Lara Croft is back! After years of rumors and speculation, the Game Awards saw two new game announcements for the legendary treasure hunter in the form of Tomb Raider: Legend of Atlantis and Tomb Raider: Catalyst. Both will follow the same version of the iconic heroine with one acting as a current story, while the other is a reimagining of the 1996 original.
Crystal Dynamics and Amazon are taking some big risks with this approach, relying on the success of two big-budget games in recent years, hoping that audiences will recognize him as familiar with this reimagining of the character. Right now, she looks like a throwback to the old Lara Croft with the agency we've come to expect from the Survivor trilogy, which feels like the ideal balance to strike.
But what's really important is that she does a super fierce front flip animation as she goes up the ledges and uses her dual pistols to shoot the dinosaurs. Get that right, and I'm absolutely sold.
Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is more than just nostalgia
It's convenient that I recently played through Tomb Raider Anniversary, as it made the reveal trailer for Legend of Atlantis feel instantly familiar. Lara walks through those snowy mountain gates and finds herself fighting tooth and nail with a pack of wolves or avoiding deadly traps to unlock ancient paths. Everything about it is endearingly nostalgic, and will do a wonderful job of recreating how players felt playing the original 1996 game many years ago. Also, it no longer looks or controls like total garbage.
Lara Croft also takes this approach with her narration, positioning Legacy of Atlantis as a retelling of her story to someone in the Tomb Raider universe as she remembers exactly what ignited her passion for the quest in the first place. Giving us this game straight into the present day before this new take on the franchise is a brilliant idea. I'm curious to see how the gunplay, platforming, and storytelling hold up compared to previous iterations, and what exactly will change to reflect this new direction.
I personally want it to go deeper into the characters and storytelling, making the moment-to-moment action more nuanced and effective, and introducing a lot of new while bringing us enough of the old.
Not only do I want the original Tomb Raider again, I want it to be a springboard to something more. Something like a catalyst that can directly refer to the events of this game and to include the type of person who can use them is what Lara Croft means. It'll be hard to get right, but if Crystal Dynamics can nail it, it's worth it.
This is the beginning of something new and exciting for Lara Croft
Acting as our introduction to this version of Lara Croft, the legend of Atlantis, is scheduled to launch in 2026 and is exactly where Crystal Dynamics wants to take her. Catalyst will follow in its footsteps a year later, and will feature an older and more experienced Lara who has not only found Atlantis, but survived the Triangle of Dragons featured in the Survivor trilogy.
So I'm guessing this is the same Lara we've been following since 2013. But instead of fighting endangered wildlife, our girl seems to have turned to killing big evil paramilitary corporations in search of an ancient treasure that could destroy the world as well.
Lara can be seen in the trailer wielding a wrist-mounted grappling hook, which is used to both zip through environments and steal weapons from enemies, so you can bet this is going to be a major gameplay mechanic in Catalyst.
After scraping what I assume is one of the game's main villains, some strange crystals start erupting from the ground and destroying everything. Cut to Lara running through the old city as it is destroyed from the inside.
The tone is similar to Nathan Drake's earlier adventures, with Lara climbing complex structures and running through an assortment of environments as everything around her crumbles in spectacular fashion. Lara is no longer trying to survive, she is living and having the best time. That alone is enough to sell me on this new perspective. I hope the release model works.
On the surface, this sounds like an incredibly smart way to revitalize a franchise. This double barrel reveal of what is essentially a remake of the most beloved Tomb Raider in history, with a new chapter as well as a single updated take on the character has the potential to invest millions of viewers.
However, a single delay or major production issue could send the plan crashing down, or poor sales and reviews for Legend of Atlantis could give Amazon cold feet before the story is told. It's both an inventive approach to triple-A blockbuster launch conventions and another lingering risk that could ultimately hurt the iconic brand.
I'll be around to see where the call ends no matter what the cards say, but right now it looks like Lara Croft is gearing up for what could be her biggest comeback in history.
