Tomb Raider Preview - E3 2012
Lara becomes more desperate, dangerous in our updated look at the game
It’s not long before we discover another survivor and Lara’s friend by a fire, along with a strange man. Lara isn’t comfortable with the man, but they agree to relax by the fire together. It’s not long though, before things go south and the man turns out to be hostile, taking Lara’s friend hostage. As they retreat, Lara is caught in a bear trap following them. Unable to break free, we hear the howls of wolves in the area. Defenceless, Lara pulls out her bow and begins to take out lunging wolves in slow motion. It’s a tense moment, for sure.
Finally, a set of survivors come to the rescue. They realize that Lara’s friend must be rescued, so they agree to split up – a group will follow the man, while Lara and a doctor will explore further inland for any survivors. It’s not long until the pair arrives at a door, which requires levers to raise. The pickaxe Lara currently has isn’t strong enough to open the doors, so we must scout the area to find more salvage materials. The materials are found in weirdly located wooden crates, which we recover with exploration of the area, all while fighting off stray wolves. Finally, the pickaxe is ready and the pair continues on.
Unfortunately, it’s not long until they are surrounded. The doctor has a gun with him, as he asks his bow-wielding attackers to back off, unsuccessfully. Being a pacifist, and to Lara’s desperate protests, the doctor decides to avoid conflict and actually surrenders to the attackers. They are tied up and taken to camp, where others survivors are also being held. With some luck, Lara is able to escape and sneak through the camp. However, she is once again discovered by the man who captured her.
In the fight that ensues, Lara bites off the man’s ear, and as they wrestle with the weapon, she kills him. Shocked and in pain, this is Lara’s defining moment as she continues to evolve at accelerated pace. This is a powerful moment, but it comes at odds with that same gameplay footage that we saw at the Microsoft Briefing. How does Lara, who is being constantly and successfully showcased as a vulnerable and inexperienced character, go from these exhausting moments to wielding shotguns and blowing enemies away without a second thought? As well, how much punishment can Lara truly take before her body should have began to suffer beyond realism? These are important questions, which will hopefully be answered when we are able to play through the complete experience as Tomb Raider ships on consoles and PC in March 2013.
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