Tomb Raider (2011 video game)
Encyclopedia
Tomb Raider is an upcoming action-adventure
video game and the ninth instalment of the Tomb Raider series
, published by Square Enix
and developed by Crystal Dynamics
as their fifth related franchise title. The first in a third continuation, the game is set to provide no correlation to the entirety of the previous entries in the series; a reboot that emphasizes the reconstructed origins of the culturally
influential lead character, Lara Croft
.
Tomb Raider is scheduled for release in the third quarter of 2012 for Microsoft Windows
, PlayStation 3
and Xbox 360
.
journeys to an island off the coast of Japan
aboard the Endurance, a salvage vessel helmed by Captain
Conrad Roth. Before anchoring at bay, the ship is cleaved in two by an unforeseen storm leaving Lara separated from any other survivors and washed ashore. She must endure physical and emotional torture in order to survive the island.
The game introduces a "survival instinct" that Lara can use to solve puzzles. It will highlight useful items for use if the player is stuck in solving a puzzle. However, Lara can only do this while standing still. Some elements of the world crumble when Lara stands on them for too long. When the player jumps to grab a ledge, Lara will no longer magnetize to the nearest ledge like in previous instalments. The player will also be able to change direction mid-air. Puzzles will be more complex than previous titles, it will use elements of fire, water, wind, and friction. Helping hands and UI will be kept to a minimum, except for indications of burnable objects, health items, and during quick time event
s.
, Crystal Dynamics was split into two teams; the first beginning work on the next sequential pillar of the Tomb Raider franchise, while the second focusing on the newly created spin-off Lara Croft series (debuting with Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
in 2010). Following pre-announcement media hype while the game's title was under embargo, in November, 2010, Square Enix filed for trademark of the slogan for the new Tomb Raider game; "A Survivor is Born".
On 6 December 2010, Square Enix announced Tomb Raider had been in production for nearly 2 years; "Square Enix Ltd. is excited today to announce Tomb Raider, the new game from Redwood City based studio Crystal Dynamics". Studio head Darrell Gallagher said, "Forget everything you knew about Tomb Raider, this is an origins story that creates Lara Croft and takes her on a character defining journey like no other". Game Informer
website and magazine ran a world exclusive cover reveal in its January 2011 issue, as well as exclusive coverage of emerging details directly from Crystal Dynamics from 12 December 2010. Tomb Raider will be the first game in the series expected to receive a Mature 17+ rating in the United States.
Lara Croft's model is animated using compiled performance capture
, a technique used in the previous instalment, Tomb Raider: Underworld. The game will be the built on Crystal Dynamics's game engine
called the "Crystal Engine".
On the 3 June 2011, the "Turning Point" CGI
teaser trailer premiered at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011
, emphasising the release date will be the third quarter of 2012.
will not be returning as Lara Croft for 2012's Tomb Raider, after completing Tomb Raider: Legend, Anniversary, Underworld
and Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
. Her contribution spans an unprecedented four years; the longest role of any of Croft's voice actresses in English. In December 2010, Crystal Dynamics was said to be trialling dozens of voice actresses. As revealed in the trailer and the gameplay at E3 2011, a voice actress for Croft has been cast. On October 17th, 2011, Global Brand Director Karl Stewart teased the announcement of the yet-to-be-revealed voice actress
was released by Game Informer
on 21 December 2010, featuring a "sneak peek at a track from the game itself" composed by Aleksandar Dimitrijevic. However, 6 days later, tweets
from Crystal Dynamics Global Brand Director, Karl Stewart, clarified Game Informer's statement; confirming that "Alex Dimitrijevic is scoring the trailer. We officially haven't announced the composer for the game". On June 8th, 2011, after the trailer's première, Stewart stated in regard to the final Turning Point score that "...this piece is not a piece that [Alex Dimitrijevic]'s worked on".
On 7 June, 2011, Meagan Marie (Community Manager at Crystal Dynamics) expressed on the official Tomb Raider blog that "Our goal [is] to make sure that we release a soundtrack". Stewart added "this is a complete new composer and somebody who we' ve brought in to work on the game as well as this [trailer] piece" and that "we're going to make a bigger announcement later in the year". In the Making of Turning Point, sound designer Alex Wilmer explained that the unannounced composer had remotely directed an in-house concert violinist to perform the "very intimate" piece.
