Tomb Raider (2013 Game)

Tomb Raider is the upcoming reboot of the Tomb Raider franchise from developer Crystal Dynamics and publisher Square Enix. It will be the tenth Tomb Raider game, but the first in a new take on the series.

Concept
Tomb Raider explores the intense and gritty origin story of Lara Croft and her ascent from a frightened young woman to a hardened survivor. Armed only with raw instincts and the ability to push beyond the limits of human endurance, Lara must fight to unravel the dark history of a forgotten island to escape its relentless hold.

Story
Fresh from "academy" (sic) and in search of lost relics, a 21-year-old Lara Croft journeys to an island off the coast of Japan aboard the Endurance, a salvage vessel helmed by Captain Conrad Roth. Before anchoring at bay, the ship is cloven in two by an unforeseen storm leaving Lara separated from any other survivors and washed ashore. She must endure physical and emotional torture in order to survive the island.

Characters

 * Lara Croft - 21 years old, in search of lost relics
 * Conrad Roth - The Captain of the Endurance

Gameplay
The game will start out with Lara having no weapons, food, water, or tools. As the game progresses, base camps become unlocked, giving Lara a place to craft new tools out of picked-up items. Base camps also offer a place for Lara to learn new skills in the "skill system" to unlock new parts of the island to explore. Fast travel will be available between base camps.

Combat is also going to be heavily emphasised, with no lock-on system. Instead, the game is employing a "free-aim" approach, keeping the HUD minimalized.

A new feature to the series will be something dubbed "Survival Instinct." When activated, items of importance will glow, helping out stuck players. Puzzles will also be much harder than in previous games. The developers say that the player will need the elements of water, wind, and fire as well as friction to solve puzzles.

Development
The game is the first in the series that is expected to get a Mature rating from the ESRB. The game will also be built on Crystal Dynamics's game engine "Crystal Engine".

Music
Crystal Dynamics has put an emphasis on music, wanting it to be of the highest quality. Sound designer Alex Wilmer stated that there would be different sound textures for all of the different areas of the game, and the music will react instantly to what is going on. The game's composer has yet to be released.