[E3 Ambassador Blog]
The Narrative Design in Rise of the Tomb Raider
Author: Henrique | Lara Croft BR | Brazil
To begin a discussion about the Narrative Design in Rise of the Tomb Raider, it is important to first remember that there is a larger ‘project’ going on at Crystal Dynamics concerning the Tomb Raider franchise and its longstanding history dating back to the late 90’s.
For context, Tomb Raider started as a franchise in 1996 with the first game – Tomb Raider I. Due to the game’s success, it became a larger universe that included more than videogames, but other media as well. Everything happened so fast and got so big, that Core Design, the small but genius studio then developing the Tomb Raider franchise, couldn’t take that pressure worldwide, and, as a result, the franchise suffered. Lara Croft often appeared different to how she actually was (and how the fans know her). In advertising, her character was often exaggerated to be an overly sexualized and unrealistic caricature.
Years later, with Crystal Dynamics developing the franchise since 2006, the first step to growing the franchise strategically, with the goal of having more control and sustained growth of future titles, began on the Tomb Raider (2013) game, also known as the 'reboot’.
Before, it seemed that we only knew some facets of Lara Croft - a strangely unilateral piece of the great puzzle she really is. Most of the time we didn’t have chance to really know Lara Croft herself or this simply wasn’t brought into discussion. The ‘tomb raider’ we all know is, of course, human. She is also a hero, a female role model and icon that is not only a captivating female character, but a daredevil who surpasses limits, something which no other person, male or female, would come close to or be capable of.
The latest ‘reboot’ project is built the grounds of the franchise in a way that is more 'in-depth’ so it can last generations - at least twenty more years. The aim is to make a Lara Croft who is more reliable, believable and mature - even in her early fragility. She is to be a strong character in a strong franchise, and to make no more aleatory games of her (also seemingly aleatory) adventures as it inevitably was in the past because of the needs of the market at Core Design, and with the previously inexperienced (in Tomb Raider games) Crystal Dynamics.
In Tomb Raider (2013), Crystal Dynamics made the game of their careers, and it had its success. Two years have now passed and we still can see the continued impact of a successful reimagining of the franchise, which also resulted in comics, novels, an upcoming Tomb Raider movie (that appears to be real this time, not a myth) and, of course, the stunning and promising game Rise of the Tomb Raider.
I had a great opportunity to talk in person with the developers of the game at E3. Since I am writing a thesis about the narrative in Tomb Raider (2013), it was doubly rewarding to talk to people like John Stafford, the Lead Narrative Designer in Tomb Raider (2013) and now for Rise of the Tomb Raider. Once again, he is working alongside Rhianna Pratchett and Franchise Creative Director, Noah Hughes, who–I also met and talked to. We had an engaging chat about Lara Croft, her future and her progressive development as a character and the beloved Tomb Raider.
I’m going to manifest here some of my thoughts about the work of the developers on the topic of the narrative design in Rise of the Tomb Raider.
