Here's What Uncharted Looks Like When It's Made In Saudi Arabia

Uncharted fans have plenty of good gaming ahead of them, with the franchise's third installment hitting this winter and a portable version for the PlayStation Vita not far behind. But what about those searching for a more Middle-Eastern take on the Indiana Jones-esque adventurer? Look no further!

The video below is an early demo for Unearthed: Trail of Ibn Battuta, a very familiar-looking game from Saudi Arabian developer Semaphore. Ibn Battuta, you ask? Sure enough, Wikipedia informs me that he was an "Islamic scholar and traveler" who kept extensive records of his journeys around the world -- essentially, exactly the same type of historical figures whose trails Nathan Drake follows in the Uncharted games.

Kotaku says that Unearthed will be available for PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android, and PS3. Rip-off accusations aside, Unearthed's visuals look nice and detailed. Maybe not up to the standards of the game that so clearly influenced it, but still nice.

Anyway, check out the video below, which helpfully features English voice acting for the in-game characters. What do you think? Is it weird for one region of the world to be creating what is essentially its own take on another region's popular franchise, or does that make sense?

[via RipTen, thanks to Joe for the news tip!]