A Thief's End: Is Someone Going To Die?

Is this the end for one of our favourite characters?

After the excitement brought on by the reveal of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, thoughts have turned to the possible meaning of the cryptic information we have received thus far. Many are wondering what the implications of having a darker, more emotional and personal Uncharted game will be. 

I have noticed that a key point of discussion surrounding this topic is the prospect of a major character death. Honestly, I can't blame people for seeing it as a strong possibility, the mere title of the game is enough to make one jump to that conclusion. However, I suggest we have a proper look at the evidence. In this article, I will attempt to cover why Drake's next adventure is going to be his most personal yet, and who could be facing their "End" in the upcoming game. I'll warn you, this is going to be a long one.  

A New Direction

Until recently, one of the most talked about matters concerning Naughty Dog's next title was the apparent exodus from the studio. What came as the biggest shock was the departure of Amy Hennig, creative director and writer of the Uncharted series, who was initially confirmed to be working on the forth instalment. This was then followed, to everyone's confusion, by the loss of the game director, Justin Richmond and voice actor Todd Stashwick. Since then, co-presidents Evan Wells and Christophe Balestra have revealed that the Last of Us leads, Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley have taken over the project. 

I am not here to speculate on what happened internally with the developer; regardless of the events that transpired, this change of leadership is definitely significant. Neil and Bruce are by no means strangers to the world of Uncharted, both having played significant roles in the making of the first and second games. However, their recent experience with the Last of Us will undoubtedly have an effect on A Thief's End. To get to the point, its best said by the two men themselves (check out the full interview):

"We're taking what we learned from Uncharted 2, evolved into the Last of Us, and bringing it back [to Uncharted 4]... Each journey dovetails into the next, so we've taken that chronology, the story lines and the relationships and [evolved them]."  

The Uncharted series is reaching a new stage in it's development. We will likely never fully know what Amy's original vision was; it may have been in keeping with the more lighthearted tone of the previous games (though of course these weren't devoid of emotional moments), or perhaps it was heading in this direction all along. After the hard-hitting, thought provoking themes of their last title, Naughty Dog, Neil and Bruce in particular, seem keen to heighten the emotional stakes for the characters in A Thief's End. But does this necessarily mean we could be saying goodbye to one of them?

Its Personal

Aside from the new personnel heading Drake's next adventure, what else indicates that this new Uncharted will take a slightly different approach to its story from its predecessors? Well, what little concrete information we have received in the form of trailers, interviews and official publications does suggest the sort of journey we are to expect.

Back in November, we were given our first taste of the new game; a short, cryptic teaser. As the camera pans over an old map, we hear the bitter voice of then Uncharted actor Todd Stashwick, speaking of revenge. This trailer has been analysed to death, but in light of subsequent news and reveals, we may have a clearer picture of its meaning. Now that Nathan Drake is officially remaining the protagonist of the series, there is every reason to believe the threatening words are directed at him (though most of us assumed this already). 

So, here's my theory: as many (myself included) have suggested before, the mysterious narrator of the teaser is most likely an old friend or associate (or relative?) of Nate. At some point, 15 years before A Thief's End (presumably), Nate apparently 'left him', in what circumstances we do not know. Back in the present said man has returned, intent on tearing Nate's life apart. Using what we've learned since from both the E3 reveal trailer and the official game description, we can add more pieces to the puzzle. Nathan is "forced out of retirement" (from adventuring, he's not that old!) and back into "the game" (the "world of thieves").

Now back onto what you're reading this for, why on earth should any of this mean that somebody will die? Consider these words from the Naughty Dog website summarising the plot:

"It's [Nathan Drake's] greatest adventure yet and will test his physical limits, his resolve, and ultimately what he's willing to sacrifice to save the ones he loves"

Granted, that could mean anything, but the premise is enough to hint at a huge emotional event occuring in the storyline of Uncharted 4, and what with this possibly being the final game in the series, you could bet on it being a death.

Who?

