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08:24:04
Gameinformer Reveals New Lara Croft's Plot Details
With the recent Tomb Raider Trilogy completed, Crystal Dynamics is
looking to the digital download space to provide a fresh take on the
classic franchise formula. We got a first look at Lara Croft and the
Guardian of Light this morning, and found that ditching the Tomb Raider
moniker is one of the less significant changes Crystal Dynamics has
implemented. The isometric action/adventure boasts co-op play and
arcade-inspired combat, both a first for the venerable franchise.
The seeds of the story are planted two thousand years ago, when a battle
waged between armies of good and evil over a powerful artifact known as
the Mirror of Smoke. Totec, the leader of the Army of Light, triumphed
over his evil counterpart, Xolotl, and took control of the mirror,
banishing Xolotl from the world and becoming the Guardian of Light.
Totec entombed himself in the mirror within the Temple of Light to keep
it from falling into the wrong hands. Millennia later, enter Lara Croft.
The mirror caught the eye of Lady Lara Croft, who finally discovered
the temple that houses the artifact deep within the jungles of Central
America. However, in a less-than-courteous exchange, the mirror is
snatched away from her by a mercenary group that has been tracking her
every move. With the mirror removed from the Temple of Light, Xolotl
returns to power, kills the mercenaries, and vanishes. Totec also
reanimates, blaming Lara for her carelessness, but realizing that they
must work together to get back the Mirror of Smoke and avoid an eternal
darkness blanketing the world.
The riskiest change to the Tomb Raider formula is the inclusion of
co-op. Playing as Lady Lara and Totec, the pair will battle their way
through hoards of Xolotl’s minions, solve puzzles, and traverse through
ruins via a single-screen interface that allows for online and offline
co-op.
Combat and puzzle elements seem to be getting equal time in the
limelight. Lara continues to wield her trademark dual pistols, which
have infinite ammo to keep her in the fray. Her handy grapple also
returns – a key tool for solving co-op challenges. Totec is armed with a
massive shield and unlimited spears, both of which have combat and
puzzle solving applications. Totec can use his shield as a portable
platform to give Lara extra height, or can chuck spears at the wall for
Lara to vault from. Conversely, Lara can throw her grapple to create a
tightrope for Totec to cross, or perform a leap of faith, catching him
mid-jump to pull him across an expanse. Totec has embraced modern
technology to a degree, using a rifle if the situation warrants it. The
pair also has unlimited landmines, which can be used in combat or for
interacting with environmental objects.
If one player falls in battle, their co-op partner has a limited time to
revive them friend before a respawn, with a significant hit taken off
their health. Most puzzles will keep players near each other, but the
camera will pan out dynamically if the duo needs to split apart
momentarily.
In our demo we found Lara and Totec searching for the Spider Tomb, an
integral location in the narrative. The execution of the level was
intentionally non-linear, allowing the pair to pull up a map and survey
the entire area as needed. To enter the Spider Tomb the duo needed to
collect four plates and insert them into receded sections of the temple
floor. While the main goal was collecting these plates, along the way
the team highlighted a challenge tomb, which is essentially a
non-critical, optional gameplay area. These challenge tombs will reward
players with artifacts and points if bested, and we are promised that
they will test the grit of puzzle fans.
As one would expect, environments are littered with collectibles, the
most common we spotted being gems. At the conclusion of each level the
players are given a score that tallies objects found and enemies killed,
meaning there will be a friendly competitiveness to see who can ferret
out hidden objects the quickest. While the team wouldn’t go into much
detail about the points economy, they did confirm that they can be used
to unlock new items such as weapons.
While the arcade influence and the inclusion of co-op has drastically
changed the way we look at Tomb Raider (the reason Crystal Dynamics
decided to omit Tomb Raider from the title entirely) the game still
feels familiar. The Guardian of Light uses the same engine as the recent
console releases, so the environments include polished touches like
dynamic plants, shadows and physics-based destructible objects. The team
also worked hard to retain verticality in the scaled down game, being
sure not to lose the expansiveness of the tombs and vistas that we’ve
come to expect. In-game cinematic moments will explore these carefully
crafted spaces, with hand-drawn, motion-comic inspired cutscenes filling
in the narrative gaps. The music, sound effects and voice acting will
also be iconic Lara.
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is slated to launch this summer for
Xbox Live Arcade, the PlayStation Network and PC. Surprisingly, we’re
just as excited to get our hands on Lara’s first co-op adventure as we
are the inevitable AAA follow-up. The non-traditional execution of
Guardian of Light is refreshing, and one we expect Tomb Raider fans will
appreciate.
