If you were holding out hope that Lara Croft, after her traumatic and harrowing experience aboard Yamatai while battling the estranged spirit Himiko, would kick back and take some much-deserved time off, we have some disappointing news. As today’s Rise of the Tomb Raider launch trailer shows in raw, blockbuster fashion, our weathered protagonist pushes on from the events that unfolded in Crystal Dynamics’ 2013 reboot, all in the search of an elusive elixir of immortality.
While the clip boasts show-stopping spectacle in spades, perhaps the most intriguing element of the sizzle reel is the way in which the studio’s sequel bigs up the familial dynamic at the core of Rise of the Tomb Raider. Picking up the scraps of her father’s research, Lara is able to map out a rudimentary map to the alleged treasure – much to the dismay of her sister – before plotting course for Syria and, later, the icy hills of Siberia.
If Crystal’s 2013 reboot introduced us to a naive, wet-behind-her-ears explorer, then Rise will take that character arc one step further, as Lara matures into a bona fide raider of tombs that we know and love. As Crystal puts it, that’s a journey that will involve Lara venturing to “the most treacherous and remote regions of Siberia to find the secret of immortality before a ruthless organization known as Trinity. Lara must use her wits and survival skills, form new alliances, and ultimately embrace her destiny as the Tomb Raider.”
Rise of The Tomb Raider has a year-long lead time on consoles as per Microsoft and Crystal’s exclusivity deal. That means the studio’s sequel will grace Xbox platforms first on November 1o – competing directly with Bethesda’s Fallout 4 for your hard-earned cash – before making the jump to PC in early 2016 and PlayStation platforms in the fall of 2016.
