Tomb Raider: Chronicles Preview

There's no doubt that Eidos' biggest cash cow is the infamous Tomb Raider series, starring the second most famous spelunker of all time (Indiana Jones being the first), Lara Croft. Since its inception nearly five years ago, the Tomb Raider series has produced countless games spanning nearly every gaming platform available. And despite what you might think of the Tomb Raider games or their unproportionally-sized protagonist, the series does sell - and sells well. So it should come as no surprise at all that Core Design is hard at work on the fifth major Tomb Raider game, Tomb Raider: Chronicles. A few weeks ago, GameSpot was invited to the Eidos offices to take a look at an early build of the game in action.

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Chronicles takes place about a week after the events in Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation. The game's opening sequence reveals a procession of Lara Croft's closest friends and relatives, who are gathered at the Croft Estate to mourn the mysterious loss of the young adventurer. At her wake, those who are gathered proceed to remember her past exploits, which haven't been revealed in previous Tomb Raider games. As each person tells his or her tale, you assume the role of Lara within that person's memory and live out the adventure being told. Tomb Raider: Chronicles will unfold into four distinct moments of Lara Croft's life, each of which comprise numerous levels. As Lara, you'll journey through the ruins of ancient Rome, find yourself in the middle of a Russian submarine base, on an island (without any guns) as young Lara, and in a high-tech office complex, receiving directions from a mysterious companion. These missions are all designed to reveal the mysteries of when and how Lara was able to attain four unique artifacts, found in the Croft Estate.

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Not surprisingly, Chronicles sticks to the same gameplay formula forged by the original Tomb Raider. Not even the graphics appear to have changed, as Chronicles uses The Last Revelation's 3D engine, which was a slightly modified version of Tomb Raider 3's. That's not to say that there aren't enhancements to the game. Lara is now capable of performing several new moves, including tightrope walking, parallel-bar swinging, and melee fighting. The first of these techniques is noteworthy because you'll have to constantly maintain Lara's balance as she slowly makes her way across a narrow ledge or rope. She'll teeter from one side to the other, which forces you to constantly adjust by moving the directional arrows in the opposite direction without causing her to lose her balance.