EDITED OP NOTE:
A quick note before I start, since Era doesn't bode well with reboot Lara:
If you claim something, back it up. I claimed something, and I backed it up with a long ass OP. PLEASE NO DRIVE-BY POSTS - For someone to just drive-by and drop one sentence saying "no, she sucks lol." is disrespectful to the nature of the thread and to their writers/other debaters involved. Sure, we all have opinions, and I'm not forcing mine on anyone, but in respect to the type of thread (an in-depth analysis) I expect that if you disagree, at least back it up with some substance and evidence. Otherwise, if you don't have the time or don't feel like it, then just don't respond.
Furthermore, this is not a TR vs. UC thread, this is not a thread discussing the gameplay or the departure from the old Lara and classic series. This is not a dual pistol versus climbing axe/bow comparison thread. This is not a Lara needs a bodysuit and shorts to be Lara. This is a thread about the current (and frankly, the most successful) iteration of Lara Croft, specifically her character growth throughout the trilogy by Crystal Dynamics: the 2013 release, Tomb Raider; its sequel, Rise of the Tomb Raider; and the finale and upcoming release, Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
________________________________________________________________________________________
A quick note before I start, since Era doesn't bode well with reboot Lara:
If you claim something, back it up. I claimed something, and I backed it up with a long ass OP. PLEASE NO DRIVE-BY POSTS - For someone to just drive-by and drop one sentence saying "no, she sucks lol." is disrespectful to the nature of the thread and to their writers/other debaters involved. Sure, we all have opinions, and I'm not forcing mine on anyone, but in respect to the type of thread (an in-depth analysis) I expect that if you disagree, at least back it up with some substance and evidence. Otherwise, if you don't have the time or don't feel like it, then just don't respond.
Furthermore, this is not a TR vs. UC thread, this is not a thread discussing the gameplay or the departure from the old Lara and classic series. This is not a dual pistol versus climbing axe/bow comparison thread. This is not a Lara needs a bodysuit and shorts to be Lara. This is a thread about the current (and frankly, the most successful) iteration of Lara Croft, specifically her character growth throughout the trilogy by Crystal Dynamics: the 2013 release, Tomb Raider; its sequel, Rise of the Tomb Raider; and the finale and upcoming release, Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
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The now-trilogy series (or any Tomb Raider game, really) hasn't been known exactly for its outstanding plot, as it's not anything innovative really. However, what I think is greatly overlooked and underrated is Crystal Dynamics' efforts on Lara Croft's personal psychology, emotion and mental journey throughout the three games. The trilogy, penned as the "Origin Story" of the already-badass Lara you play as in the very first few Tomb Raider games on the first Playstation.
Introduction
In those old games, Lara is in her late-20's-early-30's and is cold-blooded, calm, collected, and highly skillful in traversing the hardest of platforms, combating mythical creatures and killing anyone - even humans - that get in her way without thinking twice, and overall tomb raiding. She also quips and has a witty sense of humor; but she doesn't like to open up or dwell on the past. What made her the person that she is? Why is her personality aloof and sense of humor dry? How did she learn to become a master at combat and platforming? When did her obsessions with raiding tombs start? And where did it happen? The five W's are questions that were never answered in the classic games... but this is where the "Origin Story" trilogy kicks in. It attempts to answer those questions; and while the tools and contexts it uses to answer those questions are not innovative by any means, the impact on Lara Croft herself -- which is the main purpose of the creation of this entire trilogy to begin with -- is often overlooked. Crystal Dynamics uses creative contrasts, environmental metaphors, conversational references and subtle expressions throughout the trilogy to enhance and explain the early-30s Lara we know.
Disclaimer: For the sake of simplicity, I will not be bringing up the comics in the series and will only focus on the three games themselves. In addition, there will be spoilers for Tomb Raider (2013) and Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016).
The Beginning: A Survivor is Born
"When all seemed lost... I found a truth, and I knew what I must become."
Lara, a rookie archaeologist, has her own research about Yamatai's whereabouts. She might be a novice archaeologist, but she's a smart one. Her research had a lot of meat to it and everyone around her believed in it except one person: herself. She is constantly in doubt of her very own skills throughout this entire game in every context, but is constantly getting reminded by the people around her that she is talented and capable.
The doctor, Whitman is hellbent on where he thinks the ship should go in order to find Yamatai, but Lara has come to the conclusion form her research that the doctor is wrong and that they must go into the Dragon's Triangle instead. Whitman is more than skeptical, as Lara is a newbie in the field. He disregards her intelligence and thinks she has no idea what she's talking about. The decision on where the ship will go comes down to Roth. As the captain, he decided they should go with Lara's suggestion.
