A YouTuber has shared images of the oldest available beta version of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, and it has some pretty interesting changes compared to the last game, including clipping mechanics and very different versions of Nate and Elena.
The original Uncharted is perhaps the most defining game in Naughty Dog's library. While The Last of Us may have catapulted it to superstar status, Nate's first adventure was the first push for more mature games from the formerly platform-focused developer. Like any game, Uncharted went through many changes during development.
If you're an Uncharted fan, you're probably aware of some of these differences, like Nate's more relaxed and younger design and Elena originally having brown hair. As it turns out, however, there is quite little that was different about Uncharted during development, and much of it has just been unearthed by YouTuber Thekempy.
Uncharted was originally going to have spiders, ammo boxes, and a sprint mechanic
Nate also didn't have Sir Francis Drake's ring
As pointed out by Twitter user NaughtyDogWorld, YouTuber Thekempy recently shared a video that dives into the oldest available version of Uncharted, which dates back to May 2007, six months before the game launched. This beta version of the game was the version shown on stage during Sony's Gamer Day event that year.
Thekempy somehow has access to this build of the game and deep dives into everything that is different about it. There are some standard things, like the UI being slightly different and ammo boxes dotted around instead of guns, but there are much bigger changes too, like the introduction of a dedicated sprint button.
As Thekempy showed, players could hold down the circle button to make Nate run at full speed, which was removed from the last game in favor of having his pace automatically change depending on whether he's in a fight. This build's files also show that spiders would once be an enemy, although they are very early in development and never ended up getting used.
Spiders finally made their way into the series for Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, and it looks like they work the way Naughty Dog planned for the first game.
In addition to the gameplay differences, this version of Uncharted also features Elena with a previous design that showed her with brown hair, which may be familiar to anyone who has seen early footage from Uncharted. What's not as well known, however, is that Nate also has another design, and one that could have some major implications for the direction of the game's story.
Instead of his trademark Sir Francis Drake ring, a model of Nate found in this building has him wearing a strange looking pendant. Since Drake's ring is so important to the game's story, it's a strange change that could have affected the story. That, or Naughty Dog would just go with pendants passed down from Drake instead, which would have been much worse.
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
- Released
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November 19, 2007
- ESRB
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T For Teen // Blood, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Tobacco, Violence
- Publisher
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Sony computer entertainment
- Engine
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Naughty dog
