Uncharted 4’s Original Version Revealed
A new video has shed light on the original, scrapped version of Uncharted 4, which was being developed by Amy Hennig. For those who may not know, Amy Hennig was the writer and creative director of the first three Uncharted games. She was working on a fourth game for the PS4, but left the project in early 2014 and was replaced by Bruce Straley and Neil Druckmann.
A Glimpse into the Past
The new video, from YouTuber Thekempy, reveals a lot of information on the project, including changes to the story, cut content, and more. The general premise of the story is similar to the final product, with Nathan and his friends searching for Henry Avery’s lost treasure while dealing with the return of his long-lost brother. Rafe remained the antagonist, though he would have been played by Alan Tudyk. However, things get very different in terms of how that story would have actually unfolded. For instance, Charlie Cutter would have returned, Sam would have been more of an antagonist than in the original game, and players would have played as Sully as well as the legendary pirate, Henry Avery.
A Radical Overhaul
Perhaps the biggest change, however, was that Hennig and her team were exploring a radical overhaul to Uncharted’s gameplay. Uncharted 1 – 3 were criticized by some for allowing Nathan Drake to gleefully murder a bunch of people without any regard for their lives. The level of violence felt disconnected from the story and characters, so Hennig came up with an idea. The team was looking to have a more melee-focused approach to combat, de-emphasizing the gunplay. This is notable because Uncharted 4’s gunplay is arguably the best in the series, thanks to the ability to fluidly run and gun, as well as shoot weapons while swinging from the grappling hook.
A Comparison and a Look to the Future
On release, Uncharted 4 sold over 2.7 million copies in its first week and went on to win critical acclaim and awards. It’s still interesting to hear what the game may have looked like and compare and contrast. There’s no way to really know which version would have been better, because ideas can be great on paper, but not be executed well. Uncharted 4 turned 10 earlier this week, leading to a lot of retrospectives about Nathan Drake’s finale. However, the story may not actually be over. A lot of fans have been speculating that Uncharted 5 is in the works, potentially with Nathan Drake’s daughter at the helm. What we do know is that Naughty Dog is actively working on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, but it is also developing other mystery projects as well.
