I have always been a big fan of the Tomb Raider series and was quite pleased to see a playable demo of the new downloadable title Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light in the Square Enix booth at this year’s E3.
One of the first things you will notice is the dropping of the iconic Tomb Raider name and the change in gameplay style from the action adventure platformer to more of an isometric platformer with a top down view. It is also a downloadable title that focuses quite heavily on co-op gameplay. This was very exciting as finally I can play one of my favorite franchises with my favorite gamer, Norm!
This is a big change for the series and may offer a nice stepping stone into the next next-generation Lara Croft. This also may attract new fans to the series as well as possibly alienate some of the hardcore fans that have been with Lara since the beginning in the mid 90s. Either way, the game looks like it will be a lot of fun.
You can choose to play the game in local or online co-op where you can choose to play as Lara or Totec, a 2000 year old Mayan warrior awakened when Lara finds the Temple of Light and the Mirror of Smoke. Totec had defeated an ancient spirit named Xolotl by entombing the spirit and himself in the Temple of Light along with the artifact, Mirror of Smoke. Lara finds the artifact, awakening them both. Mercenaries are hot on Lara’s tail and they steal the artifact when Xototl kills the mercs and runs off with the artifact. Totec blames Lara but knows he must work together with her to get it back and defeat Xolotl again.
Lara is armed with her iconic dual Desert Eagles and her grappling hook. Totec will be able to use a shield and spears to help Lara solve puzzles. The weapons are similar to Robotron, you aim with the control stick and shoot. While playing in co-op mode, Lara will be able to use Totec’s shield for cover so she can access certain areas. Totec can hold the shield over his head to allow Lara to jump on top granting her access to areas otherwise out of her reach. Totec can use his spears to create a ladder for Lara to be able to climb higher places as well. While playing the single player version of the game, Lara will be able to use the spears to get to places and the puzzles are tailored to fit a single player scenario. This was done specifically so that the player would not get frustrated by having to rely on the AI. There is more than one way to solve the puzzles in the game giving players the freedom to choose their own solutions.
Along with the default weapons, Lara and Totec will be able to pick up other weapons like machine guns and rifles. Default weapons like spears and the Desert Eagles will have unlimited ammo while the other weapons will be limited so you will need to keep an eye on your supply. There are medkits in the levels as well, but these can only be picked up when the player needs health.
The single player campaign is expected to feature about eight to ten hours of gameplay and the multiplayer mode around six to eight hours depending on the level of teamwork. You can play the game cooperatively or competitively since the game does features a scoring system.
To Tomb Raider fans, fear not as this is just the start of a new brand and this game will not affect the development of Tomb Raider 9.
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is scheduled for a mid 2010 release as a downloadable title only for PC, Xbox Live Arcade, and PlayStation Network. The game will cost $15 and the PC download will be available on Steam.
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