6 Mind-Blowing Uncharted Easter Eggs Hidden Throughout The Series

The first time I ever played Uncharted, I was immediately reminded of Indiana Jones. I felt thrust back into his world of adventure and defeating the bad guys and mysterious treasures. But maybe my favorite part of playing Uncharted was trying to spot the Easter Eggs. Here are six of the biggest Easter Eggs in the Uncharted series. Be sure to go back and play again and spot them yourself!

1. Hog Wild

Did you think Naughty Dog was going to create a massive series like Uncharted and not have a Crash Bandicoot reference? Wrong! Crash Bandicoot is one of Naughty Dog’s earliest (and probably most successful with a dedicated fanbase) titles. If you aren’t familiar with Crash Bandicoot, then it’s important to know that Hog Wild is actually a level in Crash Bandicoot where Crash rides a wild hog through a forest, jumping over obstacles and avoiding enemies. So of course it’s no coincidence that Sully’s plane in Uncharted is named none other than Hog Wild. 

2. Strange Relic

In Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, you might pick up something along the way labeled as a “Strange Relic.” Well I can almost guarantee it’s no coincidence this “relic” is in the shape of an easter egg. But more importantly, it actually takes after a precursor orb from Naughty Dog’s other renowned series, Jak And Daxter. Precursor orbs are a staple item in Jak And Daxter and while it’s not entirely known how to obtain the mysterious Strange Relic in Uncharted, it’s pretty obvious what the relic is referencing, if you look at the picture above. 

3. Ottsel

Ottsel is the brand name of swimwear in the Uncharted series, and I bet you never even thought twice when looking at the name, let alone notice it at all. But if you’re a diehard Jak And Daxter fan, then the word might ring a bell. An Ottsel, as described in Jak And Daxter, is actually the name of what kind of animal Daxter is. He’s a cross between an otter and a weasel, hence Ottsel. So of course Naughty Dog snuck in yet another Jak And Daxter reference, paying homage to one of their many early beloved series. 

4. ND

If you haven’t caught on to this yet, you might want to play through the series again and double-check for yourself. In one particular scene where Nathan Drake jumps out of a plane with a parachute, you might notice the small letters on the straps of the chute that read, “ND.” Of course, to anyone else they look like the brand name of the parachute. But to us diehard, scrutinizing fans, it’s an Easter Egg spelling out the initials of the developer, Naughty Dog. 

Image courtesy of WCCF Tech

5. Uncharted 4 License Plate

Whoever initially spotted this seemingly-impossible Easter Egg, kudos. During a chase scene in the Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End gameplay demo, you see Sully and Nathan Drake driving in a Jeep. But the license plate on the Jeep is where the real message is. If you were to flip the license plate numbers upside down and read it backwards, it spells out “Elena.” But then, if you look closer, there is an image of a fish beneath the plate numbers and the letter “R” over the fish, indicating her last name “Fisher.” 

6. NDI

And last but not least, Naughty Dog once again sticks in their initials, this time spelling out Naughty Dog Incorporated rather than just Naughty Dog. If you look closely on the back of Nathan’s gun holster, you can see the brand name, “NDI” printed. This isn’t the only place the brand name “NDI” has been seen either. It can also apparently be seen on Harry Flynn’s shirt, as the brand name of the grenades and a sticker in a London restroom.