation=] 4 game.

** When they find [[spoiler: the corpses of Libertalia's founders]], Nate's childlike enthusiasm and joy of discovery bubble back up in a way that seems very uplifting at first, until the camera focuses on Elena's face, as she sees him once again get swept up in the adventure. You can see on her face the realisation that, even without Alcazar's threat looming over Sam, Nate's passion for this life is too great to just leave it behind and have a normal life with her. The superb facial-capture and voice acting mean every flicker of emotion is right there for the player to see.

* On a meta-level, the fact ''Uncharted 4'' is the finale of the ''Uncharted'' story. Whether or not they go back to an earlier point to add another installment remains to be seen but with the insane attention to detail, SceneryPorn[=/=]VisualEffectsOfAwesome the game has achieved, and the quality of storytelling (fixing the plotting problems ''3'' was accused of having by having well-planned story threads), it is a fairly painful goodbye to this series if ''4'' is really meant to be the true end.