Tomb Raider: Underworld Preview

E3 2008 Preview

Tomb Raider is one of those franchises that just won’t go away. Luckily, this has been a good thing as of late, as Lara Croft has been experiencing a comeback of sorts, with two great titles under her belt courtesy of developer Crystal Dynamics. Now, the third title from the developer, Tomb Raider: Underworld takes things in a pretty different direction from the more traditional Tomb Raider: Legends and Tomb Raider: Anniversary Edition by giving Lara the ability to explore vast underwater areas. Eidos was on hand at E3 this year to show us some of this new mechanic, as well as the traditional dungeon puzzles that she is so well known for.

The demo showcased by Eidos started with Lara in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea looking on the ocean floor for buried treasure. Whereas in previous Tomb Raider games, swimming would require you to stop and go to the surface for some air, Underworld gives Lara scuba gear, letting you be underwater as long as you want. She also has a host of ocean-specific weapons, like a spear gun and sticky bombs should a shark come at you.

After the underwater portion and a brief puzzle, the demo moved onto an on-foot portion where Lara had to figure out a way to get a huge Kraken out of her path. This involved a jumping puzzle where different sections needed to be activated, which was pretty standard fare for Tomb Raider titles. Lara does have some new abilities to help her in her journey, including a new rappel feature for her grappling hook, and adrenaline moments, which are predetermined slowdown moments that slow the game down for you to do certain moves.

Look for Tomb Raider: Underworld to launch on November 18.

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