Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics are delivering the latest Tomb Raider title, which aims to show players a new side of Lara Croft; one tinged with the green shade of inexperience, inability, and fear. A young Lara, shipwrecked and stranded on a mysterious island off the coast of Japan, must learn to adapt and survive. It’s a completely new adventure for this Lara, who had previously only just graduated from academy. It’s a new adventure for her fans as well, who are accustomed to a much more athletic, capable, and strong Lara right from the start.
The game’s slogan is “A Survivor is Born,” and players will experience this not only in theme, but in mechanics as well. Lara won’t be doing acrobatics right away; these skills must be learned as players progress, opening up new areas to explore. A much more vulnerable Lara won’t be able to rely on the wealth her aristocratic privilege bestows, as she’ll wake up on the island with no weapons or equipment, prompting players to find or craft these tools for themselves. Combat will be emphasized by forgoing the previously used target-locking mechanic for a manual aim system. Lara is an adventurer at heart, though, and all these difficulties will be eased by her “Survival Instinct,” a sixth sense which reveals useful items and paths for the heroine.
All in all, Tomb Raider looks like an origin story that should not be missed. It’s not just a prequel, or even only a reboot; Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics, in an attempt to do the extraordinary, want to completely change our perceptions of Lara Croft. She’s no longer the perfect, pristine princess with the legs of a gazelle and chest full of ammo. Now, she tires, she trembles, and she bleeds, just like any human should.