Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics have released concept art and screenshots of their new Tomb Raider reboot, and from the looks of it, the game is more survival horror than the mix of action, adventure and puzzle solving that the franchise is known for. Even more surprisingly, they’ve redesigned Lara Croft from the heavily stacked shorts-wearing archeologist you remember (and had heavily polygoned fantasies about back in the nineties). Now, she’s a much more average woman…who hunts for treasure and kills crazy monsters.
In an interview with Game Informer, Crystal Dynamics Creative Director Tim Longo talked about creating a new version of Croft:
We needed to modernize her. It was sort of like reverse engineering. We started with simple premises like, we need to put her on the defensive. We need to put her in a place where she is stripped of resources, and she’s forced to react to that situation.
The interview points out that the game is being rebooted with a more realistic approach, similar to the way The Dark Knight or Casino Royale rebooted the Batman and James Bond franchises. They’ll be focusing more on the character of Lara Croft, rather than just using her as a vehicle for players.
Of course, the new, more realistic approach also covers her appearance, as she’ll be much more, um, realistically built than her previous appearance. She’ll have a smaller chest, a more proportional waist and much more appropriate clothing than those infamous skin-tight, hiked-up shorts.
The new game will find Croft stranded on a mysterious shore and having to find resources to stay alive. And despite the more realistic approach, she’ll also be facing weird Japanese-inspired monsters, just like a real archeologist.
Check out a gallery of concept art and screenshots after the jump!