Rise of the Tomb Raider: Like a weary pilgrimage among hints for nightmares

If you’ve been out of the Lara loop since completing 2013’s Tomb Raider reboot, allow us to fill you in: there has been a series of comics released that are filling in the gaps between where 2013 Lara left off, and where 2015 Lara will pickup. Penned by Gail Simone, the comics chart the continued development of Lara, who’s metamorphosing from the ambitious but delicate University graduate you see in the reboot into the hardened spelunker we know and love from our childhood days.

Voice actress Camilla Luddington will reprise her role as Lara for the sequel, pairing up with previous Tomb Raider writer Rhianna Pratchett. The duo managed to make Lara a far more empathic and humanised character last time, so we’re confident the writing and acting talent on the sequel will be as strong (if not stronger) than 2013’s release. Crystal Dynamics has also confirmed that there will actually be tombs in this game, too fan outcry from Tomb Raider was listened to, it seems.

“ WE’RE INTRIGUED TO SEE WHERE PRATCHETT IS GOING TO TAKE THIS”

The game also looks set to travel a more self-referential and introspective path Lara’s experiences in the Dragon’s Triangle have left her fatigued and scarred, her physical cuts and bruises almost insignificant compared to the mental trauma she’s suffered. The fact Lara is in therapy is the only hard fact we know about the game so far and the fact we’re treated to a languid close-up of the therapist’s face means he’s likely to have some part in narrative (we’re willing to bet he manipulates Lara into doing something awful, full-on Hugo Strange style).

But we’re intrigued to see where Pratchett is going to take this we anticipate a Heart Of Darkness -style journey to the centre of some unforgiving wilderness, Lara’s targeted plunder merely a MacGuffin: the true reason she seeks to travel into the chaos is for her own ends, to satiate the adrenaline addiction she’s gained, to experience the primal fight-or-flight instincts that made her who she is today.

2013’s Tomb Raider touched upon somes mart ideas in its writing, but ultimately kept them to the side, the gameplay seeming to jostle the narrative out of the way whenever it could. While we don’t mind that, it would be wonderful to see Rise of the Tomb Raider really start to deconstruct Lara’s character, and make the things we have to do in her shoes truly define the Lara we got to know way back in 1996.