On April 26th, I had the pleasure to attend a special event in Montreal. Shadow of the Tomb Raider’s latest trailer was revealed a whole day before everyone else. Developed by the team at Eidos Montréal, I played a full demo showing that this game clearly follows Crystal Dynamics’ exceptional work on the Tomb Raider franchise. Fans won’t be disappointed.
Lara Croft faces Mayan apocalypse
From Tomb Raider’s reboot in 2013 up to this one coming on Sept 14th 2018, Lara travels the world fighting Trinity for the fate of humanity. Now that she knows what they’re up to, it’s up to her to stop their plan and racing the Mayan apocalypse. As senior brand director at Crystal Dynamics Rich Briggs said, the stakes have never been higher before.
She looks tired, broken even. The story will be an emotional one. I asked lead writer Jill Murray about Lara’s condition (I really hope she finds peace in the end). Players will see the record of all she’s been through so far. Now that she has power, what will she do with it? Choices she makes will define her path, whether it’s toward light or darkness.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider is the third and last installment of this amazing franchise reboot. Lara Croft is now an accomplished explorer, hunter, warrior and a great survivor. As the story revolves around Lara’s personal journey, Eidos Montréal studio director David Anfossi told us this game will see the conclusion of her present adventures. He also sees a parallel between her condition and what happens around her. Such as Mayan and Inca’s adulthood rite of passage, she goes through her own challenges. From the hesitant and scared girl of the first game, she’s now fully skilled for what awaits despite the burden of responsibility she feels weighing on her shoulders.
A full 40-minutes demo of tomb raiding
From Crystal Dynamics, Shadow of the Tomb Raider is now an Eidos Montréal production, the studio behind Deus Ex: Human Revolution. From what I’ve seen during the demo, changing head studio doesn’t affect what players feels gameplay-wise. The same mechanics used in previous games are still here. Lara can wall jump, cross precipices suspended with her cable and work her way through tight passageways under water. Her knife, axe and bow are great assets to disarm traps and solve puzzles.
Tomb raiding is more present than ever. The one we went through was challenging for Lara. Finding an ancient artefact triggered the destruction of the location. Not only did she have to escape, but of course, Trinity’s army was on her trail. The demo ended in a gunfight, reminding me of the ones from the second game. At the end of my play session, Lara Croft lays in front of the town in flames.
Will Mayan prophecy become reality regarding an imminent apocalypse? I guess we’ll have to wait on September 14th when Shadow of the Tomb Raider comes out. In the meantime, please enjoy this brand-new trailer revealed by Square Enix and Eidos Montréal.
Preorder Shadow of the Tomb Raider right here at bestbuy.ca
Thanks to Eidos Montréal for the invitation to attend Shadow of the Tomb Raider trailer reveal event in Montreal.
