Tomb Raider revives ancient history

Available formats: XB360, PS3, PC

Reviewed on: XB360

Rating: M

MANILA, Philippines – Lara Croft is in a bit of a bind and that’s not just referring to her latest adventure.

As a video game character who made her memorable debut in 1996, she has got a lot of history in tow. In the last 17 years, the globe-trotting British archaeologist and aristocrat has gone through the iterative cycle of sequels, prequels, remakes, and reboots.

Recent games such as the excellent Uncharted series have done a lot to contribute to the idea that Lara Croft is obsolete. In a span of 3 games, Nathan Drake has scrabbled his way up to usurp the adventure and exploration throne from the genre’s grand dame herself. 

From the plot, characters, environments, and gameplay, the Uncharted series has constantly outclassed recent Tomb Raider games such as Tomb Raider: Underworld.

The latest Lara Croft game simply titled Tomb Raider is the latest attempt by developer Crystal Dynamics in making the artifact-hunting heroine less of a relic and more of a contemporary gem. As with Lara’s first adventure, it tries to avoid the weight of the franchise’s history by starting fresh.

By “fresh,” the designers open the game with Lara bound and hanging upside down beside rotting cadavers suspended from the roof of a cavern that’s adorned with a makeshift shrine of skull and bones. Using her body as a pendulum to catch the flames of a nearby torch, she is able to burn the rope that’s keeping her up.

She drops a few feet down and lands on a nasty length of rebar which pierces her side. Lara survives both the fall and the impalement; she escapes her captor who gets crushed by falling rocks. 

Tomb Raider’s reboot and reimagining of Lara Croft places her at the very start of her archeological career. Together with a crew of a research vessel, she ends up on a remote island fighting for her survival and that of her crew. The crew’s purpose is to film a reality show based on the adventures of a senior archaeologist with Lara as the expedition’s second lead.

If the Lara of old almost immediately had a functional arsenal at her disposal, the new Lara starts off with a makeshift torch and a crude longbow. Injured, alone, and lacking in modern equipment, we see a more humanized Lara. Her proportions are realistic and her movements lacking in grace and precision. Her signature turquoise tank top and shorts are replaced by more practical raiment that’s more fitted to her hostile environment. 

She is a survivalist first and an explorer after.

It can be quite strange for a game called Tomb Raider to have several tombs that are optional for Lara to explore. Scattered throughout the vast island are campsites which serve as save points. Once unlocked, Lara can travel from the main campsite and revisit the map to collect artifacts and hidden items.

Collecting and cataloguing the items give Lara experience points for upgrading her survival abilities and gear. Even if the relic collection is mostly just side missions, it can be quite engaging since it’s the only way to fully upgrade Lara’s items. At several points in the game, Lara will acquire other weapons such as a pistol, shotgun, and machine gun.

Having various gear makes Lara adaptable to several playing styles. She can do a full-on assault or adopt a more stealthy approach. Near the beginning of the game, there is a harrowing scene where Lara ends up shooting an aggressor full in the face because she does not have any other choice. This brutal awakening to the murderous bent of her mostly human foes frames the violence in the game.

Also, there are parts where her friends are in danger and she has to do something drastic to save them. A character tells Lara that she can’t save everyone. It’s a good thing that she tries anyway. In some cases, there are levels which hark back to familiar action-movie tropes but Tomb Raider adds its own twist such as a damsel in distress being rescued by another female or Lara botching up the rescue with the captive ending up dead.

Life in the mysterious island is harsh and the game never fails to remind Lara of that fact. As an homage to the previous games, one wrong move and Lara ends up dying in some gruesome manner.

Making up most of the antagonists on the island are followers of a mysterious cult called the Solarii who worship a sun deity. They seem to be part of a lost Japanese civilization called the Yamatai. Littering the island are crumbling monuments to this lost civilization. The setting is further enhanced by World War II era structures scattered throughout the island. 

Watch the trailer here:

While Lara’s combat moves are pretty standard, her acrobatic moves pretty much sell the game as a worthy addition to the Tomb Raider franchise. They also tell the likes of Nathan Drake from Uncharted that she has definitely come back to reclaim what was once her turf.

Lara Croft means business.

As Lara makes her way through the island’s structures and encounters hostile natives, you can see how she gets beaten, bruised, and wounded. She finds no joy in what is happening to her and even declares that she hates tombs.

Near the game’s end, Lara is visibly damaged and her body is covered in scars. She may hate her predicament, but it’s not hard to love the new Lara Croft and Tomb Raider. – Rappler.com

(Ed Geronia is the chief information officer of Sari Software Solutions. He is the former editor in chief of PC Gamer magazine and Games Master Philippines magazine, and former associate editor of T3 Philippines magazine.)