Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend is the seventh game in the Tomb Raider series. Published by Eidos Interactive,
Notice: Legend is essentially a reboot of the Tomb Raider franchise and makes very few references to any prior games and the storyline is standalone. There are, however, a few "Easter Eggs" referencing the previous games as well as the two feature films.
When Lara Croft was just nine years old, the executive jet carrying her and her mother crashed into the Himalayas, leaving them as the only survivors. After taking shelter in the ruins of an ancient temple, Lara discovers an ornate stone dais holding a sword. Unwittingly activating the ancient artefact, Lara watches in horror as her mother vanishes in front of her eyes. Devastated, she left the pink book behind, in which the directions of how to open the portal were written.
Years later, Lara, with the help of Zip and Allister, travels to the ancient civilization of Tiwanaku in Bolivia, following a tip from university peer Anaya Imanu. Lara attempts to find an ornate stone dais similar to the one in Nepal. She soon runs into James Rutland and his mercenaries on the edge of Lake Titicaca, where the dais is situated. Old memories are brought back to haunt Lara as Rutland implies that her deceased friend Amanda Evert is still alive. After an intense battle, Rutland as well as most of the mercenaries managed to escape in the helicopter. Left alone, Lara then examined the stone dais and found that it was similar to the one in Nepal. A sword must be placed into the slot of the dais in order to activate the portal. Desperate to understand what happened to her mother, Lara decided to go onto this mission to retrieve the sword.
Lara meets up with Anaya at the village, and after an attack from the mercenaries, who Rutland had sent to stop both of them from ruining their plans, they managed to reach the tomb in ParaÃso, where a tragedy befell Lara and her friends many years ago. When Lara was a student on an archaeological excavation, a mysterious demon was released which killed most of the team except for Amanda and Lara. Amanda managed to seemingly destroy the demon by removing a mysterious glowing red stone from a wall. This, however, left to a cave-in. In their attempt to escape, the cave was filled with water and Amanda was buried in falling stones and boulders.
In the present, Lara discovers that her old friend had apparently escaped and learns the legend of Tiwanaku's Queen. She rose to power after meeting a shaman with a magical staff and was shortly brought to paradise by a woman in a lake after an epic final battle, the culmination of a struggle for power. Lara realises that the tomb of the Queen of Tiwanaku is linked to Bolivia, the incident in Nepal when she was a child and possibly even Arthurian Legend. Later on, she learnt about the sword piece that is believed to be a part of the Excalibur. To her surprise she realizes that the artifact she is hunting has already been discovered, and is in the 'care' of Yakuza boss Shogo Takamoto, who had it stolen from Waseda University.
Excalibur reforged (left with Ghalali Key in the upper opening) and in its four pieces that were spread across the globe.
Excalibur reforged (left with Ghalali Key in the upper opening) and in its four pieces that were spread across the globe.
Lara's journey takes her to Japan, where her media mogul friend Nishimura assists Lara in finding Takamoto so that she could negotiate. Nishimura had arranged a party for them to meet. Takamoto, however, ruined the party and refused to negotiate, since he bore grudges with her over an incident some years ago. He then escaped away. Dressed in a ripped dress and armed with weapons, Nishimura told her that the only way to get him was through the construction site. He advises her to be careful and gives her the elevator pass to the roof. Lara came to the roof, swung over to Takamoto's apartment and came to his penthouse. Takamoto refused to let her see the sword and left Lara to deal with his men. Lara eventually tracked Takamoto down to the roof of his penthouse, where she witnessed for herself the terrifying power of the sword fragment. Nonetheless, she managed to overcome Takamoto and retrieve this first artifact.
After being rescued by Nishimura, Lara proceeded to Ghana to chase Rutland, since he possessed a sword fragment. It was unknown where this sword fragment was found. She soon tracked him down to a mysterious, ancient temple hidden behind a spectacular waterfall. Strangely, her father had been here, since he had left a pendant behind. When she finally found Rutland, he told her about something called the Ghalali Key, believing it to be in Lara's possession. The Ghalali Key was probably found in this temple. Lara has no idea what he was talking about and this frustrated him. Rutland then attacked her using his sword fragment. Retrieving his sword fragment, Lara hastily left and received news from Zip and Allister that Amanda had searched her manor for the Ghalali Key whilst she was in Ghana. Both of them were alright, though.
