Lara Croft reprises her role as the protagonist in the latest Tomb Raider game. Crystal Dynamics says that this time around, players will see her in a different light than before, and that they will identify with her as a person and not as an action hero.
Speaking to Edge Magazine, the game's art director Brian Horton said that aspects of Lara Croft's personality and character will take precedence over the fact that she's a woman.
"Now, the fact that she is a woman is not lost on us, and that’s an important part of the dynamic of it being Tomb Raider, but it’s not our primary concern to distinguish that she is a woman," he said. "We are playing up the fact that she is human and believable. So far the reaction has been very positive from the people who have seen the game, they’re starting to care for her and I don’t think they’re as eager to objectify her, in fact I think they want to protect her.
"I feel like some of those players might actually evolve their perspective. They might look at it in the beginning and say 'I’m protecting her,' but as they grow with her, become closer to her, they’d start to think 'I am her' giving them the fantasy and fulfillment of being Lara Croft."
Tomb Raider is set for release on March 5, 2013 for all major consoles and the PC.