In the fourth Crystal Habit podcast which premiered at the Tomb Raider blog on 17 October, 2011, Marie spoke to Wilmer and lead sound designer Jack Grillo about their collaboration(s) with the unannounced composer. Grillo stated that "We're doing this overture... where we're taking an outline of the narrative structure and having our composer create different themes and textures that would span the entire game" while Wilmer emphasised that the composer's music will dynamically adapt in-game; scored "...emotionally so that it reacts instantly to what happens"
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
video game and the ninth instalment of the Tomb Raider series
Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider is an action-adventure video game developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive. It was originally released in 1996 for the Sega Saturn, with MS-DOS and PlayStation versions following shortly thereafter...
, published by Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
and developed by Crystal Dynamics
Crystal Dynamics
Crystal Dynamics is an American video game developer based in the San Francisco Bay Area and founded in 1992 by Judy Lang, Madaline Canepa and Dave Morris...
as their fifth related franchise title. The first in a third continuation, the game is set to provide no correlation to the entirety of the previous entries in the series; a reboot that emphasizes the reconstructed origins of the culturally
Popular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
influential lead character, Lara Croft
Lara Croft
Lara Croft is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Square Enix video game series Tomb Raider. She is presented as a beautiful, intelligent, and athletic British archaeologist-adventurer who ventures into ancient, hazardous tombs and ruins around the world...
.
Tomb Raider is scheduled for release in the third quarter of 2012 for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
.
Story
Fresh from academy and in search of lost relics, a 21-year-old Lara CroftLara Croft
Lara Croft is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Square Enix video game series Tomb Raider. She is presented as a beautiful, intelligent, and athletic British archaeologist-adventurer who ventures into ancient, hazardous tombs and ruins around the world...
journeys to an island off the coast of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
aboard the Endurance, a salvage vessel helmed by Captain
Captain (nautical)
A sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...
Conrad Roth. Before anchoring at bay, the ship is cleaved in two by an unforeseen storm leaving Lara separated from any other survivors and washed ashore. She must endure physical and emotional torture in order to survive the island.
Gameplay
The game begins with Lara devoid of any weapons, tools or essentials such as food and water, which the player must search for in order to survive. Sections of the island are restricted to the player until Lara is able to perform specific physical abilities achieved via a "skill system", or obtained the necessary equipment to advance. At frequent base camps throughout the world, the player can combine pick-ups to create new items, improve Lara's abilities and/or fast travel to previously discovered base camps to avoid copious amounts of backtracking. There is a "much larger emphasis" on combat, as instead of using a lock-on aiming system akin to previous Tomb Raiders this game will employ a manual "free aim" mechanic.The game introduces a "survival instinct" that Lara can use to solve puzzles. It will highlight useful items for use if the player is stuck in solving a puzzle. However, Lara can only do this while standing still. Some elements of the world crumble when Lara stands on them for too long. When the player jumps to grab a ledge, Lara will no longer magnetize to the nearest ledge like in previous instalments. The player will also be able to change direction mid-air. Puzzles will be more complex than previous titles, it will use elements of fire, water, wind, and friction. Helping hands and UI will be kept to a minimum, except for indications of burnable objects, health items, and during quick time event
Quick Time Event
In video games, a Quick Time Event is a method of context-sensitive gameplay in which the player performs actions on the control device shortly after the appearance of an on-screen prompt. It allows for limited control of the game character during cut scenes or cinematic sequences in the game...
s.
Development
Following Tomb Raider: UnderworldTomb Raider: Underworld
Tomb Raider: Underworld is the eighth instalment of the Tomb Raider series. The story continues from the events in Tomb Raider: Legend as a direct sequel, but also addresses unexplained plot elements by association with Tomb Raider: Anniversary; the 2007 remake of the original Tomb Raider...
, Crystal Dynamics was split into two teams; the first beginning work on the next sequential pillar of the Tomb Raider franchise, while the second focusing on the newly created spin-off Lara Croft series (debuting with Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is a fixed-camera 3D platform viewpoint action video game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Square Enix for the PC, PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade and the iOS as part of the Tomb Raider series for digital download...
in 2010). Following pre-announcement media hype while the game's title was under embargo, in November, 2010, Square Enix filed for trademark of the slogan for the new Tomb Raider game; "A Survivor is Born".