Lara came to a military base in Kakhastan near the Soviet lab, where Rutland's men were quickly killing off the soldiers so that they could have control of the entire place. From there, she travelled in a motorcycle, and then on top of a train to an abandoned Soviet lab in Kazakhstan where experiments on a sword fragment led to its closing down fifty years ago. Lara caught up with Amanda, who is clearly still angry about being left behind in ParaÃso. Lara quickly went after her and found her doing experiments on the third sword fragment. To Lara's horror, Lara realized that Amanda had become insane and she had used the stone to control the demon which killed their friends in ParaÃso. She also realized that Amanda wanted to use the sword for her own selfish purposes. Lara fought it off and recovered the sword fragment from the Soviet machinery, destroying the entire lab in the process. Amanda managed to escape from the laboratory before it fell apart.
Following a map on the back of a shield also recovered from the Soviet lab, Lara's adventure surprisingly brings her home to England. She discovers the real King Arthur's tomb in Cornwall hidden under a tacky and now-derelict King Arthur tourist attraction, along with the fourth and final sword fragment. Lara realized that Arthur and his knights brought the fragments of Excalibur to locations across the world influencing the destinies of various civilizations, and that the entire court of Camelot actually existed. After battling a sea serpent-like creature, which was probably assigned to protect the place, hundreds of feet underground, Lara returns home to figure out how to put the sword back together. Lara realizes that the previously unknown Ghalali Key was in fact a pendant given to her mother by her father. It is also the one that her mother had with her when their plane crashed into the Himalayas.
Lara was thus forced to return to her past once again, as she tracked down the wreckage of the plane she was on in Nepal and recovered the Ghalali key before the plane fell off the cliff. She then returned to the temple where her mother lost her life, reassembled the sword, Excalibur, and using its awesome power to escape. Determined to use it onto the stone dais in Bolivia, she quickly returned with the sword.
Lara returned to the stone dais in Bolivia, where Amanda, Rutland and their mercenaries were waiting for her so that they could steal the sword away from her. In an effort to stop them from blocking her way, Lara cut through Rutland's men and unintentionally killed Rutland himself. Amanda rushed over to him, and he passed away in her arms. Feeling sorry for what Lara had done, she tried to patch up the things between both of them and suggested both of them to use the sword together. Furious, Amanda refused to listen and released the demon once again, this time merging with it. With the help of the Excalibur, Lara defeated the creature once and for all.
Following the directions from her book (It was again unknown how she got it) and opening the portal once more, Lara understood what happened with her mother, as she looked into the mirror of light and saw her. Lara realized that the mirror spans time and what she is seeing is her mother just moments before she was gone by removing the artifact. Her mother told Lara (not recognizing her) to leave her daughter alone and that she "meant no harm". Amanda wakes up and shouts at Lara to pull out the sword or it will explode. As Lara's mother heads this, she pulled out the sword, the same as she did all those years ago and the dais exploded. Lara, to her utmost shock, realized that Amanda was the one who 'killed' her mother.
Furious, Lara shot around Amanda to get answers, and Amanda gave in and said that her mother was in Avalon and not dead, where Amanda had wanted to go. Amanda then decided that since Lara would not believe her, she is wasting her breath. Lara knocked Amanda out, saying "From this moment, your every breath is a gift from me." Lara then left the place, feeling sorry for what her father thought and was extremely determined to make sure that she was able to get to Avalon and save her mother.
[edit] Locations
The locations of Lara's latest adventure are in order of play:
* Tiwanaku, Bolivia - A pre-Incan civilization currently in ruins. Lara arrives there by scaling the rocky cliffs of Bolivia. Lara is in search of a stone dais, very similar to the dais where Lara's mother mysteriously disappeared.
* ParaÃso, Peru - Lara meets an old friend, Anaya, in the town square, but they soon find themselves under enemy fire. They then revisit the dig site where Lara once lost many friends and she uncovers the secret they had been searching for all those years ago.
* Tokyo, Japan - A piece of the sword, stolen from Waseda University, is in the hands of the Yakuza boss and Lara wants it back.
* Ghana, Africa - Another piece of the sword is in the hands of James Rutland, who is currently in Ghana. Lara uncovers a phenomenal temple, set in a lake and hidden from sight by roaring waterfalls.
