The saga of Lara Croft’s search for her mother, who is said to be held captive in a location known as Avalon, comes to a close in the game Tomb Raider: Underworld. Continuing the storyline in Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend and Lara Croft: Shadow of the Tomb Raider. In the video game Tomb Raider: Anniversary, Lara Croft’s search takes her to locales worldwide, ranging from the barren wastelands of the Arctic to the breathtaking scenery of Thailand. This time, Lara won’t stop investigating until she finds out what’s below the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. In the same vein, the game continues to examine the concept of monomyth, but this time it does so by weaving elements of Norse mythology into its storyline.
Exploration, puzzle-solving, and perilous climbing sequences take precedence over quick-fire gunfights and other types of immediate action in the gameplay, which is much the same as in most of the previous installments in the series. In preparation for this, Lara again picked up a few new moves, one of which was the ability to leap between walls, first seen in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.
The game includes a sonar map, which displays Lara’s immediate surroundings as a 3D grid for better orientation around the levels to assist the players in solving the puzzles presented in the game. In addition, Lara will provide general and helpful advice on the next step if the question is posed to her.
The absence of quick time events (QTEs) is one of the key ways this entry in the Tomb Raider series diverges from previous entries developed by Crystal Dynamics. Instead, time moves more slowly during crucial moments, but the player continues to have complete control over Lara’s movements throughout the game. Another modification is introducing a more non-linear level design, which is more in keeping with the style of the series’ more conventional entries.