That suggestion by Lara is the action that kickstarted what Lara's character in the very first Tomb Raider game on Playstation 1. The butterfly effect is in motion, and we now see the consequences of such a small action unfold before us until that moment where we meet the experienced Lara in her early 30's.
"I finally set out to make my mark and find adventure, but instead, adventure found me."
Lara's suggestion to go into the Dragon's Triangle hit the jackpot, but not without dire consequences. Upon arrival, the ship is struck by a strange but deadly storm that strikes the ship and its members. With the ship in ruins and its members washing ashore on a mysterious island -- Lara did indeed find Yamatai, but it is infested with a dark history and savage people that kill without thinking twice.
Lara wakes up alone and tied up. Panicking, she screams and yells for help. "What is this place!?" she says in fear and in a scared, crying tone. She is continuously yelling her teammates' names and is in a state of obvious fear and panic. She finds one of their radios and uses it to contact Roth, who's now helping her coordinate where they should meet. She is afraid and scared, and cries to him: "Roth, please come get me." In fact, she constantly shows defeat by showing submission to the circumstances. As her uncle figure, Roth reminds her that she's the daughter of Richard Croft -- Roth's best friend -- and Lara's father, and that there's nothing she can't do. Even then, she hesitates: "I don't think I'm that kind of Croft." In where Roth reassures her that she is, she just doesn't know it yet.
Lara finds a bow and is starving, she is forced to kill to survive. Years of archery with Roth gave Lara the ability to be a sharpshooter, so aiming at the deer in sight was not hard for Lara; killing it was. She blurts out "sorry..." before skinning it, she is evidently uncomfortable in doing it bus is forced if she wants to survive. She fights her way throughout the island to try to find Roth, and that's when Lara is then attacked by the island's inhabitants.
Lara is forced, in self-defense, to pull the trigger on one of them. Even though they were going to kill her and physically assaulted her, they were still a human being and Lara pulls the trigger on one of them blowing their head off. An unpleasant sight and not in realization of what she has committed, Lara breaks down crying.
What amplifies Lara's sadness and grief is her guilt. Lara's guilt is through the roof; she blames herself for the reason that they ended up on the island due to her suggestion. Throughout the journey, her teammates and other survivors are one by one dying to the deadly island in one way or another. And with each death, Lara's guilt is increased dramatically where she starts to develop a little tunnel vision: she doesn't care about anything but getting person x out of danger, this tunnel vision is dangerous and is a slippery slope, as sometimes saving person x could mean letting y and z die. She rendezvous with Roth, who tells her that he is hurt and will take time to recover, but she needs to climb a radio tower and call for help. She says that she doesn't know how to climb, and that she can't do it, but he gives her a small pep talk. Accepting that she's their only hope at getting out of the island, "let's hope I'm a fast learner then," Lara blurts before climbing the radio help and calling for help.
She succeeds and a plane comes to rescue them, but is struck by mysterious lightning. Lara insists on investigating the crash site, but Roth tells her that's suicide: The morality of the situation is not as black and white and that is something Roth is trying to instill in her. Her naiveness and delusional mindset, while noble, is not necessarily smart, ironically.
Upon the situation where the pilot sent to help them is dying, Lara is still determined to go save him despite affecting the team's chances of survival. Roth tells her that she needs to make sacrifices sometimes, she defends herself saying "I know about sacrifice," where Roth corrects her by saying that she knows about loss, not sacrifice. As loss is a choice made for you while sacrifice is a choice you're willing to make. Lara is shaking her head in disbelief and is not having it with the discussion and simply says "I can't choose to let him die, Roth." before going on a task to save the pilot.
Lara ultimately fails to save the pilot. And finds her self in a chain of unfortunate events, but she makes an important discovery: throughout navigating the island and raiding some tombs, Lara realizes that the island has a mystical energy that controls it and no one can escape the island alive. Lara has figured out the puzzle and knows that the solution to leaving this place is to confront its darkest secrets -- however, her teammates think she has gone insane and do not have any faith in her. In addition, some of the members subtly and passive aggressively mention how this is Lara's fault to begin with; which doesn't help Lara's already-in-shambles state of mind.
The group gets attacked and one of the savage inhabitants throw an axe at Lara, but Roth quickly turns his back to save Lara. The axe strikes Roth, and Roth dies. Lara is distraught is breaks down crying, as the only father-figure left in her life is now gone. One of her colleagues even blames Lara for Roth's death, but Lara has grown numb to the blame due to how much sadness and guilt she has accumulated. Lara snaps, and Roth's death makes her way more angry than she is sad. Determined she sets out to end the fuckery going on in the island. She picks herself up and heads to end it all.