* Kazakhstan - Lara's search brings her to a secret KGB testing facility called Project Carbonek, abandoned since the 50s - or is it?
* Cornwall, England - "As in take the M5 to the A30 Cornwall?" asks Lara dubiously. Could King Arthur's tomb really be hidden beneath a tacky tourist attraction based around the Arthurian legend?
* Himalayas, Nepal - The artefact that can re-forge Excalibur lies in the plane wreck where Lara and her mother once crashed. Lara revisits the crumbling Buddhist monastery where her mother disappeared.
* Bolivia Redux - The final confrontation between Lara and Amanda and the truth is revealed about Lady Croft's death.
* Croft Manor (training level), England - Croft Manor contains a number of puzzles in the form of hidden passageways, lyrical codes and concealed switches. This level can be played at anytime for as long or as short as the player wishs, however they need to complete the first level to unlock the doors of the manor.
[edit] Characters
* Lady Lara Croft: Countess of Abbingdon and archaeological wunderkind. In Legend, Lara searches for fragments of a mystical sword that may hold the key to the disappearance of her mother.
* Lady Amelia Croft: Lara's mother. After surviving the crash with her daughter, Amelia mysteriously disappears in an incident in a Himalayan temple and is presumed dead.
* Lord Richard Croft (unseen): Lara's father and Earl of Abbingdon. After his wife's death he taught his daughter archaeology and raised her alone. In the context of the game, he disappeared in Cambodia when she was 15
* Anaya Imanu: A South American civil engineer and university friend of Lara's. She was with Lara during the tragedy near ParaÃso.
* Amanda Evert: An old friend and archaeology colleague of Lara's. Her apparent death was witnessed by Lara at ParaÃso, but harnessing the power of the Paraiso demon brought her back to life. Amanda re-appears in the Kazakhstan and the Bolivia Redux missions as an enemy.
* Kent: One of Lara's university peers. He and his team were mysteriously killed during the Paraiso episode.
* James W. Rutland Jr.: The son of a senator and a West Point graduate, Rutland also grew up in a bubble of wealth. His motives, however, are a little more self-centred, and he is romantically linked to Amanda.
* Winston Smith: Lara's butler. He has served the Croft family for generations. He became a live-in servant after his wife died.
* Alister Fletcher: An archaeologist who provides advice and allows for Lara to bounce ideas with via her headset.
* Zip: A reformed computer hacker who aids Lara on her journey from her mansion in England and, alongside Alister, works in her mansion
* Shogo Takamoto: A ruthless Yakuza Kamicho and black market dealer, easily identified by his large number of tattoos. His past encounters with Lara have been unsavory.
* Toru Nishimura: One of Lara's friends, once a daring investigative reporter and now a wealthy media mogul. He is glad to offer Lara help when she so needs, but has become more cautious as a result of his new found responsibilities.
[edit] Voice cast
* Lara Croft - Keeley Hawes
* Zip - Alex Désert
* Alister Fletcher - Greg Ellis
* Anaya Imanu - Melissa Lloyd
* Amanda Evert - Kath Soucie
* Kent - Alastair Duncan
* James W. Rutland Jr. - Rino Romano
* Winston Smith - Alan Shearman
* Shogo Takamoto - Michael Hagiwara
* Toru Nishimura - Paul Nakauchi
* Lady Amelia Croft - Ève Karpf
* Child Lara - Charlotte Asprey
[edit] Credits
Produced by
* Morgan Gray - Producer
* Matthew Guzenda - Senior Producer
* Greg Hounsom - Senior Producer
* Juli Logemann - Producer: additional production
* Elio Rutigliano - Production staff
* David Baker - Producer: additional production
* Rosaura Sandoval - Production staff
* Nate Schaumberg - Production staff
* John Pursey - director of technology: Crystal Dynamics
* Darrell Gallager - Director of art: Crystal Dynamics
* Benny Ventura - Lead tester: Crystal Dynamics
* Bryan Enriquez - Game tester: Crystal Dynamics
* David Pogan .... Game tester: Crystal Dynamics
* Flynn O'Hare .... Game tester: Crystal Dynamics
Production Management
* Graeme Bayless .... director of production: Crystal Dynamics
* Sean Vesce - General Manager: Crystal Dynamics
Original Music by
* Troels B. Folmann
Art Direction by
* Jacob Wendler
Sound Department
* Karl Gallagher .... sound engineer
* Mike Peaslee .... sound designer
* Gregg Stephens .... assistant audio engineer
Visual Effects by
* Gavin Wood .... visual effects lead
Other crew
* Jonathan Ashley .... voice director: UK
* Jodie Brock .... senior designer: Eidos, UK
* Andy Emery .... voice consultant: UK
