14 DAY TRIAL // The upcoming Rise of the Tomb Raider video game has been in the news for the fact that it is now a timed exclusive for the Xbox One, but the development team at Crystal Dynamics is at the moment continuing actual work on the title and one of its main elements is the narrative.
Rhianna Pratchett, who also penned the first title in the rebooted series, says that one of the questions that will be explored in the coming experience is how main character Lara Croft is dealing with the fact that she can kill people at will and is asked to do so to reach her goals.
She is quoted by Gamsutra as stating that she is “now in a place where she knows she can kill if she has to - if she's pushed. And the world does seem to conspire to push her a lot! It's almost like she has a mode she slips into, and she's unable or unwilling to face what that really means. It's definitely something we explore in the game.”
The new version of Lara Croft is designed to have more personality than ever before and she constantly questions herself about the choices she makes and the way she is dealing with her enemies.
Rhianna Pratchett also says that writing in the gaming industry is a difficult process because traditionally the medium has been more focused on the mechanics rather than on the stories that characters go through.
At the moment, a limited number of details have been offered about Rise of the Tomb Raider, other than the fact that it will pick up threads from the first title in the rebooted series and will introduce new characters.
The actress that portrayed Lara Croft will also return and will lend her voice to the character, and the studio is teasing that other big names might be involved.
Rise of the Tomb Raider is at the moment set to be launched on the Xbox One home console from Microsoft during the 2015 holiday season, and the company says that the exclusivity is only temporary, which means that gamers will probably be able to get the exact same experience on the PC and the PlayStation 4 after a few months.
Both Crystal Dynamics and Microsoft are claiming that the current deal is in the interest of the franchise and will allow it to become more popular in the long term.