I've argued why I feel the tone of A Thief's End gives us cause to consider a main character dying as a possibility. But what is perhaps an even more interesting area of speculation is who it could be. Lets go through each of them; who's death is more likley, and what are the potential conequences of loosing them?

Sully

Poor Sullivan, he's allready had two "deaths", it would be really unlucky if it happend a third time. Jokes aside, I definitely wouldn't rule out Drake's old partner in crime as a candidate, though of course there is the glaring problem of retreading old ground. In the first game, Drake's fortune, he was shot in the chest, but was saved by Sir Francis' note book, which was in his breast pocket. In Uncharted 3, it appeared that Sully had been shot in the back (in what was a very convincing scene), but it turned out that Nathan had halucinated the whole thing.

I can't say the first incidence was nearly as emotional as the second (seriously, compare Nate's reactions in each, its actually rather amusing how quickly he recovers from the sudden demise of his dear friend and mentor in Uncharted 1). One can really see how far ther series' storytelling has progressed when Sully is "killed" in the third game: it comes as a complete shock to the player, and most of us genuinely thought he was dead. He wasn't, but the game gave us long enough to experince the horror Nate must have been feeling. People have questioned whether it was wise to let Sully live, I have heard some say that to them it ended up feeling rather cheap. Maybe Naughty Dog should have gone all out; I have a hunch that they may have considered it, but in the end Sully survived to fight another day. 

Now here's a question, what would happen if Victor Sullivan did die in Uncharted 4? It would certainly be sad, but perhaps not as impactful or shocking as it would have been had we not seen it before. It all comes down to execution (pun intended). Sully is still a logical choice: he's the closest thing Nate has to a father, loosing him would be devastating, but maybe not so much that it would make the story flat out depressing (Don't worry I'll elaborate). And besides, I can't help thinking that Nate calling on him for "one last time" in the new trailer was somewat foreboding.  

Elena

I'll admit it, I don't really wan't anyone to die, but of all of the Uncharted crew (excluding Nate), I especially hope it isn't Elena (there's a number of reasons, but we'll get to that). Like Sully, she's no stranger to near-death experiences, after being on the receiving end of a grenade explosion (damn you Harry Flyn!) in Uncharted 2. Again, a lot of us thought she might have been a goner (I'd played Uncharted 3 first, so I knew she wasn't) but in the end she made a full recovery. 

I wasn't aware of this until recently, but Neil Druckman (who co-wrote Among Thieves with Amy Hennig) apparently wanted Elena to be killed off . Obviously, this didn't end up happening in the finished game, but perhaps now he has creative control of Uncharted 4, Neil could have it in for her once more (not that I'm suggesting that Neil has some sort of vendetta against her or anything).

There's another reason Elena is particularly at risk. The actress who plays her, Emily Rose, has a successful TV career with the SyFy show Haven. Filming takes place in Nova Scotia, Canada, on the other side of the continent from Santa Monica, where Naughty Dog are based. This has raised a number of logistical problems in the past when making Uncharted. The following quote from Emily is in Drake's Journal, a book by Nolan North documenting the making of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception:

"[Having a TV show] takes me out of commission for six months of the year. That could take me out of what [Naughty Dog] could feasibly do with [Uncharted 3]. In fact, I went to Amy [Hennig] and Evan [Wells] and told them if they had to kill [Elena] then I'd be okay with it. I immediately regretted it, but Amy quickly assured me that it wasn't an option"

Naturally, the task of shooting Haven and acting/providing Mo-cap for Uncharted puts a lot of pressure on Emily. Add now that she became a mother last year, and her time is further limited. I'm positive that she will be in Uncharted 4, but never the less, would Emily reconsider Elena's fate?

Nate

The big man himself, would the guys at Naughty Dog really kill gaming's favourite wisecracking fortune hunter? My knee jerk reaction would be a straight up no, but looking at what we've learned so far, I can't say that its beyond the realm of possibility. Perhaps the most obvious indication is the title: A Thief's End. Is Nate the "Thief" and does "End" mean death? Maybe. I recommend an excellent article by All Things Uncharted, which goes in depth on the subject. 

