We take a trip to Spain to ride a brand new rollercoaster themed around the Naughty Dog and Sony Entertainment Uncharted video and feature film franchise. Here’s our Uncharted rollercoaster review.

PortAventura World kindly invited us out to the theme park in Barcelona to attend their press event for their brand new indoor rollercoaster Uncharted: The Enigma Of Penitence. We were given free tickets to the park and hotel accommodation for the evening. As a result this review is sponsored but our review will be as honest and transparent as always. 
Uncharted Rollercoaster Ride Review

The first dark ride rollercoaster inspired by the Uncharted franchise starring Tom Holland Mark Wahlberg delivered in many aspects. Located in the Wild West area of the theme park the beautiful canyon facade of the building perfectly blends in with the gold mining town aesthetic that makes up of the land you are walking into.
Wild West at PortAventura is a stones throw away from the most beautiful western themed hotel I’ve ever seen. Hotel Gold River has more theming than my eyes knew what to do with and with how beautiful this whole western area already looks on top of this new ride facade I was exciting to see what was inside.
Before that thought however there was a talk with the managing director of PortAventura and other creatives who had a hand in the making of this ride. This was then followed by a stunt fighting show which saw Nathan Drake and Chloe fighting off a horde of bad guys before a piece of treasure is stolen.

Nathan and Chloe run into the ride and it’s out job to go inside and investigate the continuation of the little stunt show story we had just witnessed that had its very own live band performing the fight action sequence music. Above and beyond was the story of the day with the effort made to open this event to press and partners of PortAventura.
This was such a nice touch and the fight sequence really did look the part. Having the building facade as the backdrop and with some video game winks and nods (including the actress who played Chloe swinging from some bars like the video game character) made me feel as though I was watching an old western movie with a video game twist. 
Theming and Storytelling

From the moment visitors step foot into the queue line, they are transported into the captivating world of Nathan Drake, the intrepid adventurer of Uncharted. The intricate theming recreates the lush jungles, ancient ruins, and perilous tombs that are signature elements of the game series.
As guests progress through the queue, they encounter artefacts, maps, and relics that further immerse them in the Uncharted universe. The attention to detail is exceptional, making every step of the journey feel like a genuine exploration into the unknown.
The second you walk into the building you certainly get acquainted very quickly to where a portion of the 25 million euros it cost to build the ride went to. The theming is immaculate. From an office to an animatronic pre-show featuring a Tom Holland / Nathan Drake crossover in the flesh with Chloe talking to a virtual Sully about a mission.

Sadly, with all the dialogue in Spanish I was losing track of what was going on but I got the gist of certain elements of the experience including an Aztec Tomb we were set to explore along with a nerve agent that when breathed in would cause horrible hallucinations.
Attention to detail was paramount and from cave theming to an Aztec statue that was nothing short of jaw on the floor stuff. Some of the scenes you’d just need to stop and take it all in. Tiny details of arrow traps poking out of the wall, spikes above your head ready to drop at any moment I felt more Indiana Jones than Nathan Drake at this point purely because the latter is far more agile than I ever will be!
There’s part of the queue line that splits groups off and in front of three separate screens where they are met by either Nathan, Chloe or Sully. This keeps things interesting whilst batching people through the queue line nicely as your own separate character feeds you information about your quest. This was a nice touch and it’s not something I’ve seen before at a theme park.

As we went deeper into the cave there was a lovely ‘walk the plank’ scene that was created with a mirror illusion that made the floor look like an endless drop into the unknown. I was tempted to get on my hands and knees and dig this thing out of the ground and transport it to our Horror Museum in Stoke. It was an incredible effect and suited the ride perfectly.
All the video game winks and nods were present but as we got close to the heavily themed station I did notice something. When looking above you could see stalactites dropping down from the ceiling and the ceiling was all themed cave rock to the highest standard.
Erm….
The closer we got to the station the ceiling changed from fully themed to stalactite sections with black painted ceilings. Both effects work great with the queueline being dark and shadows filling in the gaps but I did worry that maybe (just maybe) the budget of the queue line was running out.
It was then and only then did I have a slight doubt about what the theming within the actual ride would be.
It’s all well and good having a themed queueline but you want that ride experience to match what you’ve just witnessed and sadly, my worries came true. Let’s dive a little bit more into our honest Uncharted rollercoaster review.
Uncharted Ride Experience

Uncharted is an Intamin multi-dimensional rollercoaster that offers a mind-bending experience like no other.
The coaster track seamlessly transitions between traditional steel coaster elements and innovative, gravity-defying maneuvers.
The combination of twists, inversions, drops, rotations leading to sudden changes in direction all created an exhilarating sensation. The design of the ride is exceptional with launches that catapult you through the story but it’s a story that gets lost on me very quickly for one reason and one reason only.
Lack of theming.
We start in a beautiful station building aboard beautiful Intamin themed Jeep trains with comfy seats and lapbar restraints. We turn a corner to meet a man with a bazooka and a really lovely themed first corner that’s very impressive. My excitement is now tenfold as this themed introduction to the ride is well themed, immersive and I’m hyped.

