Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis “Isn’t Just for Fans,” and Is “First Step in Next Major Phase”
With Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, Crystal Dynamics is reimagining the original game that will entice franchise vets, and at the same time, possibly hook general video game players who might not be familiar with the franchise.
But how does the dev team balance catering to diehard franchise fans who are averse to massive changes, and those who are coming into the franchise fresh, and even those who are coming from the Survivor era of Tomb Raider?
This was something we asked the studio, and they were quite candid in their response.
Legacy of Atlantis Will Be the First Step in the “Next Major Phase of Tomb Raider Gaming”
In an exclusive interview with Jeff Adams, Experience Director of the game, we asked what the design philosophy of Legacy of Atlantis is, which prompted a longer-than-expected answer.
MP1st: The air has been cleared plenty of times before about where LoA sits in the timeline of games. It serves both as a remake of the original, while also being a reimagining to unify the timelines of the Survivor Trilogy and original. This begs a big question for the design philosophy: how do you strike the right balance between catering to veteran fans of the original and drawing in players whose introduction to Lara was the Survivor era?
Jeff Adams: We’re extremely appreciative of all of our fans, no matter what phase of Tomb Raider gaming or IP you entered from. If you’re one of our longtime fans from 1996, we’re so happy to still have you with us. If Tomb Raider first got on your radar because you saw the Netflix animated series, hey, welcome. We’ve got a lot of fun things coming in the future, and we’re happy you’re here.
That being said, when you’re reimagining a game inspired by Lara’s classic debut adventure, there are aspects that have to be in place to make the experience recognizable. Lara’s got to have dangerous environments to traverse. She’s got to have puzzles that challenge her. There needs to be combat that puts you up against apex predators that will try to make you their next meal. And you need a level of spectacle that brings everything together. That was true in 1996. It was true in 2007. It’s going to be true in 2027. As game developers, we bring our experience forward in how we construct our game. So, while we love Tomb Raider 1996 and Anniversary, we also understand there’s value in adding updated systems that give players more choice and more tunability in how they play. Providing a system that lets them bolster Lara’s attributes in ways that suit their tastes is a benefit. Giving them the ability to create buffs that help them navigate a dangerous challenge is helpful.
We also know that making games as immersive as possible is important, so we want the world to make sense. That drive influences aspects of the game like how Lara heals herself in the lost worlds she explores. Finding a med pack isn’t always appropriate when Lara is cracking open a tomb no one’s been in for thousands of years. So, giving her the ability to create healing items in order to continue her journey fits her history of what she’s learned to do as an adventurer in the wild.
What you get in the end is hopefully something that inspires everybody. Your core fans, from the original adventure onward, get to see quintessential Tomb Raider environments brought to stunning detail on a modern console or PC, and they can navigate them in outfits from Lara’s wardrobe of past looks that are sure to delight. You also have the tunability Survivor fans appreciate alongside the humanized Lara that they were inspired by when they played the 2013 reboot.
This game isn’t just for fans. It’s not a remaster. It’s not a coat of paint. We’re re-presenting this to all players because it’s an essential piece of Lara’s history, and it’s the first step in this next major phase of Tomb Raider gaming.
I don’t envy Crystal Dynamics’ position one bit, since they are trying to satisfy the wants of different fan bases.
In the same chat, Adams confirmed to us that Legacy of Atlantis will take about 14-16 hours to complete.
Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis releases February 12 on the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2 and PC.
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