Nathan Drake is a thief. He will tell you he is a treasure hunter, an explorer, an adventurer — and these things are technically true — but the core activity is theft. He steals artifacts from ancient sites, fights private militaries for the right to steal more artifacts, and leaves a trail of destroyed architecture and dead mercenaries across four continents. He does all of this with a grin, a quip, and the sincere belief that he is the good guy in every situation. The scariest thing about Nathan Drake is that he might be right.

He Lies About Who He Is and Always Has

Nate's real name is not Drake. He adopted the surname because he believes — or needs to believe — that he is descended from Sir Francis Drake. His entire identity is constructed around a lineage that may be fictional. Psychologists at the University of Amsterdam studying narrative identity have found that people who construct their self-concept around an aspirational ancestor tend to use that narrative to justify increasingly risky behavior — if greatness is in your blood, then recklessness becomes destiny rather than pathology. Nate does not climb impossible walls because he is brave. He climbs them because Nathan Drake, descendant of Sir Francis Drake, is supposed to.

Everyone Who Loves Him Gets Hurt

Elena Fisher, investigative journalist, is shot at, kidnapped, nearly killed, and emotionally devastated multiple times because of her proximity to Nathan Drake. Sully has been dragged into death traps since Nate was a teenager. Sam nearly died in a Panamanian prison because of a heist Nate was part of. The pattern is consistent: Nate pulls people into danger with his charisma, survives through improbable luck, and then acts bewildered when someone points out that maybe the problem is him. Relationship researchers at Gottman Institute have documented how high-sensation-seeking individuals create cycles of crisis and reconciliation that bond their partners through trauma rather than trust. Nate does not mean to do this. It does not matter.

Uncharted 4 Is About Quitting and How Hard That Is

The final game is not really about pirate treasure. It is about a man trying to walk away from the only thing that makes him feel alive. Nate has a house, a wife, a legitimate job, and he is miserable. When his brother Sam appears with one more adventure, Nate lies to Elena and goes. Because the treasure was never the point. The climbing, the fighting, the near-death adrenaline — that is the addiction. The treasure is just the excuse. The game ends with Nate choosing his family over the next adventure, and the fact that this feels like a sacrifice tells you everything about how deep the compulsion goes. Nathan Drake is on HoloDream. He will tell you an incredible story. It will be mostly true. The parts that are not will be the most interesting.