Uncharted 4 Cut Content Surfaces Online, Changes Everything

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End had a ton of cut content after secret details surfaced online, and it could have changed everything for the beloved PlayStation title.

Released in 2016, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is one of the most beloved entries in the Naughty Dog series and ten years on, in terms of gameplay, visuals and storytelling, it still holds up today. Some might consider it to be more impressive than most modern releases.

However, if former Naughty Dog writer and creative director Amy Hennig had remained in charge of Uncharted 4, it could have been quite a different game, perhaps for the better.

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End Is 10 Years Old!

This week, Sony and Naughty Dog celebrated the 10th anniversary of Uncharted 4 by gifting players with free downloadable content for PlayStation and Steam users. Yet, new details have emerged of what would have been different before Amy Hennig left the studio, replaced by Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley.

As brought to our attention by the Twitter account, TheGameVerse, dataminer TheKemp shared some very interesting details in a recent YouTube video titled “Uncovering Amy Hennig's Uncharted 4.”

The story of Uncharted 4, at least during the early stages, would have focused more on Nathan Drake and his wife, Elena Fisher. She appears early on in the finished game, but only for brief segments. Perhaps her most pivotal role was coming to Nathan’s aid in Chapter 17: For Better or Worse.

Furthermore, the story would have featured Charlie Cutter, a popular ally of Nathan and Sully from Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. In Chapter 20: No Escape, Nathan is stranded on an island. This is one of the most memorable sections of the game, but it originally would have had Nathan struggling even more, having to rely on fishing and coconuts to survive.

Could Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End Have Been Even Better?

Much of the game's story focuses on the real-life and historical pirate, Henry Avery, with Nathan and his brother, Sam Drake, hunting for his lost treasure. Amy Hennig was planning on Uncharted 4 to have players take part in a Henry Avery flashback scene.

In terms of gameplay changes, Uncharted 4 was initially intended to have more of an emphasis on stealth, rather than focusing mainly on gunfights, and it would have had mini-games, which included a ballroom dancing segment.

While I believe Uncharted 4 is a masterpiece and one of PlayStation’s best ever games, some of that alleged cut content sounds awesome. Elena having more of a role could have been fantastic, due to her fun interactions with her husband. Charlie Cutter would have offered some added comic relief, and the Henry Avery flashback scene could have been interesting.

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is out now on PC and PlayStation 5 (Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, as well as the OG PlayStation 4.

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