Redwood City based developer Crystal Dynamics and publisher Square Enix have announced a new Tomb Raider game – cue the heralds and the war drums – the game is titled, Tomb Raider. This announcement lays to rest speculation which has been circulating since last year.
It appears that this will be an ‘origins’ tale about Lara Croft and her transformation into a globe-trotting adventurer, likely gearing up to a full reboot of the series. The press release offers the following brief description.
“After a brutal storm destroys the boat she was travelling on, a frightened young woman is left washed ashore on an unknown beach. On her own but not alone she has only one goal, to survive. Here begins the first adventure for a young and inexperienced Lara Croft in a story which charts the journey of an ordinary woman who finds out just how far she must go in order to stay alive.”
“Forget everything you know about Tomb Raider, we are exploring things that have never been done before in this game,” said Darrell Gallagher, Head of Studio, Crystal Dynamics. “This is an origins story that creates Lara Croft and takes her on a character defining journey like no other.”
All this “origins” and “reboot” talk means that Lara has undergone the necessary visual overhaul. Gameinformer were given the exclusive in breaking the news, and they had a nice bit of artwork to accompany their article.
Right-click -> view image to enlarge
Thanks to the industrious NeoGAF forum, we have a rundown of the information contained in the Game Informer article, repeated below:
– Lara is 21 in this game.
– It’s not only a reboot of the franchise but a reboot of the entire brand. As a result there will be no “real-life” Lara model this time.
– They’re doing performance capturing with this game.
– There are brutal deaths in the game this time. One is described as a deranged man stabbing Lara in the chest and then closing her eyes after she’s dead. Another includes a boulder falling on her leg to trap her before another falls and crushes her head.
– Crystal Dynamics won’t talk specifics on weapons but concept art shows a bow, shotgun and pistol.
– The lock on targeting system is gone and it now has a free aim system. CD says that it can compete with any of their competitors.
– Open world environment: “I think that the major difference between this game and the old is the concept of smoke and mirrors,” begins Darrell Gallagher, the studio head at Crystal Dynamics. “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,” says experienced director Noah Hughes. As the game unfolds, Lara will scavenge new tools and gear that augment her abilities. Lara’s athletic prowess will also evolve. Some areas begin inaccessible due to physical limitations or scarce supplies. With the right skills and gear, however, the island is Lara’s for the taking.
– There are base camps in the game. Here players can combine items to create something new and access a skill system to upgrade Lara’s abilities. You’ll also be able to use base camps to fast travel to different locations to minimize backtracking.
– Players will need to gather food and water in order to survive.
– There are humans in the game, including some of the crew members from the shipwreck off the coast of the island.
Thanks to Game Informer for the info – be sure to check out their Tomb Raider portal.
Rumour has it that the game is pegged for a release towards the end of 2011.
For more information on Tomb Raider, there is a website to visit (www.TombRaider.com) and a Twitter account to follow: @TombRaider.
Discuss the Tomb Raider reboot on the MyGaming forum.
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