Uncharted Waters
↗ 0.7%
🙂 7.4/10
(Super Nintendo - US, Action & Adventure)
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Complete
$214.99
Loose $69.95
Developed_By:
Koei
Published_By:
Koei
Released On:
05 Aug 1992
Also available on:
The Franco family used to be one of the influential houses of Portugal. That is until the head of the family sailed out of a disastrous voyage to find the kingdom of Prester John. The disarray that followed brought about an end to the nobility of the Franco name. 100 years have passed and Portugal has prospered through its sailing and trading empires. Young Leon Franco wishes to restore his family's good name and make a name for himself as a sailor. At the heart of his ambition is the fair lady, Christiana, who is desired by the likely heir to the kingdom. Towards that end, Leon has been working hard to secure finances for his first ship. With the first step of his dream complete, Franco sails out with his father's good friend as first mate, you're off to find fame, adventure and fortunes out on the sea.
Uncharted Waters is a sailing and trading simulation. Your goal is initially to sail between ports and trade goods between them to make a profit. Along the way, you may be called upon by merchants and royalty to do specific tasks. Several different nations as well as pirates roam the sea and not all have good relations with one another. You can take as long as you want and explore as much of the world as possible to complete your ultimate task of marrying Christiana, which will require your fame rating to be quite high anyway. Available at most ports is a trader for cargo, a supply station for your crew's food and water as well as repairs, a shipbuilder, an item store and finally a pub for gaining information, crew and gambling.
All of the game progresses on an overhead-view, by sea you navigate your fleet by direction and can issue additional orders including landing on any piece of land to search for supplies. A variety of hazards live at sea including storms, other ships, seaweed and simply bad winds and currents.
UPC-A:
040198000499 (United States)
eBay Product ID:
4816 (United States)
Part #:
SNS-QK (USA)
Nintendo Media PN:
SNS-QK-USA (United States)
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Number of Players Supported:
1 Player
Miscellaneous Attributes:
Battery Backed RAM
Prices as of 30 Jul 2026
Typical $214.99–$214.99 (last 90 days)
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Market activity: active · about 78 sales a year
Activity is a 12-month sales count. Dashed segments rest on two sales a year or fewer.
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Manual
Game Guide
Extracted from the original game manual
Uncharted Waters is a historical sailing and exploration role-playing game set during the 16th-century Age of Discovery. Playing as a young Portuguese captain from a disgraced noble family, players must set sail from Lisbon to restore their family's honor, amass fortune and fame, and win the hand of the King's daughter. Guided by a loyal first mate, players navigate the high seas, establish trade routes, and explore uncharted lands before the year 1522.
Story
The Hero
You are the hero of Uncharted Waters. Your home is Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. In 1502, you are 16 years old and ready to set sail in search of fortune and fame.
Princess Christiana
Princess Christiana is the daughter of the King of Portugal. She is 14 years old, and secretly follows your adventures. If you gain the King's respect you may be united one day.
The First Mate
The First Mate sailed with your father, and was the only survivor of his fateful wreck. He holds great faith in your new expedition. Rely on his expertise to guide you through rough seas.
Your Quest
Welcome to 16th century Europe, the age of sea travel and exploration! You enter in a time when adventurers competed to open sea routes to new lands.
You are the last in line of a family which once enjoyed the luxuries of a noble life. Your family has been reduced to poverty ever since the demise of your grandfather. In an attempt to win recognition in the annals of sea-faring history, he went down with his fleet off the coast of Africa. Your father renewed your grandfather's quest, but once again the sea triumphed and he succumbed to the waves.
The previous century saw the successes of three renowned explorers. In 1487, Bartholomeu Dias landed at the southernmost point of Africa and named it the Cape of Good Hope. Five years later Christopher Columbus celebrated his discovery of the New World, in 1492. Finally, in 1498, Vasco da Gama opened a sea route to India!
Now the year is 1502, and the challenge is in your hands. Gain fortune and fame and restore your family name to honor. If you're a true salt, you should complete your journey before 1522.
The Age of Exploration
Until the 15th century, the seas remained a mystery, feared for their endless expanse. There were a brave few, however, who dared to venture into the unknown. Only a handful returned to tell the tales of their adventures, but these explorers brought great enlightenment to the world.
