Lara Croft has had a tough run of it lately. For her Tomb Raider re-boot, we've seen her dirtied, bloodied, beat to hell, and covered in more bruises than the star of a Lifetime movie. And according to Crystal Dynamics' Brand Director Karl Stewart, her struggle is far from over.
Stewart took to Twitter recently to answer fans' questions, and gave some surprising answers.
Among other things, Indiana Jane has taken a page out of Master Chief's playbook. When asked about health and medkits, a staple of the franchise, Stewart responded that Croft's health will be "regenerative." This renders the screen above that we've all been staring at for months now, ultimately a little ridiculous. Now I don't feel so bad after watching her plummet down a waterfall.
While, since we're on the subject of waterfalls, I do feel a little bad for Lara. Why? Well, she can't swim. Yep. One of the first big heroines of videogaming, who was once capable of feeding grenades to sharks, can't swim. Actually, allow Stewart to clarify. "Lara can swim, but just not in this game." Confused yet? Me too.
Besides these two bombshells, the rest of the "big reveals" were fairly acceptable. A playthrough of the game will clock in somewhere between 12 to 15 + depending on your play style, there reamains the possibility of Easter Eggs, and a sequel is of course planned, depending on how well the game will perform when released.
Personally, after hearing some of Lara's new ability, and the loss of a pretty substantial one, I don't know, maybe Tomb Raider really will make you cry.
Tomb Raider releases Mar. 5 for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. A Collector's Edition is available for pre-order.