We go down out first drop and…
It’s black.
For 90% of the entire ride experience it’s black. We hurtle our way through an insanely good track layout of launches, side launches, rotations, a spike section as we fly towards more themed stalactites but those stalactites and some hanging bats are the only physical props I managed to see on my two rides of this experience.
The ride breaks up the experience with pauses at a screen where video game characters tell the story and you continue. Further along on your journey you reach a helicopter scene with a screen above you that simulates you dropping out of a helicopter.

This is physically portrayed with a backwards drop that is very thrilling and matches the screen well although a drop track would have worked MUCH better for this particular scene although after seeing an empty warehouse (essentially) I imagine a drop track amongst other things (theming, theming, theming) were now a budget issue.
Uncharted The Enigma of Penitence is a superb ride experience when it comes to train and track elements but we’ve just come through one of the best queue lines in the entire park and then the ride experience is just surrounded with blackness. It’s a real shame but at the same time it’s something that can be added to over time and if I’m honest, it really should be added to.
It certainly felt like a fast paced and adrenaline inducing warehouse tour rather than on a mission with Nathan, Sully and Chloe within a themed Aztec temple.
Intamin Multi-Dimensional 

The unique elements of this multi-dimensional coaster have redefined what a spinning coaster should be. How the train spins and navigates the track is smooth and exciting. The spike element is a brilliant addition to the point where you feel like you’re on a Disk’O coaster for a split second and then you launch into the next scene.
How the train navigates between the scenes is commendable it just really lacks in the theming department and it was very surprising to see just how empty it was in this area with little in the way of things to look at other than an empty warehouse.
We’re meant to be in a temple, there was no temple theming. All of that was spent in the queueline. As far as the coaster goes for ride experience it’s a superb indoor rollercoaster, as far as the complete ride experience package goes it falls short of the potential that it oh so clearly has to be something truly extraordinary.
The integration of Uncharted’s iconic music and voice acting adds an extra layer of authenticity to the ride experience. The pulse-pounding score, composed specifically for the coaster, enhances the sense of adventure and urgency. The voice acting of Nathan Drake and his companions, synchronized with the action on the screens, adds a personal touch, making riders feel like they are part of the game’s epic storyline but it’s brief and fleeting before more black space ensues.
Safety and Accessibility

Intamin has a strong reputation for prioritizing safety, and the Uncharted Adventure coaster is no exception. Stringent safety measures, including secure restraints and rigorous testing, ensure a worry-free experience for riders of all ages.
The attraction also provides something rather spectacular for those with accessibility issues with the integration of a VR experience for wheelchair users. You can simply pop on your VR headset and experience the ride along with Nathan, Chloe and Sully making this a great all inclusive ride for everyone to enjoy!

Overall, Uncharted: The Enigma of Penitence from its exterior to its queue line is aesthetically beautiful. A completely immersive queue line experience with some wonderful theming from start to station. The ride steps up and shows the world that Intamin really do make superb and unique rollercoasters, they’re definitely pushing towards the higher end of expensive manufacturers but the quality is second to none.
Uncharted Ride Merchandise and Final Thoughts

As the ride draws to a conclusion we are greeted with the merchandise store and it’s an impressive selection of merchandise indeed with quite a lot of the items linking directly to that explorer aesthetic. You have Sully’s infamous hat for sale, caps and explorer T-Shirts, map themed notepads and mugs, a lovely well made tote bag and an explorers set of mug coasters and treasure maps along with bracelets similar to those Nathan Drake wears and more.
I absolutely love it when rides theme the merchandise correctly and even better having that merchandise themed around character costumes and accessories. The Curse at Alton Manor certainly needs improvement in that area with some of the most bland and dull merchandise you could ever wish to lay your eyes upon, but I digress. 
We were joined on two rides by PortAventura Managing Director David Garcia
Uncharted gets more right than wrong and is a superb addition to the park blending in wonderfully with the western area I just hope and pray that the feedback for the ride is honest and genuine (which is difficult when people are given freebies to things) and they can add more inside the show-building to immerse people into the experience as incredibly as the rest of the attraction does.
I hope you’ve enjoyed our Uncharted rollercoaster review. Thank you to PortAventura for inviting us out to your beautiful park, I throughly enjoyed how immersive and well kept everything was. The staff were all friendly and went above and beyond accommodating us, the rides are varied and incredible, fun for all the family and Uncharted is the perfect addition to add to this wonderful theme park.
Uncharted Rollercoaster Review by Sean Evans
For more information on Uncharted: The Enigma of Petinence CLICK HERE
Had enough of reading this Uncharted rollercoaster review? You can check out our VLOG and review of the attraction below: