For Lara Croft, 2023 holds many exciting possibilities. In addition to the upcoming release of Tomb Raider Reloaded, fans may also catch their favourite explorer on television screens and clean Croft Manor in the PowerWash Simulator DLC. Amazon Studios has announced that Killing Eve creator and writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge will be at the helm of a Tomb Raider TV series.
A new Tomb Raider game was announced last year, developed by Crystal Dynamics in collaboration with Amazon Game Studios. If previous games are any indication, Lara’s archaeological abilities will be given greater screen time in the future game.
Plans for Lara Croft in 2023 are ambitious. Tomb Raider Reloaded, a roguelike for mobile devices, is coming out shortly, and gamers can already clean Croft Manor in the PowerWash Simulator DLC and watch their favourite explorer on television. Amazon Studios has announced that Killing Eve creator and writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge will be at the helm of a Tomb Raider TV series.
Crystal Dynamics, creators of the Tomb Raider franchise, said last year that they would be working with Amazon Game Studios on a new installment in the series. This time around, hopefully, Lara’s archaeological abilities will be more prominent than in previous games.
Check out the links provided below for additional information on the Tomb Raider video game:
- Amazon Games is Bringing Out Brand New Tomb Raider Game for Pc, Ps4, and Xbox One
- Tomb Raider Reloaded: Amazon Unveils the Most Highly-anticipated Game of the Year, Don’t Miss Out!
Action-Adventure Elements Overshadow Lara Croft’s Archeology Background
It’s understandable if, especially after playing the first few games in the series, you gave less weight to Lara Croft’s expertise in archaeology. Earlier Tomb Raider titles focused mostly on intense action-adventure sections with varied degrees of realism. In Tomb Raider: Anniversary, Lara fights a T-Rex, whereas in Tomb Raider: Underworld, she faces an artificially created evil double. However, while the emphasis on action and adventure isn’t necessarily bad, it does take away from Lara’s intelligence.
The events of Tomb Raider (2013) can be terrifying because protagonist Lara Croft is an inexperienced archaeology student thrust into the role of hero. One of the series’ recurring themes is that Lara may be a little too cruel when exploring, smashing ancient artefacts, cutting at structures with her climbing axes, and stealing valuable and sometimes dangerous treasures.
Given the real-world controversies around harmful exploration and archaeological procedures, the Tomb Raider franchise should represent Lara as the informed archaeologist she is trained to be.
Possible Real-World Archaeological Methods in Future Tomb Raider Games
Crystal Dynamics’ upcoming Tomb Raider game has been said to include a mature Lara Croft. When compared to the backstory-heavy “survival” video game trilogy, this is a welcome break.
Now that Lara has been shown to be a seasoned fighter, the game’s creators should be able to put more effort into making exploration feel realistic. For example, the franchise might benefit from Lara not “stealing” any more artefacts, which would shift the focus from her oppressive familial legacy to the importance of conserving ancient history. Shadow of the Tomb Raider hints at a potential alternate perspective on the franchise, in which Lara uses her expertise to the benefit of the communities who represent that past.
Lara Croft might possibly make use of some remarkable archaeological skills in future games. Scientific dating is one such method, and it is employed in archaeology to determine the order of events based on the evidence found in ancient artefacts. On her travels, Lara had access to tools like radiometric dating and archaeological archives.
Lara could also look into the many subfields of archaeology, such as zooarcheology and environmental archaeology, which focus, respectively, on the analysis of animal remains and past ecosystems. Now that games like Uncharted and Assassin’s Creed have shifted away from reality, a new Tomb Raider game could be the right place to bring it back.