Tomb Raider Reboot Looks Promising

After months of sneak peeks and previews, Crystal Dynamics’ Tomb Raider was demoed on the big screen this morning at Microsoft’s E3 media briefing. Taking place right after last week’s shipwrecked trailer, our hero finds herself held captive, swinging from a rope. Video after the break.

While it’s clear the demonstration borrows a lot of cues from Uncharted, its moody and immersive setting is exactly the sort of change the series has been in need of — even if Lara talking to herself seemed a little too heavily borrowed from a certain treasure hunter.

Such little gameplay bundled with tons of scripted segments and QTEs left me wanting more, but judging by the crowd’s reaction, it demoed well on the big stage. What stole the show for me though, were the cinematic moments the game presented. Dynamics’ claustrophobic camera stays in close and presses up against the back of a more vulnerable Lara Croft, a character we’re not used to seeing.

Crystal Dynamics look to be pushing the series in a brave new direction, and with a year left in development I’d expect to see more on this title in the near future. Stay tuned.