Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End features a thrilling narrative that reunites hero Nathan Drake with his long-lost brother, Sam, but it’s worth remembering that the original concept for the game seemed to be quite different to say the least.
*Spoilers ahead for those who have not completed Uncharted 4!*
If you recall, Nolan North, the voice actor behind Drake, said last year that developer Naughty Dog scrapped around eight months of work for the action-adventure sequel following the departure of Amy Hennig.
In her place, Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley were brought in to helm the project, who were the driving force behind the studio’s post-apocalyptic hit The Last of Us back in 2013. Their vision of Uncharted 4 however, differs considerably from what Hennig had in mind.
While much of Hennig’s concept remains a mystery, we do have something that points us in the right direction in the shape of Uncharted 4’s original 2013 teaser trailer. Back then, the game didn’t even have a title, being referred to in the trailer simply as ‘Uncharted.’ However, it did give us plenty to speculate on.
For starters, the voiceover in the trailer now makes a lot of sense given that we know it to be Todd Stashwick, who was originally hired to play the part of Sam Drake before Troy Baker took over the role. What’s interesting, however, is the tone of the dialogue; Sam’s not a happy camper by any means, and seems intent on getting revenge against Drake.
He mentions about being "left to rot in that hellhole" and losing "15 years" of his life. Having played the finished product, this almost certainly pertains to the fact Sam was imprisoned for over a decade before finally escaping and tracking down his younger sibling.
Unlike the final version of the game, where Sam holds no grudge against Nate, this version of Sam seems consumed by hatred and intends on extracting revenge on his little bro.
"When it catches up, when all your lies collapse around you, I’ll be there, sifting through the wreckage. You owe me," growls Sam.
Indeed, it seems that Hennig’s version of Uncharted 4 was a lot darker than what we received, and the notion of Sam betraying his brother at some point in the game doesn’t seem far fetched at all. Many of us probably expected that to happen in the finished version, but it never did; here though, we’d bet money on it.
What do you think Uncharted 4 would have been like under Hennig’s direction? Did you like the idea of a Sam bent on revenge? Or do you prefer the version we got? Give us a shout in the comments below!