Since its invention in 1986, “Tomb Raider” has been one of the most famous video game franchises on the planet. Developer Eidos gave us a three-dimensional playground reminiscent of the classic “Prince of Persia”, only this time with a rather eccentric female archaeologist and an arsenal of guns, including her trademark two-pistol combat style.
Many fans of the franchise eagerly await the upcoming release , titled much like the very first one, “Tomb Raider”. Coming March 5 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PCs, this cinematic adventure will serve as a prequel. Lara Croft will find herself stranded on an island and forced to fight for her survival, making her into the warrior we know her to be, says USA Today .
Now for what you don’t know, shared by Darrell Gallagher, head of studio for developer Crystal Dynamics.
Gallagher begins on the location:
“Off the coast of Japan, almost exactly on the other side of the world from the Bermuda Triangle, the Dragon’s Triangle is also noted for foul weather and mysterious disappearances.”
Amelia Earhart may have disappeared in the Dragon’s Triangle, and serves as one of the character inspirations for Lara Croft in the new “Tomb Raider”.
Crystal Dynamics looked into various types of navigation through the island’s landscapes, Gallagher says:
“One of the ideas was on horseback , and the technology for this was actually developed and tested … Ultimately we discarded the horse as it would have implied the game is free roaming, which is not the case for Tomb Raider.”
The island location is made up of a series of hubs including forest glades, abandoned WWII bases, shanty towns and more, which would basically be a more dynamic version of the classic “Assassin’s Creed” travel engine. They decided to scrap the idea, citing that a horse traveling between these places would make it unrealistic.
The soundtrack is played on a particular kind of instrument.
BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts)-award winning Jason Graves has been announced as composer of the game’s musical score, but few people know Jason worked with sculptor Matt McConnell to create a sculpture-like instrument especially to capture the sounds of Tomb Raider’s island setting, says Lohud .
Gallagher says:
“The music accompanying the beginning sequence of the game is played entirely on the sculpture.”
Gallagher reveals that Lara Croft almost got a haircut:
“When Crystal Dynamics started to reimagine what Lara could look like we even went as far as chopping off the trade mark ponytail, giving her a cropped look as a way of further accentuating the move to a more dramatic, ‘real’ direction for Tomb Raider. But, as time went on the team realized that there are certain signature features which make Lara recognizable — including long hair.”
Gallagher says about the story:
“In the early stages, we had Lara shipwrecked with the only other immediate survivor a young girl who she would have to look after and protect. But as the story developed we felt Lara’s character development risked dilution, so we opted for her to be rescuing a group of survivors. This move allowed us to focus more on delivering a stronger character arc and personal journey for Lara.”
Now you know a little more about the upcoming “Tomb Raider” slated for release March 5.