Rise of the Tomb Raider : The evolution of a reboot

After the big debates caused by Tomb Raider, the reboot of the mythical franchise in 2013, Square Enix launched a sequel : Rise of the Tomb Raider. Is it of the same lineage as the first reboot or did the developers go for a more old school approach, like in the first entries of the series ? In which ways did they improve the new games' image in comparison to Tomb Raider (2013) ?

I did much research to see what were the players' opinions on which one is the best but I will try to give you my vision of the games. I really liked both of them and never really played to the old ones so I will mostly write about the reboot.

When I wrote “big debates” earlier, I didn’t really explain it. In truth, the game messed things up for the fans with how the developers treated the well-known main character of the series : Lara Croft.

At first glance, one could say that she seems less sexualized than in the older games and that she has a more defined personality. But that’s only on the surface.

Lara clinging to Roth, her mentor at the beginning of the game

A weaker Lara...

One could think that seeing a younger Lara than what we’re accustomed to is part of the reason, but she’s very dependent.

All game long, she always relies on others and mostly on her paternal-figure/ mentor, who orders her around, without really allowing her to make any decisions by herself.

She’s guided by him on the talkie walkie; “You need to go to my position. Look, Lara, we need to send out this SOS signal”. This mentor, Roth, already settled a survival camp and commands everyone to regroup at his position like a true leader. And what does Lara says to that ? “I’m so sorry this is all my fault. Please come and get me”. Lara is WHINING ! That’s just plain inconceivable for such a strong independent feminine figure such as Lara Croft !

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But not for long !

The bloodpool, a "The Descent" reference. (2005 Horror movie)

Yet, the hero myth in which this Tomb Raider game took us through had some interesting parts. The transformation of the character during the game, baptized with blood and covered in mud, shows the determination of this Lara and her immense inner strength. Yes, she has some weaknesses, as I noted above, but she becomes stronger, beginning with when her mentor dies. That’s why I think I liked her more than in the older Tomb Raiders, she has more depth than just a simple errand-runner with a beautiful body, even if, sadly, she stays a bit too submissive. And with that, let's move on to the next game to see what changes !

Always following her father’s path, Lara is, this time, leading her own way ! She was the one who pursued her father's’ research and succeeded where he failed. No one gives her orders anymore, the male characters support or challenge her, seeing her as an equal even if their first impression was that of just a clever young girl.

She’s an explorer, a researcher, a warrior but mostly, a true survivor. At the end of the game, she’s not the daddy’s girl she was anymore. She says it herself in her last lines : “It doesn’t matter what choices he would have made… I have to make my own.” “Not for my father, not for anyone else.” “ I can make the right difference”

I must admit that I would have liked if they had dug a bit more into PTSD that she would have to deal with after killing all those people. That would have made her more human and not just a video game character like Nathan Drake who’s a good funny guy in cutscenes but a real monster when you see him kill during the fighting sequences.

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Truly unique ?

I mean, within the same year, we had the fantastic Life is Strange that had strong feminine characters too but they were much more realistic ! We could empathize with their feelings because their psychology was really laid bare for the players. But that’s not the same kind of game at all, even if I would have really liked an equally developed narrative. Sadly, we can’t have everything in a single game.

Bayonetta, the sexy witch

In more action-based games, we have other strong feminine figures. Bayonetta for example had a sequel released some years after the first Tomb Raider reboot. The two main characters are strong independent women with a very strong sex appeal and a provocative, dominant attitude. That is shown as soon as the opening scene ! The alluring clothing, the BDSM aesthetic, the way they walk, along with the way they fight, they look overconfident and even take the time to do lascivious poses while battling against gigantic creatures. These characters seem far more mature in their physique as well as in their way of thinking. You’ll never see Bayonetta doubt herself, as she's designed off of dominatrix. In this way, I think they resemble more the older Lara Croft and are more appealing to a mature audience. But that’s pretty normal since the new Lara character is actually evolving with us as we play. She hasn't already lived through the same experiences as her predecessor that’s why she still acts a little naive sometimes.

In spite of the disappointment regarding the even more complex psychology they could have given to Lara, we can clearly see the influence this incredible character have had on the recent feminine figures in video games. I know I already wrote about Uncharted, but nowadays, it’s the most similar game to the Tomb Raider reboots and they are often compared, mostly with the 4th one, which was released only several month after Tomb Raider. In my opinion, the character of Chloe Frazer, who appears in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and had her own game recently, has many resemblances with the character of Lara Croft. The developers wanted to have a character that contrasts with Nathan Drake and brings out some surprising facets of his personality by being a sort of dark rival who constantly provokes and annoys him. She’s an independent, sexy, archaeologist and she kicks ass, even if she seems more mysterious and dark.

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To conclude this analysis, I really liked the manner they improved the reboot of this superb franchise. The first game was already great in my opinion but it left me with a bittersweet taste where The Rise of Tomb Raider left me with a more satisfied impression.

It took all the good parts of the 2013 game, increased them, then transformed the negative aspects into positive ones. In one word, the developers listened to the players.

I just can’t wait to see what they will propose for the final game of this trilogy and continue to hope they will give us a more in depth look into the psychology to our dear Lara Croft.