Nations invested great sums of money to fund sailing voyages. By sponsoring exploration, they were also able to procure exotic goods for trade in Europe. In the early days of sea trade, Turkish ships of the Ottoman Empire controlled the sailing routes throughout the Mediterranean Sea. Turkish merchants peddled goods from the Baltic Sea to the Straits of Gibraltar. As trade expanded, Spain and Portugal made great strides in navigating the Atlantic. The Portuguese, in particular, devoted their efforts to the South, where they forged trade routes with Africa.
The greatest obstacle to early exploration was overcome by Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal (1394-1460). Combining his knowledge of astronomy and geography, Prince Henry devised a way to calculate position according to the movement of celestial bodies. Seafarers no longer had to rely on dead reckoning alone; the stars became their guide. Although he himself never pursued waters beyond Morocco, Prince Henry is still praised for his insight.
Celestial navigation soon came into popular use, and thereafter the sextant was invented. Using this instrument, captains learned how to determine their position in longitude and latitude by measuring angular distances from charted stars. The sextant became a key item in navigation.
Although the prospect of riches was the inspiration behind many adventures, the mystery of Prester John also drew explorers to the sea. According to legend, Prester John ruled 72 Christian states somewhere east of Africa. Many Portuguese and Spanish fleets sailed in search of his kingdom under the auspices of the church.
In 1487, the legend of Prester John inspired Bartholomeu Dias (1450-1500) to begin his own search. In a Latin ship, he embarked from Lisbon and set his course for the coast of Africa. Far out at sea, a violent storm overtook the fleet and swept it off course. Drifting for days without food or water, Dias was ready to give up, when he spotted the coast! He landed and named his find the Storm Cape; it was later renamed the Cape of Good Hope. Dias had discovered the southernmost tip of Africa, the turning point to the East!
In 1492, Christopher Columbus contributed to world navigation by shattering the long-time superstition that the Earth was flat. Inspired by the teachings of astronomer and geographer Toscanelli, Columbus set out to reach India by traveling west. He never reached India, but by finding land in the West he convinced other explorers that the Earth was round! It was not until Amerigo Vespucci (1451-1512) retraced Columbus' route in 1497, that it became clear Columbus had discovered an unexplored continent. Vespucci renamed the land after himself, the "Americas."
In 1497, Vasco da Gama (1469-1524) aimed to surpass Dias' accomplishment of discovering the southern tip of Africa. Da Gama's path took him from Lisbon, around the Cape of Good Hope and then through the Arabian Sea where he safely landed in Calicut. Da Gama had reached India! One year later, he returned to Portugal with Indian spices and dyes as evidence of his achievement. From that time on, da Gama's path became a busy trade route praised for its profitability.
Captains such as Dias, Columbus and da Gama broadened the world for 16th century Europe. In their personal quests for fortune and fame, they navigated paths to distant and legendary lands. Heroes of the sea, these adventurers led mankind into a new age of awareness.
Controls
START Button
To enter game set-up from opening.
SELECT Button
To access the Options menu from the port screen.
Button A
To enter places at port and select menus and commands.
Button B
To cancel commands and exit from menus.
Control Pad
To move the Hero around the main port display.
Control Pad (Left)
To answer Yes.
Control Pad (Right)
To answer No.
How to Play
Example Play
This example play will teach you how to start your new adventure, walk about port and sail.
•
Select a New Adventure.
•
Name Your Character.
Use the control pad to move the cursor to a letter and push button A to spell your name. If you do not name your character, his name will be Leon Franco. Go to End when finished and push A.
•
Set Hero Abilities.
A list of abilities and Bonus points will appear. Boost your abilities by adding Bonus points. Use the control pad to move the cursor to an ability and push the A or B buttons to increase or decrease points.
•
Name Your Flagship.
Spell the name of your flagship just as you spelled out your name. If you do not name your ship, you will sail the Hermes. Go to End when finished.
•
OK all settings.
Once you OK all settings, the story of your hero will begin. You can hurry through this part by holding down any control button.
•
Your Adventure Begins!