On 6 December 2010, Square Enix announced Tomb Raider had been in production for nearly 2 years; "Square Enix Ltd. is excited today to announce Tomb Raider, the new game from Redwood City based studio Crystal Dynamics". Studio head Darrell Gallagher said, "Forget everything you knew about Tomb Raider, this is an origins story that creates Lara Croft and takes her on a character defining journey like no other". Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
website and magazine ran a world exclusive cover reveal in its January 2011 issue, as well as exclusive coverage of emerging details directly from Crystal Dynamics from 12 December 2010. Tomb Raider will be the first game in the series expected to receive a Mature 17+ rating in the United States.
Lara Croft's model is animated using compiled performance capture
Motion capture
Motion capture, motion tracking, or mocap are terms used to describe the process of recording movement and translating that movement on to a digital model. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, and medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robotics...
, a technique used in the previous instalment, Tomb Raider: Underworld. The game will be the built on Crystal Dynamics's game engine
Game engine
A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
called the "Crystal Engine".
On the 3 June 2011, the "Turning Point" CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
teaser trailer premiered at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011
Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011
The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011, commonly known as E3 2011, was the 15th Electronic Entertainment Expo held. E3 is an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment Software Association . The event took place June 7–9, 2011 at the Los Angeles...
, emphasising the release date will be the third quarter of 2012.
Voice cast
Keeley HawesKeeley Hawes
Keeley Hawes is an English actress and model, known for many television roles. She is best known for her roles as Zoe Reynolds in Spooks and Alex Drake in Ashes to Ashes and Lady Agnes in the remake of Upstairs, Downstairs...
will not be returning as Lara Croft for 2012's Tomb Raider, after completing Tomb Raider: Legend, Anniversary, Underworld
Tomb Raider: Underworld
Tomb Raider: Underworld is the eighth instalment of the Tomb Raider series. The story continues from the events in Tomb Raider: Legend as a direct sequel, but also addresses unexplained plot elements by association with Tomb Raider: Anniversary; the 2007 remake of the original Tomb Raider...
and Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is a fixed-camera 3D platform viewpoint action video game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Square Enix for the PC, PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade and the iOS as part of the Tomb Raider series for digital download...
. Her contribution spans an unprecedented four years; the longest role of any of Croft's voice actresses in English. In December 2010, Crystal Dynamics was said to be trialling dozens of voice actresses. As revealed in the trailer and the gameplay at E3 2011, a voice actress for Croft has been cast. On October 17th, 2011, Global Brand Director Karl Stewart teased the announcement of the yet-to-be-revealed voice actress
Music
A podcastPodcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
was released by Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
on 21 December 2010, featuring a "sneak peek at a track from the game itself" composed by Aleksandar Dimitrijevic. However, 6 days later, tweets
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
from Crystal Dynamics Global Brand Director, Karl Stewart, clarified Game Informer's statement; confirming that "Alex Dimitrijevic is scoring the trailer. We officially haven't announced the composer for the game". On June 8th, 2011, after the trailer's première, Stewart stated in regard to the final Turning Point score that "...this piece is not a piece that [Alex Dimitrijevic]'s worked on".
On 7 June, 2011, Meagan Marie (Community Manager at Crystal Dynamics) expressed on the official Tomb Raider blog that "Our goal [is] to make sure that we release a soundtrack". Stewart added "this is a complete new composer and somebody who we' ve brought in to work on the game as well as this [trailer] piece" and that "we're going to make a bigger announcement later in the year". In the Making of Turning Point, sound designer Alex Wilmer explained that the unannounced composer had remotely directed an in-house concert violinist to perform the "very intimate" piece.
In the fourth Crystal Habit podcast which premiered at the Tomb Raider blog on 17 October, 2011, Marie spoke to Wilmer and lead sound designer Jack Grillo about their collaboration(s) with the unannounced composer. Grillo stated that "We're doing this overture... where we're taking an outline of the narrative structure and having our composer create different themes and textures that would span the entire game" while Wilmer emphasised that the composer's music will dynamically adapt in-game; scored "...emotionally so that it reacts instantly to what happens"