Like as a twist...it doesn't even make sense, like storytelling wise. Like any time you make any storytelling choice, there's an opportunity cost involved. What do you gain by doing this instead of that? What the fuck did Kojima gain by making you fake Big Boss instead of the real one, vs EVERYTHING he lost emotional resonance wise?
Sam and Nathan were looking for this particular treasure for a long time. Nathan looked up to him and his adventurous spirit, even wearing his same shirt in UC3. So when he comes back from the dead, in a bad spot, wanting to find that particular treasure they promised each other to find so long ago, enticing Drake back to his adventure ways after years of settling down into mundane life. That's a strong motivation, a strong spine to build a drama on, both in the places and setpieces they'll go, but also an exploration about what drives Nathan Drake as a person.
so
why
the FUCK
would it be Rafe as a kid?
how would that be better for a story motivation, that it was Rafe and Sam on a bike?
like
I wonder about you guys sometimes. You're so worried about "tropes", and so desperate for twists, like a scoreboard, you don't think about the kind of mainstream adventure storytelling they're going for here.
