Crystal Dynamics Wants You to Feel Protective of Lara Croft

If you’ve seen any of the footage of Crystal Dynamic’s upcoming reboot of Tomb Raider, then you’re well aware of the fact that Lara gets beat up pretty bad in this game. From bone-crunching falls to touchy-feely men, Lara sees it all, and the developer has finally divulged why they decided to put Lara on such a punishing path.

In an interview with Kotaku, executive producer Ron Rosenberg explained that because Lara isn’t yet the hard-as-nails heroine she will soon one day become, they’ve aimed to make her a much more vulnerable character that the player can’t help but feel protective of.

When people play Lara, they don’t really project themselves into the character. They’re more like ‘I want to protect her.’ There’s this sort of dynamic of ‘I’m going to this adventure with her and trying to protect her.’

She’s definitely the hero but— you’re kind of like her helper. When you see her have to face these challenges, you start to root for her in a way that you might not root for a male character. The ability to see her as a human is even more enticing to me than the more sexualized version of yesteryear.

Since this is Lara’s origin story, she still has a lot to learn. As such, “she is literally turned into a cornered animal. It’s a huge step in her evolution: she’s forced to either fight back or die.” Be sure to read up on our thoughts of the game here, while you patiently wait for its March 5th release.

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