Lara Croft’s next big adventure from Crystal Dynamics and Amazon Games is still a few years away, but her next small adventure drops later this month. Tomb Raider Reloaded, Lara’s first foray into the roguelike genre, will be released Feb. 14 — Ms. Croft’s birthday, according to the “Survivor” trilogy timeline — on Android and iOS devices. It will be available through Netflix at launch as part of the streaming service’s game offerings.
Tomb Raider Reloaded looks starkly different from the action-adventure-platforming games that starred the classic Lara Croft seen in the mobile roguelike game. It’s a top-down, room-clearing exercise in raiding tombs, featuring the expected obstacles: traps, animated rock monsters, yeti, bow-wielding guards, and Tyrannosaurus rex. The roguelike draws on familiar Tomb Raider locations for its levels, including Vilcabamba, the Lost Valley, and St. Francis’ Folly.
Developers Emerald City Games and CDE Entertainment (part of Crystal Dynamics/Eidos) say that players can expect “ever-changing rooms” and gameplay modifiers like XP boosts, craftable weapons, runes (which boost Lara’s stats), and cosmetic upgrades (like Lara’s famous bomber jacket) to keep things fresh in the run-based game. Returning to voice Lara Croft in Tomb Raider Reloaded is Keeley Hawes, the veteran actor who has brought Lara to life in Tomb Raider: Anniversary, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, and other games.
Tomb Raider Reloaded appears to be a nudge in a larger push to bring Lara Croft back to screens everywhere. Netflix has a Tomb Raider anime in the works, and Amazon is making a live-action series with the help of writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge, known for her roles in Fleabag and the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Then, of course, there’s the next Tomb Raider video game, an Unreal Engine 5-powered follow-up to Crystal Dynamics’ Survivor trilogy, which capped off with 2018’s Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
While we wait for all that, mobile gamers can try their hand at Tomb Raider Reloaded, which is available for pre-registration through the game’s official website and Google Play Store now.
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