Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/147928
■ TOMB RAIDER INCORPORATES classic elements of the series, such as puzzle-solving, into the new title. E ver since she burst onto the gaming scene in 1996, the aristocrat/archaeologist/adventurer Lara Croft commanded – and received – attention, becoming one of the first, and then one of the more popular, female heroines in the gaming world. Over the years, the pixelated game character morphed into a slick action hero during her many escapades on the screen while starring in the Tomb Raider game franchise. She was brought to real life, too, in her movie debut via actress Angelina Jolie. (In fact, she is a multimedia sensation, also the focus of comic books, novels, and even a theme-park ride.) Recently, though, Lara – and the game franchise in general – received a reboot, thanks to the team at Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix. "Lara is one of the most iconic characters in video games. She has fans all over the world, and it was our responsibility to bring her back to relevance," says Brian Horton, senior art director at Crystal Dynamics. "The thirdperson, 3D action-adventure formula that Tomb Raider established in 1996 was still viable, and we were excited to bring new ideas to the formula." Crystal Dynamics has been Lara's (and the franchise's) "handler" since 2003. Prior to that, Core Design developed the franchise and released six Tomb Raider titles with Eidos Interactive. After handing over the reigns to Crystal Dynamics, Lara was resurrected and four other Tomb Raider titles were made, including the latest, simply named Tomb Raider. Initially, this latest release was to be a sequel to Crystal Dynamics' 2008 Tomb Raider Underworld. But, after the mega-success of the reboots of Batman and James Bond, the studio decided it was time, too, for Lara and the franchise to get a makeover for a new generation. And that is indeed what happened, as the project went through multiple phases of discovery. According to Horton, at least a year was spent exploring difficult concepts before settling on the survival origin story of the new title. They decided to rescript Lara from an invincible, dashing action figure to one showing her as younger, more vulnerable "survivor" type of character. "This is a complete re-imagining, so our game takes place in 2013, and this is Lara's first adventure," Horton says. According to Horton, the studio believed that Lara's story had been taken to a logical conclusion with Underworld, and that she couldn't really grow much as a character from that. "The modern gamer is looking for emotional depth in their heroes, and this inspired our survival origin story. We redesigned Lara as a 21-year-old novice just out of university on her first expedition," he says. "She's much more grounded and believable in this incarnation, both in look and characterization." As Horton explains, Lara's new look had to feel relevant. The group started with her biography and character. "Our Lara is more emotionally rich. We see her transform from an unsure novice to a capable survivor throughout the game," says Horton. "She is a more flexible, nuanced, believable character." Once the direction of the game was nailed down, the team spent approximately three and a half years from preproduction to delivery. During that time, the crew at Crystal Dynamics took a hard look at Lara and started an extreme makeover, ferreting out which elements would stay, which would go, and which would be tweaked, beCG W July / August 2013 ■ 47