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Early Tomb Raider Gameplay Concept Video Released

A video has been released to show some of the early gameplay concepts that were considered during the reboot process for Lara’s latest adventure. This usually is the case when a series goes in a different direction that many ideas are talked about before finally the final product is realized. Resident Evil 4 went through many different forms, my favorite being a haunted house scenario with ghosts, before settling on infected villagers in Eastern Europe. Let’s take a look at the new video and then I’ll go through all the ideas that were absent from the final game.


One of the first things we see is Lara helping a small child by putting them on her back whilst she crosses gaps. Perhaps Lara had a child or she finds one she must help after she is shipwrecked. Not surprised this didn't make the cut with the grizzly ways Lara can die, it would cause a lot of uproar with a child involved.



Next we see horseback riding which would have been a great way to get across the island. The mechanics look quite fluid so I’m surprised this was completely removed. The areas are more compact in the final version than shown here so maybe a horse just would not be useful when you are constantly climbing.


We also see Lara using her trusty bow on a enemy, but it seems she can select which area of the enemy to attack and they react accordingly. If she shoots their leg it struggles to walk and falls around. This looks very fun and is a shame it wasn't included even though the bow is still a fun weapon to use.


We also see many different types of monsters attacking Lara. The best is some sort of giant that appears out of nowhere and starts to chase Lara as she flees on horseback. She eventually falls off her horse and is forced to jump off a cliff to escape. The camera then slowly pans around to reveal multiple monsters chasing Lara. This concept seems awesome and is a really great set piece.


Finally we see Lara using a flamethrower to toast multiple enemies. Again this weapon looks really cool and is a shame it was not included. It seems that in the end Crystal Dynamics decided to keep the game grounded and just focus on the core mechanics and reinventing Lara which I think they pulled off. It does make me excited for a sequel though as I think there is a lot they could improve and these concepts prove there is more to come from this franchise.

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