“If I don’t survive, none of us will.”
Crystal Dynamics reboot made the smart decision to present us with a pre-iconic Lara Croft.
This was a Lara without her signature dual pistols and rock-solid confidence.
We also see her selflessness to save other people.
In the earlier Tomb Raiders Lara has no qualms dispatching henchmen, T.rexes and even dragons.
In the reboot, we see her first kill and witness the trauma it inflicts.
Rise of the Tomb Raider&Shadow of the Tomb Raidercomplete the reboot trilogy.
They also dive deep into this personal mystery that has overshadowed Lara.
In this series, Lara’s really searching for an understanding of herself.
This in turn led him to build a secret crypt underneath Croft Manor to hold her body.
Richard spent years searching for a way to resurrect her.
He was clearly willing to do anything to bring her back.
Trinity then dispatched another assassin who finishes the job.
And so Lara found her father dead in his study from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
His research was left incomplete, but our picture of Lara herself is a little clearer.
“In our darkest moments, when life flashes before us, we find something that keeps us going.
Something that pushes us.”
The problem with searching for immortality, theTomb Raider gamessuggest, is that you forget to live.
You forget to experience the present moment and create a true future.
This obsession consumes a person and leads to poor choices.
And so, in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Lara’s actions initiated the Mayan apocalypse.
The narrative uses this apocalyptic moment to challenge Lara personally.
The game questions her morality, and asks the question, “Is Lara actually the hero?”
During the climactic final battle between Lara and the sun king Amaru, Lara gains the power of Kukulkan.
In an ensuing vision, Lara finds herself back in the courtyard of Croft Manor.
The trilogy arcs back towards its centre.
Lara lays down on a platform to await her fate.
However, she is spared and the world is saved.
It’s a huge moment, but also one where we understand the personal charge to it all.
She allows the sun to shine on her life and future.
“Welcome back to my humble abode.
Feel free to take a look around.”
Blood Ties cleverly uses flashbacks and puzzles to tease out the hidden treasures of the place.
We learn more about Lara’s parents and what the manor must have been like for Lara growing up.
I’m sure the new trilogy will grant us this wish.
Really, it’s a question of honouring what amounts to a gaming heritage site.
For me, the Tomb Raider reboot trilogy challenges the standards set by the Uncharted series.
“From this moment, every breath you take is a gift from me.”
Lara embodies her legacy whilst Crystal Dynamics celebrates it.
The classic Core-era Lara favoured twin pistols.
In the reboot trilogy, Lara Croft’s iconic weapon must be her bow.
It’s silent, deadly & versatile.
It’s also a lovely metaphor.
All in preparation for the arrow called Lara Croft to fly into the future.
“The extraordinary is in what we do, not who we are.”