* John Hsia - platform lead (PC version)
* Jake Strider Hughes - title designer (as Jake Hughes)
* Gordon Hunt - voice consultant: USA
* Alca Jones - production staff
* Boon Khoo - web site designer: Eidos, USA
* Daniel Kim - platform lead (Xbox 360 version)
* Alexander Kornberg - localization tester (German version)
* Lulu Lamer - production staff
* Quinton Luck - creative manager: Eidos, UK
* Ray Mullen - mastering
* Tyrone O'Neill - lead quality assurance technician
* Philippa Pratley - designer: Eidos, UK
* James Song - graphic designer: Eidos, USA
* Flavia Timiani - head of support services
* Roderick Van Gelder - web site producer: Eidos, USA
* Jason Walker - head of mastering
* Marc Webb - mastering
* Kris Zimmerman - voice director: USA
[edit] Versions
This is the first game in the series that has been available for the several other platforms rather than just the PC (and Mac) and the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 consoles. Following the success of Lego Star Wars: The Video Game on the Nintendo GameCube, Eidos announced their decision to port Tomb Raider: Legend to that platform, marking Lara Croft's first appearance on a home Nintendo console. [1]. Legend is also the first game in the series available on a Microsoft console: Xbox (and later on the Xbox 360).
[edit] Differences between versions
The original Xbox version does not include the introduction movie with the opening titles. According to Xboxic,[2] the manager of the Xbox development team genuinely forgot to include the intro video on the final build disc when sending it off for the final game testing with Microsoft's Quality Assurance team. When the mistake was discovered, the QA department told Eidos they would need to resubmit the game for re-testing from scratch. Due to time restrictions, Eidos chose to release the Xbox version without the intro movie.
Lara climbing a cliff in Ghana.
Lara climbing a cliff in Ghana.
PlayStation Portable players have received some exclusive extras. While the textures and polygon count were significantly reduced to run on the portable, some new gameplay modes were introduced. The Tomb Trials, three multiplayer modes and six additional outfits were not available in any other version of Legend. The Tomb Trials put the player against a series of traps and acrobatics to be dealt with before the assigned time is over, based on locations of the regular levels. Note: On the last level "Bolivia redux" the "Natla industries" crates are not present, and you can not destroy the statues scattered around the level.
The Nintendo GameCube version has had a couple of cuts, most likely due to disc space. The rolling demos that would normally play if the game was left inactive while in the title screen have been removed, and the Unfortunate Mishaps video is also missing. The game runs at a slightly smoother framerate than the PlayStation 2 version, and it also loads faster. But at some specific points there are some noticeable framerate drops (such as in the train chase, in Kazakhstan). The many filters used for explosions and motion blur are also gone, rendering the game with sharper textures but less remarkable explosions.
The versions for Nintendo handheld consoles are different. Despite following the same storyline and featuring all the levels and key moments from the bigger counterparts, the game is a sidescroller on the GBA. The levels have been broken down into several smaller segments, probably due to technology limits, and feature a lot more platforming than the original versions. The progression of the storyline is told via comic-strips during key moments. The rewards are also present and they unlock simple minigames. Lara also changes outfits in this version, though she's limited to only three - the regular outfit, the Tokyo dress and the Winter suit.
The DS version uses 2.5D for gameplay. The game does not follow the PC, PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360 and Nintendo GameCube versions of the game exactly.
The Mobile version presents a compressed version of the story, featuring only three levels (Tokyo, Ghana and England) based on the original levels from the consoles version, and has a far more limited gameplay style. It features, however, three gameplay modes: corridor combat, room combat and platform exploration.
[edit] Demo
The PlayStation 2 demo was made available in some regions in the Official PlayStation Magazine, as well as on Jampack Vol. 14. A PC demo was released on March 31, 2006 and an Xbox 360 demo was released on Xbox Live Marketplace on April 5, 2006. A demo will be downloadable to the Nintendo DS via the DS Download Station.