Of course, the hero of every story should try to earn the audience's sympathy in some way, and courageous determination is a fine way to do just that. RELATED: Realism Drags Down Video Game Design Those games took themselves far too seriously. There were witty, sardonic exchanges, action-packed sequences, magic-filled stories and all of it unapologetically goofy, which is the facet of Lara Croft that the most recent trilogy consistently got wrong. Granted, the urban areas weren't exactly beloved by fans, but the important thing to note here is that the idea of an open-world was there and, given more time, it's entirely possible it would have extended to other levels.Ĭore Design's game tried to offer fans all of that while staying true to who Lara Croft was as a character. In regards to gameplay, the 2003 video game attempted to give longtime fans a semi-open world that would have been filled with characters and areas to explore. It may not have tortured Lara as the reboot did, but it still threw her into a uniquely challenging situation, though without having to rob her of her characteristic confidence and determination. It offered gamers a grittier take on Lara Croft and her world. Just like the latest trilogy, Angel of Darkness took the franchise in a different direction.
Tomb raider 4 news 2020 full#
So yes, Angel of Darkness was full of flaws, but it possessed a lot of the same conceptual elements that contributed to the success of the reboot. The two were supposed to have known each other, something that the released game failed to explore. As if that wasn't enough, entire storylines were evidently removed from the final release, and quite hastily at that, leaving numerous bits and pieces behind, adding to the inconsistencies in certain aspects of the game, such as the relationship between Lara and Karel, the secondary antagonist. Judging by the amount of content that gamers have unearthed over the years, it would appear that the Parisian Ghetto level was meant to be something of an open-world and Kurtis Trent was supposed to be far more powerful and useful. There were also unfinished level areas, unused character animations and more. For example, composer Peter Connelly revealed an unused cinematic that featured the shaman Putai, which would have helped to explain how Lara survived her fall in Egypt. RELATED: Tom Holland Is Right About Uncharted - and Video Game Movies in GeneralĪs a result, Core Design was forced to cut a slew of content from the final version of the game. With the 2003 live-action Tomb Raider film nearing release, Eidos was eager to take advantage of the marketing opportunity, so eager that it was willing to put out and market a half-finished video game. But perhaps the worst impediment of all was the strict deadline publisher Eidos Interactive imposed on the developer. Development had been hindered by a variety of problems ranging from creative conflicts to technical issues regarding the PlayStation 2. That being said, the ideas behind it were solid, and if Core Design had been given more time, Angel of Darkness may have at least had a chance at reaching the same level of success as the 2013 reboot.Ĭore Design worked on Angel of Darkness for three years with the intention of starting a new trilogy. The game was undeniably flawed: it was riddled with glitches and bugs, contained a number of plot holes and inconsistencies and, overall, it was a hot mess. Somewhere toward the second act, this plot was entwined with and somewhat buried beneath a grander story about an immortal alchemist, an ancient order of warrior monks and a near-extinct race of Nephilim. A murder for which Lara herself had been framed. The first act revolved around the mysterious murder of Werner Von Croy, Lara's former mentor and friend. The plot of Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness saw the return of Lara Croft without ever explaining how she survived the cliffhanger ending of 1999's Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation. RELATED: Lara Croft Sequel Will Adapt Shadow of the Tomb Raider And those same fans have continued to beg the franchise to return Lara to the action star she was before. Some would rather turn away and continue pretending like Tomb Raider Chronicles was the last real installment in the original series, while others might look back fondly at that flawed gem of a game. Perhaps the best way to do just that would be to take a few steps back to the last entry of the original series: Angel of Darkness.
Tomb raider 4 news 2020 series#
Now that story is complete, and it's time for the series to bring Lara Croft back to her roots. The reboot series beginning in 2013 presented the most radically different iteration of the character, largely because the series aimed to explore Croft's backstory- how she transformed from an ill-prepared, aspiring explorer into something resembling the conquering heroine of the franchise's past. Lara Croft has been reshaped in so many different ways over the last two decades of Tomb Raider games.