Game preview: Lara Croft returns to the jungles of Peru
LARA Croft returns to gaming screens in trilogy conclusion Shadow of the Tomb Raider — and she has evolved since 1996.
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EXPLORER Lara Croft has come a long way since her 1996 debut, evolving markedly from a polygonal entity whose talent for adventure-archaeology was sometimes overshadowed by her visual appeal for young men in an era where 56k dial-up internet was a luxury.
Several sequels followed, with the series rebooted into its current incarnation 2013 by Eidos, the acclaimed Tomb Raider starring a younger Lara Croft just beginning her adventures out of university.
The game was followed by 2015’s Rise of the Tomb Raider, and the trilogy’s conclusion, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, will be released on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 7.
The latest game was previewed at E3 in June, but Eidos held a much longer hands-on session in Sydney earlier this week, where games journalists were able to try a much larger chunk of the game ahead of its launch.
Fans of challenging puzzles are going to be happy, with some difficult obstacles between Lara and her ultimate objective somewhere in the jungles of Peru as she races to prevent a Maya Apocalypse as well as “master a deadly jungle, overcome terrifying tombs, and persevere through her darkest hour”, according to press materials.
I certainly got a strong Predator-type vibe from elements of the section I played in Sydney, and while I felt there was still some tweaking to be done before the final release (particularly regarding on-screen cues), the environments were extremely well done and there was emphasis on Lara Croft as a person in among all the puzzle-solving and enemy killing.
Lead game designer Heath Smith said the game represented the final stage of Lara Croft’s transformation into the Tomb Raider she was meant to be.
As well as featuring honed abilities, Mr Smith said Shadow Of The Tomb Raider was a much more human story with a focus on Lara’s personal turmoil and fight against what she is becoming.
“This is the one of the Tomb Raiders that has the most range of emotion and experience,” he said.
There’s still plenty of action and combat in the game, however — Lara is partial to appearing out of the jungle and stabbing mercenaries with her knife, as well as getting into gunfights and deploying her versatile bow.
Indeed, the game features a Far Cry-style crafting and upgrades system, which Mr Smith said gave players considerably more options when it comes to gameplay styles.
“It’s a game where you play the Lara Croft you want to be,” he said.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider releases on September 7; a full review will be forthcoming.
Royce Wilson attended the event in Sydney as a guest of Eidos.
Originally published as Game preview: Lara Croft returns to the jungles of Peru