Despite not receiving a new entry since 2018’sShadow of the Tomb Raider, there has been major movement in theTomb Raiderseries recently. This is mainly due to the IP and its primary developer, Crystal Dynamics, being sold from Square Enix to Embracer Group earlier this year as part of a deal consisting of much of Square Enix’s western IP and studios. Recently, it has been revealed that Amazon Games will be publishing the next major title in the series, with its television division preparing to produce a newTomb RaiderTV series.
With all of this buzz, it seems like 2023 will be a big year for theTomb RaiderIP, which hopefully culminates in the reveal of the next mainlineTomb Raidergame at some point during the year. Despite the development reverting back to Crystal Dynamics however, there isa lot to be learned from Eidos Montreal’s work onShadow of the Tomb Raider, mainly from its return to the series' roots with its larger emphasis on puzzle solving in tombs and crypts. There’s even another big game the nextTomb Raidercan pull some inspiration from -Uncharted: The Lost Legacy.
RELATED:Tomb Raider Reloaded Finally Gets Release Date
Pushing Tomb Raider Forward
Tomb Raider’s recent ‘Survivor’ trilogy is a great example of a trilogy that improves as each new title releases, learning from the mistakes of the past titles and pushing the series forward. Strangely enough though, the final entry in this trilogy,Shadow of the Tomb Raider, was not developed by Crystal Dynamics,the studio behindTomb Raider (2013)andRise of the Tomb Raider. Despite this, Eidos Montreal blended elements from the reboot series with the classicTomb Raiderfranchise successfully withShadow’s more open structure and hefty amount of optional tombs and crypts, many of which were a thrill to explore.
While the previous entries in the series also featured optional tombs,Shadow of the Tomb Raiderupped the ante by tradingRise of the Tomb Raider’s frequent combat scenarios with more intricate level designs and more mandatory tombs that required the player to stop in their paces and solve a physical puzzle with the tools at their disposal. This decision helped return the series to its roots of treasure hunting, bringing backthe thrill of classic films such asRaiders of the Lost ArkandThe Mummy. Given that Lara is a fully fledged tomb raider by the end ofShadow, this is a trend the series should continue exploring even beyond theSurvivortrilogy.
RELATED:Rumor: Embracer Leased Tomb Raider Rights To Amazon For $600 Million
What Tomb Raider Can Learn From Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
In many ways,Uncharted: The Lost Legacyfelt like an unofficialTomb Raidergame thanks toits focus on two memorable female protagonistsand an Indian jungle setting.The Lost Legacy’s most noteworthy introduction, however, was its central open-ended sequence upon entering the jungle, which sees protagonists Chloe Fraser and Nadine Ross traveling around in a buggy similar toUncharted 4: A Thief’s End’s Madagascar sequence. The main difference between the two though is thatThe Lost Legacyallows players to tackle its four locations in any order, which seems like a perfect fit for the nextTomb Raider.
WhileTomb Raider’sSurvivortrilogy featured areas and level designs far more complex thanUncharted’s mostly linear corridors and scripted platforming sequences, the games weren’t truly “open-world” thanks to their dependence on specific open locations for exploring and hunting. Whilethere’s debate over whether the nextTomb Raidergame should go fully open-world,The Lost Legacyprovides a good blueprint for how to blend even more open level designs and non-linear sequences with the already impressively open level designs present in Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal’s games. Such levels could even take inspiration fromThe Lost Legacy’s collectibles, which are hidden around the map, even in places players wouldn’t consider looking.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy’s approach to open, non-linear level design during its fourth chapter seems like the blueprint for the future of theTomb Raiderseries that Crystal Dynamics should take note of going into the franchise’s next big game, especiallyharnessing the power of current generation hardware on Unreal Engine 5. There is a lot of potential for sequences that see Lara driving around an open field, exploring mandatory and optional tombs in non-linear sequencing to break up the expected linear, combat centric moments that fans know and love.
