Crystal Dynamics global brand manager Karl Stewart fielded a handful of questions about the upcoming Tomb Raider reboot over on the game's official forums, touching briefly on the more serious tone and innovative gameplay mechanics the developers are looking to incorporate.
As with by everything we've seen of the game so far, Stewart's comments place a singular emphasis on survival. While putting Lara on a mysterious island means she'll inevitably do a bit of the artifact hunting she's famous for, just staying alive will be a huge point of focus in the game.
That means, among other things, that Lara won't have time for romance. "I’ve read and fed into the script now on many, many occasions, and I can tell you that there is no love interest in this game," Stewart explains. "She is trying to survive. She is busy. Surviving the situation is all she can cope with right now; surviving a relationship would be a bit tough. In one of the next releases we could possibly see this more human Lara meet someone, but that is way over the horizon."
Combat, Stewart says, will offer plenty of variety for different play styles, with equal emphasis on melee, ranged, and stealth attacks. The game's full combat system will apparently be unveiled "around E3".
In addition to fighting off enemies, Lara will need to use her combat skills to survive the harsh surroundings, a feature Stewart says he's especially keen to show off. "I look forward to fans seeing the bow in action, and to hunting. That’s what you do on an island, right? Hunt."
The increased emphasis on realism also means that Lara's trademark way of getting around — shimmying along blantantly laid out pathways — will be a thing of the past.
"We have a very wide range of fixed points, guaranteeing you’ll have freedom of movement. There are limitations, however, like not being able to jump off the side of a cliff and hook onto the side at random to free climb. The real world doesn’t work like that."
"It will feel organic and natural. The path won’t be screaming at you – no white ledges."
Tomb Raider is scheduled to release in the third quarter for 2012 on the 360, PS3, and PC.
