Tomb Raider opens with a majestic view of the Endurance, the research ship captained by Conrad North, a hardened and charismatic freelance treasure hunter. His crew, which includes the young and promising archeologist Lara Croft, is headed for the Devil’s Triangle, a dangerous area of the Pacific also known as The Devil’s Sea. They hope to find the lost kingdom of Yamatai, once ruled by the mythical shaman queen Himiko, a legend in Sino-Japanese culture.
Gamers with a passion for History will recognize the Endurance as a direct reference to Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914. Shackleton’s ship came across a tragic fate as it was crushed in the ice of the Antarctic, leaving a crew of 28 men stranded on the frozen landscape for nearly two years. Although the expedition failed to accomplish its objective, it is recognized as one of the most remarkable epic stories of survival in human history. Roth’s crew faces a similar misfortune. Upon entering the troubled waters of the Devil’s Sea the ship is caught in a severe storm and crashes near the shore of a mysterious island. Here begins Lara Croft’s personal journey, from a brave but fragile young woman to a strong-minded and intrepid adventurer…
There are two main reasons why I love video games. They are a powerful platform for storytelling and an unparalleled medium to experience virtual environments. In great games, story and physical setting are inseparable realities. The landscape is the fabric that brings the experience together. The original Tomb Raider was probably one of the first games to seamlessly blend narrative and conceptual design, proposing a cohesive architectural approach to game-space. It was truly original in the way it integrated aesthetic influences to convey dramatic substance to the experience. The series, however, for different reasons, eventually lost some of its relevance in the context of other rising franchises. Most of all, Lara Croft never became a real, believable person. The sketchy iconography of the character, which was acceptable in the nineties, failed to evolve and develop a more profound human texture.
The new Tomb Raider is, in that regard, an extraordinary achievement. Lara is no longer the impenetrable super-hero seen in the past and is now presented as realistic human being, vulnerable and even afraid, facing terrible circumstances. It’s quite a delight to see her respond to the adversities that stand in the path of her journey through the mysterious island of Yamatai.
As in the series greatest moments of the past, the scenery is once again a wonder to discover. The island is beautifully rendered with varied locations, complemented with dynamic weather, impressive visual details and sound effects. Although the gameplay environment is not entirely open-world it provides the right balance of progression and exploration to keep the story focused. The explorable areas are also multi-layered, becoming more accessible as Lara gets new skills and climbing abilities, which in turn makes revisiting them a refreshing experience.
On the negative side, if I may say so of a game I’m loving so dearly, is the fact that the game seems to favor urgency at the expense of a more profound presentation of the character’s background and motivations. That sense of urgency makes the game an exciting experience but it may also disappoint those who preferred the slow paced exploration seen in previous titles. Balancing this fact, the organic structure of the island allows you to go back and explore previously visited areas at your own rhythm for a more thorough examination of the surroundings.
For the most part Tomb Raider remains faithful to the nature of the original series but it also emphasizes combat to extremes. Tackling human opponents was always rare and difficult in earlier games, making such encounters significant. This time Lara is faced with a myriad of combat situations, meeting multiple enemies at once. Such confrontations are well constructed in terms of gameplay: enemies are intelligent and make a clever use of the environment. Still, while these provide an immediate thrill, the fact that halfway into the game the body count rises to Max Payne levels may trivialize the narrative significance of killing – which contradicts the powerful and emotional scenes presented in the early moments of the story.
Having said that, it should be noted that Tomb Raider is an excellent origins story, balancing fantastic playability with precise and usually short contextual cut-scenes, punctuated by ambitious climactic sequences that look nothing short of a Hollywood blockbuster. It’s in balancing those grand-scale moments with the intimate hero’s journey that the game truly shines, successfully portraying the evolution of Lara in a convincing, beautiful and memorable way. As someone who’s been following in the footsteps of Lara Croft since the first game, I confess, I can hardly wait to see where adventure will take her next time…