You begin in the port of Lisbon, Portugal, on February 21, 1502. Your first vessel, a Latin, is rigged and ready to sail. Walk your sailor around the townspeople and through the streets of Lisbon using the control pad.
Walk right from the harbor and up to the Marketplace, third building from the left. "How can I help ye?" the merchant will ask. With the cursor at Sell, press A.
"Which ship's cargo is for sale?" Choose a ship.
Now choose an item to sell, like pepper. Push A with the cursor at "Pepper." Use the control pad to input an amount to sell. Push left to input the maximum amount. Push B three times to exit the marketplace.
When inputting numbers larger than 9, move the cursor to a column (tens, hundreds, etc.) and press up or down to choose a value from 0-9.
See Port Commands for information about other places at port.
•
Prepare to Sail
When you're ready to try out your sea legs, go down to the harbor. Select Sail and make sure your fleet has enough food and water for the voyage ahead. Your First Mate will let you know for how long you can sail as is. Shove off from port, and with the controller in hand, you are at the helm of your flagship!
•
Navigate your Fleet
Navigate your ship with the control pad. You can sail in eight directions. Push diagonally on the control pad to move to the North-east, South-east, South-west, or North-west.
•
Discovering ports
You are bound to discover ports if you keep to the coastline. Then, when you spot a port, move your fleet adjacent to the port and disembark.
Now the adventure is in your hands! Good luck!
Calling at Ports
•
YE OLDE INN
•
Recruit CREW. Lay down some gold and sailors will join you.
•
ASSIGNING RECRUITS: Select a ship. Assign crewmen to ship. If a crew is reduced, the remaining men may be reassigned to any ship in this turn. Push B and End to leave men behind. Push B and Cancel to cancel changes.
•
FIND MATES who will navigate ships in your fleet.
•
QUIT MATES who are disloyal or lazy.
•
GOSSIP with sailors and they may give you information.
•
TIP the waitress and she may reveal secrets.
•
GAMBLE If you feel lucky!
•
POKER: You're up against rouges who play by their own rules, so watch your hand! Clean up your hand and place your wager.
•
BLACK JACK: This dealer won't let you take advantage of him! Place your bet and work your hand up to 21.
•
MARKETPLACE
•
SELL what cargo you have to make a profit.
•
BUY goods to trade in other ports.
•
VIEW MARKET to check buying and selling rates.
•
INVEST in foreign ports to raise support for Portugal.
•
PALACE
•
MEET KING in Lisbon and appeal for his support. You can visit the King of Spain or Sultan of Turkey if the King of Portugal sends you on a mission.
•
Make a SECRET CALL at Princess Christiana's window.
•
REQUEST the King's support in funds or crew.
•
Deposit SAVINGS in Lisbon. Up to 10,000,000 gold can be held for you.
•
LODGE
•
VIEW information on the port, your fleet, and mates.
•
Take LODGING for a night to rest your crew.
•
SHIPYARD
•
BUY a new or used ship if you have a mate to navigate the ship for you.
•
SELL an old vessel which your fleet has outgrown.
•
FIX any ship in your fleet.
•
REMODEL your fleet with guns, sails, figureheads, or rename any vessel.
•
INVEST to raise support for Portugal. If you invest a significant amount in a port, the shipyard will begin building large-scale vessels.
•
HARBOR
•
Set SAIL into the deep blue!
•
RESTOCK your fleet with food and water before setting sail.
•
TRANSFER crewmen or supplies between ships.
Transferring at Harbor
•
TRANSFER MEN
•
Select a ship.
•
Assign crewmen to ship. If
Tips & Maps
Update Your Fleet
To replace an old ship, reduce its crew to zero at Ye Olde Inn, sell the empty ship at the Shipyard, purchase a new one, and assign crew to it before sailing. Note that you cannot sell your flagship unless you change it while at sea through Order-Personnel.
BEGINNER'S HINTS
Sell quartz and pepper at the market, buy sugar in Lisbon for profit, and gossip at Ye Olde Inn for information. Seek out people looking for you, satisfy the King of Portugal's requests for higher rank, sail North-east along the coast initially, invest in distant ports, and save your adventure before sailing.
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