Uncharted 4 Documentary Reveals Major Gameplay and Story Differences Before Being Rebooted

Uncharted 4 is officially a decade old, and a new documentary has revealed just how drastically different the original version of the game once was. From an alternate storyline to a different cast, the first draft of Uncharted 4 sounds unrecognizable from the final version that Naughty Dog eventually released.

The road to Uncharted 4‘s completion was not an easy one. Over the years, there have been reports from devs and fellow insiders that the game’s development was incredibly stressful, which briefly strained Naughty Dog’s relationship with the higher-ups at Sony. According to ex-Naughty Dog dev Gabriel Betancourt, Sony almost canceled Uncharted 4. The game’s original director, Amy Hennig, would eventually leave the project, and Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley would take over and revamp Uncharted 4‘s story and gameplay.

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New Documentary Dives Into Just How Different Uncharted 4 Looked Before Amy Hennig Left Naughty Dog

Independent creator Thekempy has made a nearly 90-minute-long YouTube documentary that dives into the features that Uncharted 4 was supposed to have. The documentary explores everything from Hennig’s original vision to what happened after Druckmann and Straley took over the project. Uncharted 4‘s development cycle was one of Naughty Dog’s longest at the time, and it paved the way for an exciting new chapter in protagonist Nathan Drake’s life.

Features That Were Originally Part of Amy Hennig’s Version of Uncharted 4

Sam Drake and Rafe Adler were supposed to be played by different actors.
Many levels were left out of the finished product.
Sam would have had a more villain-like role.
Charlie Cutter was going to return.
Certain gameplay mechanics were cut.
The original version didn’t have the playable orphanage section.
The story was expected to be much different.

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These are some pretty significant changes. One of the most interesting facts is that Sam Drake was first going to be played by Todd Stashwick instead of Troy Baker, and Rafe Adler was going to be played by Alan Tudyk instead of Warren Kole. Troy Baker and Naughty Dog have had a close-knit partnership ever since Baker brought Joel Miller to life in The Last of Us, so it’s strange to think of a world where he never got to take on the role of Sam.

The return of Uncharted 3‘s Charlie Cutter being scrapped is also bound to be sad news for fans who enjoyed the Jason Statham-like character. Uncharted 4 references Charlie a few times, but it’s interesting to think about what the story might have looked like with him involved. A lot of fans have wanted to see Charlie return in some way. Now that Uncharted 5 rumors have been circulating, it’s possible that Uncharted 3 wasn’t the last that gamers get to see of him.

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As intriguing as Hennig’s vision for Nathan Drake’s journey was, the version of Uncharted 4 that gamers eventually got turned out to be a massive hit. To this day, Uncharted 4 is seen as one of the best Naughty Dog games. Even so, Thekempy’s documentary is a compelling look into what could have been.