This is everything we know so far about Lara’s 2018 adventure.
[Update: Shadow of the Tomb Raider has now been revealed to the world. Check out our hands-on with the first hour of the game and read on for the brand new trailer and more details about what to expect in the last game in the trilogy.]
After plenty of leaks, we now know from Square Enix itself that Shadow of the Tomb Raider is indeed the name of the next Tomb Raider title and that it’ll be released on September 14 2018.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider marks the end of Lara’s Origin story, with Square Enix calling it a “climactic finale” and “the end of the beginning”. Of course, this doesn’t mean the end of Tomb Raider entirely, but we imagine the next time we see Lara she’ll be an older and more mature character.
We now know that Shadow of the Tomb Raider will be released on September 14 2018 on PS4, Xbox One and PC.
A reveal event for the game will take place on April 27 where we’ll have the chance to see in-game footage.
The latest trailer for the game was unveiled during the global reveal on April 27 and you can watch it for yourself below. Dark and gritty, it shows a Lara that has a lot on her shoulders and a great deal to prove.
The very first teaser trailer for Shadow of the Tomb Raider was revealed on March 15. It’s a collection of quick shots but we can see Lara in a mountainous environment with plenty of ancient pyramids (Mayan by the looks of it). Sounds like Tomb Raider to us.
The global reveal
After the game’s official announcement, fans have been awaiting more information on Shadow of the Tomb Raider which came in abundance during the game’s April 27 global reveal. A new trailer, brand new screenshots, and hands-on write ups all came together to paint an altogether clearer picture of what Lara’s next adventure will bring.
What will it be about?
Shadow of the Tomb Raider will take Lara and her fight against the evil Trinity organisation to South America. Here she’s racing against time to save the world from a Maya apocalypse.
It’s an apt area of ancient history to explore for the final game in the trilogy.
The Mayas were able to accurately predict solar eclipses hundreds of years in advance and the Dresden Codex shows this. According to Susan Milbrath, the curator of Latin American art and archaeology at the Florida Museum of Natural History, groups of indigenous Mayas associated eclipses with end times and destruction.
The Ch’orti’, she reported in an article in the New York Times, believed “an eclipse of the sun that lasts more than a day will bring the end of the world, and the spirits of the dead will come to life and eat those on earth.” The Lacandón, on the other hand, thought that during an eclipse the Earth would split and that jaguars would emerge “and eat most of the people.”
The first stage of the apocalypse in the actual game is a tsunami which washes away an entire town. We’re not sure where things go from there but if that’s stage one we imagine it isn’t good.
All of this ties in very well to a finale for Lara’s journey. An eclipse means the end of an age and the beginning of a new one. It’ll be interesting to see how this will all come together.
The title implies a darker take on Lara’s journey so far, but the games have already been pretty dark, with supernatural goings-on, Lara’s struggle to become the confident raider of tombs we all know and love, and her troubled family history.
This time around, we’re seeing Lara face up to some personal demons. She’s stronger and more grizzled as a result of her previous adventures but she also has moments of selfishness and petulance which have been exacerbated by her periods of isolation.
In Shadow of the Tomb Raider we’ll see Lara face up to the fact that her actions and her fight against Trinity is about more than herself and the lives of innocent people are on the line. The outcome of the game and Lara’s final decision will undoubtedly have a massive impact on her character and any future games in the franchise.
Writer Rhianna Pratchett has recently said she’d like to tackle an older and more grizzled Lara, perhaps we’ll see a set up for that in the end of this series.
What’s the gameplay like?
Anyone who’s played previous Tomb Raider games will be familiar with what’s on offer here. There’s a mix of combat, stealth and puzzle solving involved as well as some tense moments that depend on button mashing for survival.
The environment you’re in will change your gameplay. In enemy infested areas in the jungle, Lara will use her surroundings to hide herself and stealthily take enemies out. When they’re down to a manageable number she’ll have the option to leap out of cover and start a shoot out.
Outside of this, there are exploration elements which involve climbing using a pick axe and rappelling down mountains.
Once in tombs, Lara is working against her environment rather than using it to her advantage. Here the game’s puzzle solving elements come into play. Though the game isn’t open world, Lara will have to look around her full environment and solve puzzles to move onto the next stage. There are also a myriad of times where Lara’s exploration will take her underwater and it’s here that time is of the essence.
The official announcement
After leaks and promises aplenty, the official confirmation that Lara’s 2018 adventure would be called Shadow of the Tomb Raider took place on March 15. The game’s official website opened up to show the official release date as September 14 alongside a trailer.
It was also confirmed that the game wll be coming to PS4, Xbox One and PC on the same date. So no timed exclusives.
More information on the game will come on its official reveal event which will take place at several locations around the world on April 27.
