The newest Tomb Raider game was showcased by Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix at last years E3 conference. It featured a more realistic Lara Croft being shipwrecked on an island and searching for the rest of her crewmates. The latest trailer to launch (days before E3 2012) shows more of the gameplay we can expect, and a darker, more grown-up storyline showing Lara’s origins as the explorer we all know and love.

Firstly, this review contains some spoilers for the events and gameplay featured in the trailer, so watch the video first, then read the article below it at your leisure:

Firstly, the trailer starts with a recap of the glorious E3 demo from last years event. When the scene after the titles starts, everything that follows is created with in-game character models.

There are a number of new features in this trailer, confirming the idea that this really is a reboot for the series, rather than another lazy sequel. Some things remain the same though, as it wouldn’t really be a Tomb Raider game without them, would it?

Things that appear to have carried on the Tomb Raider theme:

• Scavenging bodies for goodies – in the case of the trailer, a hand-made bow is taken from a corpse.
• First Aid – not quite the “Medipacks” of the previous games, though. With the damage Lara appears to suffer, it is more likely to be a bandaging exercise, similar to Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.
• Guns – Lara only appears to acquire one gun towards the end of the trailer, but given the survival nature of the game’s theme, it’s unlikely this one will have unlimited ammo.
• Platforming – taking the lead from the later  Tomb Raider games, and also from the Uncharted series, there appears to be a lot of platforming, mixed in with action “set pieces”.
• Animal and Human Targets – Lara has always fought animals, and she appears to be battling with a dog/wolf in the trailer, but also appears to have human foes to face.
• Quick Time Events (QTE) – as demonstrated in the previous demo, many of Lara’s actions will require QTE button presses to enable them (the attempted rape scene seems poised for this), following on from the previous Crystal Dynamics games in the series.

Things that are new to Tomb Raider:

• A Bow and Arrows – as mentioned above, this is aquired from a corpse and is seen used for hunting (both animal and human prey).
• Lara in Pain – Lara suffers a lot in the two brief glimpses we have had into the game. Indeed all the promotional material feature a bloodied and battered Ms Croft, and the fans are not used to seeing this.
• Survival – the trailer shows lara drinking water and hunting a deer for food, indicating that we might need to keep Lara alive and sustained while she is on the island, not just safe from enemies.
• Lara’s Final Quote – “I hate tombs” is not something we expect Ms Croft to utter, especially given all that we have seen she has been through in previous games. Again this confirms that this will be a “reboot” of the series.

The overall impressions of the trailer are good. The story looks exciting, and the gameplay seems to have taken its’ lead from Uncharted with the set pieces and cinematic action sequences. The use of the bow and arrows is an interesting tactic, and combined with the surroundings and shooting animals in the eye, is more than similar to “The Hunger Games” in style and theming. One thing is for sure; the last time someone “changed” the format of Tomb Raider was when Angel of Darkness was released in 2003. It nearly spelled the end of the heroine until Crystal Dynamics stepped in and saved her in her hour of need.

The question remains though; could this be Lara’s finest hour, or will it all end tragically for the heroine? We will have to wait until March 2012 to find out.