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TOMB RAIDER THE LAST REVELATION REMASTERED DEEP DIVE
[ 22 January 2025 ]
Crystal Dynamics has published a deep dive into Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation Remastered and Tomb Raider: Chronicles Remastered, featuring insights from creators Andy Sandham and Richard Morton, along with a sneak peek at Lara Croft and Werner Von Croy. The deep dive was posted on the official Tomb Raider blog.
In The Last Revelation, Lara's character takes a darker turn. While earlier games focused on her quest for ancient artefacts, this entry introduced a more introspective Lara, grappling with the consequences of her actions. Sandham and Morton explained how the game's plot was influenced by adventure films like Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark, with Egypt chosen as the primary setting due to its rich history and vast unexplored territories. This allowed the team to craft intricate puzzles and traps, giving Lara a new, more grounded challenge.
One of the key narrative elements explored was Lara's evolving relationship with her mentor-turned-nemesis, Von Croy. Morton shared how they aimed to make Von Croy a more complex character, mirroring Lara's own flaws. Sandham noted that Lara's overconfidence, seen in her early reckless actions, would later mirror Von Croy's hubris, allowing her to mature into a more responsible figure.
The Last Revelation also marked a shift in the team's approach to storytelling. With the benefit of planning the narrative from the start, they crafted a more cohesive plot, aiming to give Lara deeper personal growth. Sandham explained how the overarching theme of "taking responsibility for your actions" reflected both personal and industry-wide growth, as the team became more aware of the growing global influence of video games.
In Tomb Raider: Chronicles, Lara's past is explored through a series of vignettes, with a tone that blends nostalgia and finality. The game revisits key moments, including the retrieval of the Iris, and introduces new adventures, such as the eerie Black Isle chapter. The developers revealed that Chronicles was conceived as a "greatest hits" package, offering fans a retrospective of Lara's adventures while allowing the team to reuse assets and deliver a compelling farewell to the series before the shift to the PlayStation 2 era.
Looking ahead, both Sandham and Morton expressed their gratitude to the fans who supported the series over the years. They advised newcomers to the remastered games to explore every corner of the environments, as they did during the original design process. Sandham also fondly reminisced about the creative challenges of pushing the limits of the engine and design at the time, with Tomb Raider: Chronicles emerging as a standout title for its technical and narrative accomplishments.
With the remastering of these iconic games, Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered aims to introduce Lara Croft's character evolution to a new generation, while giving long-time fans the opportunity to relive the adventures that helped define a gaming legend. Hop on over to the official Tomb Raider blog to read the full interview with Andy Sandham and Richard Morton.