It’s been a rollercoaster ride for Tomb Raider the franchise, but what about Lara Croft the character? What is the Lara Croft timeline? What has she been through and how has she ended up where she is at the start of Shadow of the Tomb Raider? Lara Croft in Tomb Raider (2013) The Lara Croft Timeline (Survivor Trilogy) Now we wait with baited breath for this new trilogy to close with Shadow of the Tomb Raider, out September 14 on Xbox One, PS4, and PC. The game was a hit, as was its sequel Rise of the Tomb Raider, both scoring high 8s and 9s across the board.
In 2013 the series was rebooted with Tomb Raider a blockbuster, cinematic reimagining of Lara Croft that put the heroine back to the forefront of the series. So Crystal Dynamics went back to the drawing board. Three adventure titles emerged between 20, scoring 82, 81 and 75 respectively, but the 2007 arrival of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune showed how far Lara had fallen down the hero pecking order. Lara Croft’s second phase was solid, but not genre leading. Then Angel of Darkness in 2003 tanked to 56, nearly killing off the once great brand.Īs a result, Core Design was stripped of the license, with publisher Eidos handing the reins to Crystal Dynamics. The fifth game in the series, Tomb Raider Chronicles, dropped to a score of 70. But at the turn of the decade things went south. Developed by Core Design, the first four titles scored 91, 85, 76 and 79 respectively on Metacritic. In that initial period the Tomb Raider series was a huge success. But with an emphasis on story, combat, and puzzle solving, she commanded respect. Samus Aran was the only other butt-kicking female of note and she was hidden in a suit. Blazkowicz, Duke Nukem, Chris Redfield, and Solid Snake. The industry was largely skewed towards young males who identified with B.J. More meaningful.Ī female lead was at the time a big risk. She was the natural, organic next step for a generation bred on Mario, but older and looking for something more mature. The fledgling PlayStation console was ushering in a new cinematic, 32-bit, 3D era when the original game launched in 1996. A heroine that broke into a world of heroes and taught them all a trick or two. The latter one of the most beloved and revered video game series in history, the former its iconic female lead.