What other facts do we have that hint at his next adventure being his last? Well, as mentioned earlier, the whole "what he's willing to sacrifice" line does have some serious connotations, could Nate "sacrifice" his own life to save Sully or Elena? There's no doubt it would be a very bold move, but one that I don't think would be taken very well. 

Personally, I do take issue with the idea of  Nate dying, and there's a big reason for it... 

The Problem

So, why am I against Nate, or for that matter Elena, getting killed off in Uncharted 4? Honestly, I'm unsure whether it would really work. 

Let me explain; if, as has been suggested, this is the final Uncharted game, then why climax the series on such a tragic note? To me, it just doesn't fit with what Uncharted is; an over the top adventure series. Yes it can be an evolution in storytelling, yes it can up the emotion and the drama, but I for one wouldn't consider killing off the protagonist or his wife something that "people will be comfortable with" if they've played the previous games. 

This argument could really apply to any of the characters, but here's where I see a difference. Sully's death would be tragic; however, if done right I would argue that the story could still maintain a hopeful tone. I don't think that would be possible if we lost Nate or Elena; the story would hit a dead end, and consequently, the whole adventure would close feeling rather hollow.

Don't get me wrong, I love Sully, and I'd hate it if he did die, though in many ways I believe that Nate could push through his pain and recover (hell he did that in the first game easily enough, not that I'd wan't him to just shrug it off again). Elena on the other hand, I don't know. To me she represents his future (especially if she is with child, if rumours are to be believed), l can't imagine him gong back to his witty, adventurous self after losing her.

Obviously, this is purely my own opinion, and if any one could do it effectively, its Naughty Dog. I just don't feel that ending Nate or Elena's life is the conclusion to Uncharted many people would want. 

*Feel free to argue against me though, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Other Possibilities

How many words in and I haven't even mentioned Chloe Frazer! Whilst the big 3 (Nate, Sully and Elena) will definitely make an appearance, there's no  guarantee that we'll see Chloe in A Thief's End. She is however a fan favourite, not to mention that her absence in Uncharted's last instalment would assuredly be noticed.  

Naughty Dog may bring her back, but only if its isn't superfluous and serves the plot, they'd need a good reason to do so (same goes for Charlie Cutter). If that reason was significant enough, then she could well die (I know, this is such a cheery topic). Is it likely though? hmmm, I'm not sure. Chloe is a main character in her own right, and her death would be poignant, perhaps she even is the "Thief"in the title? We're entering the territory of pure conjecture here.  

Now there's one more possibility (other than another minor character dying, RIP cameraman Jeff), what if its the mysterious man in the trailer who will have a dramatic death? All evidence says he's the antagonist, and antagonists usually die in Uncharted, but I have a feeling that he will be so much more than a villain. 

Maybe he and Nate were once close friends, or (in what would be a shocking twist) it may be revealed that he is in fact Nate's Father. Either way he could have a deeply emotional end (this is particularly true with the latter), perhaps with a scene of redemption in his final moments (or in the case of him being the father, apologising for abandoning Nathan when he was young). I don't think its a potential scenario we can overlook. 

To Conclude

I've led you down the perilous road of guesswork and speculation; we've looked at what we know so far, and what it all means for the characters we love. Is this really the end for one of them? well, despite all I've said, we just don't know. Someone could die, no one could die, It could be Nate, it could be the villain, there is no "surefire" way to be certain. 

Right now the only people who know the answers are working away at what promises to be a phenomenal game (no matter what happens), and a fitting end to an incredible series...

...if it is the end, that is.

*Just to clarify, I am not an expert on game development or the gaming industry. I get my information from multiple reliable sources, but I may sometimes get things wrong or be inaccurate. If you do spot something such as a piece of information that is inaccurate please let me know and I'll correct myself.  

*All images/screenshots are under the copyright of their respective owner. I do not intend to distribute my blog for profit and will gladly remove any images if asked to.

I Hope You've enjoyed this post, I'm new to blogging and feedback is always appreciated, let me know your opinions :-)

Undiscovered Adventure