The demo that we had a chance to play started off with the demonstration shown at the Microsoft press conference, in which Lara has to find her way out of some collapsing caves while being chased by a few unfriendly natives. The gameplay challenges seen in the game so far seem to be intuitive and link in with the real world quite well. For example, using torches allows you to light things up and, given the increased range of sight, also allow you to solve puzzles. We also got to sample a couple of the quick-time events that will be in the game, which in this case are triggered during platforming challenges.
Is that a cache that I wouldn't have seen without the help of my trusty torch?
After that segment of the demo, we were shown the next, which takes place four days after the events of Lara’s initial shipwrecking. We witnessed a man being attacked by a wolf - which is terrible for him, but for us, means goodies for the taking! And what better goodies but Meds for when you’re badly scuffed up? While we were eventually being chased by the wolves, they also proved handy in another aspect; their howling gave us a clue of where to go. With the area being very open, it was truly a blessing in disguise. This area also meant that we had a chance to see how normal platforming will work. After all, it’s no fun if every platforming opportunity presented itself as a QTE instead. As you might expect, platforming feels similar to that of Uncharted, only a little more natural, in that hand and foothold cues are far less obvious. We found Lara easy to control as well, even in midair, as she can be steered for pinpoint accuracy.
You might have already heard the comparison made, but Tomb Raider was said to have very ‘Metroidvania’-esque gameplay. That is, having a large game space comprised of several smaller areas, with certain areas blocked off depending on which abilities you have. We can confirm that this is indeed the case. As Lara gains more abilities, she can access new areas of the hub, but she will always have a base camp to call her makeshift home in the meantime. The base camp in question will allow you to upgrade your survival skills, fast travel to previously explored places, and create gear to use from your salvageable items. There was also an emphasis on only killing to survive, presumably to keep more in-character with Lara’s innocent character.
Cold and alone... poor girl.
From what we saw at E3 of Tomb Raider, we’re quite excited for it. The game looks like it is shaping up very nicely, and considering that the game is currently set for a release in late 2012, we can’t wait to see what else the final product will have in store.
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