Lara Croft's dramatic return to gaming is happening in less than week. If you just can't wait though, Square Enix has released a new (and possibly final) trailer to remind us why this is one of the most anticipated releases of the year.
The Tomb Raider franchise has a long and storied history, dating all the way back to 1996. However, over the past 17 years, the series has stagnated considerably, with the more recent installments having a tough time finding any audience at all. It's an interesting move then that Crystal Dynamics, the current developers on the franchise, have decided to start fresh and move to an entirely new era of Lara Croft. Their game is simply titled, Tomb Raider.
In a stunning change of formula, this Tomb Raider doesn't have Lara as a gun toting, badass archaeologist, and instead focuses on a time much earlier in her life. Serving as a reboot/prequel to the rest of the series, the game finds her as a shipwrecked youth, battling to survive on an island full of hostile wildlife and dangerous mercenaries who are hunting her.
Titled "Reborn," the new trailer depicts Lara's struggles, brought to life by a wide range of different real life gamers. The ad is meant to evoke the idea that there is Lara Croft's fighting spirit in all of us.
The game will be released on March 5, 2013 for the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3. Early reviews have been very positive.
Tomb Raider explores the intense and gritty origin story of Lara Croft and her ascent from a young woman to a hardened survivor. Armed only with raw instincts and the ability to push beyond the limits of human endurance, Lara must fight to unravel the dark history of a forgotten island to escape its relentless hold.