As she jumps, climbs, and shimmies her way onward, she’ll quickly stumble across insurmountable cliff walls, or incredible chasms, leaving her at an impasse – at least until she finds the right equipment. Each area is rather large, with one or two traversal methods available at the outset, all funneling Lara towards her next objective. All she’ll have at the outset is a torch and a bow, but those won’t be enough in uncovering all of the secrets lying around the island. It may be the nature of the medium of video games, but it could have been handled better – or, at the very least, differently.ĭespite this rather jarring shift, Lara quickly becomes an incredibly competent survivor, and she uses every tool at her disposal in an effort to escape the island. It’s unfortunate that this scene, which should carry an enormous weight – both on Lara as well as the player – is shoved aside shortly after it happens. The tension during the moment when Lara is about to claim a human life for the first time is nail-biting, and it’s handled with rather brilliant emotional impact – only to be washed away within the next few moments as she immediately becomes an unstoppable video game character badass.
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The way Tomb Raider deals with this transformation was one of the selling points of the game, and unfortunately, it’s one of the weakest.
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Lara is thrown into this mix, starting as an ambitious, thrill-seeking assistant to a documentary crew, and is quickly forced to thrive off the land, skirt danger, and most importantly – how to kill. Finding all of the hidden documents that are strewn about opens up the mystery even further, as you read about the trials of the various unfortunate souls that have ended up trapped on the island before you. It feels a lot like the television show Lost – just when you think you’re beginning to understand the island and the situation surrounding it, some new wrinkle introduces itself. Underneath this beauty lies a much darker side – derelict grave sites, a decrepit shantytown - and yes, even tombs - all lurk underneath the surface, and there’s more to this island than meets the eye. There’s a mysterious beauty behind the island, with lush, vibrant jungles, snow-capped mountain tops, and gushing river rapids. Those who find themselves wandering near it end up stuck on its shores, as freak storms batter and destroy any craft that makes the unfortunate choice of trying to find the place. Instead, we have a story focusing on a mysterious and powerful supernatural force that governs the Bermuda Triangle-like qualities of Yamatai Island. In doing so, they’ve taken Tomb Raider from a wacky, cartwheeling romp against dinosaurs to a gritty survival tale, where one woman stands against a crazed cult, a demonic horde, and the harsh elements of Yamatai Island – much more Temple of Doom than Raiders of the Lost Ark in terms of tone. In fact, there are very few tombs to be raided within Tomb Raider, and what few there are are relegated to brief, optional puzzle challenges.
![tomb raider yamatai temple tomb raider yamatai temple](https://tombraiders.net/stella/walks/TR9walk/screenshots/relics/medicinal-herbs.jpg)
On the flip side, we have Crystal Dynamics, an extremely capable team that has taken years of distilling what makes Lara who she is, and figuring out how they can transform her into a hero for the 21 st century. But there’s also a naivete behind that face, one that is clearly unprepared for the trials that lay ahead. Here, we see Lara Croft as a fresh-faced teenager, eager to explore untold legends and uncharted depths. Tomb Raider is about new beginnings – not only of Lara’s beginning as an adventurer, but of Crystal Dynamics creating a new beginning for the long-storied franchise. Little does she know that this is only the beginning of her arduous journey. She’s given new hope, and convinces herself to continue. She warms herself near a fire, having just survived a shipwreck, a kidnapping, being impaled by a rusty spike, a cave-in, and almost being flattened by a Japanese World War II-era fighter plane. Lara Croft huddles inside a large crevice running through the side of a cliff face, shivering from the cold.