New Tomb Raider, Details Revealed

Square Enix had confirmed the Tomb Raider reboot yesterday, and just as predicted, the latest issue of the GameInformer magazine has details about the game.

Here’s what the cover story from GI reads:

“In our world-exclusive cover story, we uncover a brand-new Lara Croft. Rebooting the Tomb Raider franchise through an origin story wasn’t so much a choice as an act of necessity, according to Crystal Dynamics. Drastic measures were needed. To build an entirely fresh Lara – a culturally relevant hero worth of the attention that once came so effortlessly – they must break her first. In this new adventure – simply titled Tomb Raider – a younger and inexperienced Lara Croft must endure both physical and emotional trauma to survive.”

The game will be a complete reboot, where the whole Tomb Raider brand would be “receiving the entire redeux treatment” according to the GI magazine.

The game is essentially a prequel to the Tomb Raider story. Instead of an experienced Lara Croft, we take control of a “21 year old Lara, stranded on an island following a shipwreck”.

The developer Crystal Dynamics has also said that the previous targeting system will also be given a complete reboot, replaced by a free-aim system. Some other new features are the inclusion of base camps where you can upgrade your skills and combine items. Also, as this IS a survival game, it seems we also need to maintain sustenance, i.e. collect food and water to survive on the island.

“I think that the major difference between this game and the old is the concept of smoke and mirrors,” said Crystal Dynamics boss, Darrell Gallagher.

“There was an illusion of freedom because of streaming and loading that would pop you out in a different location, but this is absolutely real. You can literally go any direction that you see and carve your own way to the finish line instead of being guide.”

“It was important in the game to not only deliver the character arc of Lara Croft emotionally, but to deliver it in gameplay as well so the player gets to grow into a hardened survivor,” added director, Noah Hughes.

Square Enix has not confirmed a release date, but it has been confirmed that the game will release on the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Via VG247