Lara puts two and two together and realizes that the doctor, Whitman, is not who he appears to be. She finds out he has been helping Mathias, the leader of the Solarii -- what the savage inhabitants call themselves -- and she is on a quest to personally finish him and his bullshit once and for all.
The last section of the game has Lara defeating waves and waves of foes. The last section of the game is Lara fighting, fighting and more fighting. It's the climax and summary of her experience on the island so far: she continuously fights through, no matter the odds.
And after much struggle, but much determination as well, she succeeds. She ends Mathias' life and Whitman dies in the process. Lara also single-handedly solves the puzzle of the mysterious force that controlled who escapes the island, realizing that a myth about a Sun Queen, Himiko, was in fact not a myth, but reality. Lara and the remaining survivors: Sam, Jonah and Reyes, set out to go home.
One of the guys that came to rescue the team notices that Lara has changed. "From the look on your eye, I don't even want to ask what happened to you that island."
Lara doesn't comment. "We'll be home soon," he reassures Lara.
"I'm not going home," Lara says, and thus, a survivor was born. In general, the theme here is "to survive" in the game; it's constantly shown through cinematics, the side characters interactions, the combat, dialogue, gameplay segments, etc.
The Ascension: Making Her Mark
"We become who we're meant to be."
Lara is resolving her trauma by going to therapy. The psychiatrist is amazed at her progress with coping, but is quite baffled at the tunnel vision she has developed; it's almost an obsession.
"When you're ready, open your eyes. I think we're making progress in these sessions. You say the flashbacks have stopped...
This is excellent improvement, but I'm concerned that you're still shutting yourself away at home. It's important to gradually take steps into the outside world. Take some walks, maybe pick up a nice hobby. A girl your age should be exploring new horizons. I'd like to know you're taking care of yourself, for many people these traumas become a mental trap; they get stuck like a ship frozen on ice. There's another type of people.. do you know what happens to them, Miss Croft?"
"We become who we're meant to be."
Lara has overcome the sadness and angst accumulated during and after Yamatai, and the only emotion she feels now is confusion and she demands answers for it. She sets out to complete her father's last research, The Divine Source, also known as: the ability to become immortal. Lara's determination to complete her father's research is shown when Jonah, one of the few survivors from the island, is skeptical towards Lara's justifications of finding out whether it was possible to become an immortal. Her father's lover, Ana, doesn't encourage Lara either - she cites the insanity of Richard Croft and that to follow in his footsteps would lead to the same fate: death. This is foreshadowing in so many ways.
After much research, Lara decided to raid a tomb in Syria as her first clue in what to do next. She finds out that The Divine Source exists, and it's in Siberia. She then plans to go there as she's incredibly confident in her research, but Jonah checks her saying she is grasping at straws. She went from working late shifts at a pub to funding expeditions that will most likely be fruitless as the only main evidence Lara has is her gut feeling. (This is contrasting how in TR2013, the opposite would happen: she is constantly doubting her research but her friends encourage her). However, as she and Jonah argue they are attacked by a member of a cult group called Trinity - who are desperately searching for The Divine Source as well. Jonah now believes something is fishy, and agrees to go with Lara to Siberia.
After being abducted, she wakes in a facility tied to a chair and in front of her is Ana, who's also tied to a chair. Ana is seemingly confused and starts asking Lara "where are we?!" Lara says that she's sorry and that she's the reason they abducted her, probably using her as leverage. Lara attempts to escape to save both of them, but Konstantin appears and begins strangling Ana while asking Lara about the whereabouts of The Divine Source. Lara honestly does not know, and begs him to stop... before realizing that Ana is faking being strangled. Ana is working with Trinity it seems, Lara is shocked; but is even more shocked when Ana has the audacity to try to recruit Lara into joining Trinity. To which her response is a no. fucking. way.
"I know that you're looking for The Divine Source," he tells her. Now Lara's listening. She breaks him out and they cooperatively escape the facility. After gaining his trust by helping his people fend off Trinity, he warns her that in order to get what she's looking for, she must pass through a place that will most definitely kill her. But Lara is determined to always shut down Jacob, "I'll take my chances." However, he still refuses to tell her the location of The Divine Source, Lara is fed up and tells him that she'll find it, with or without his help. He realizes her stubbornness and determination, and lets her find the Atlas, which is a map that shows the location of The Divine Source. Her determination to keep going is similar to to her determination to keep going in the first game, however the differences here are in the first game she wants to keep going as in keep surviving and escape the island. In Rise, she wants to keep going as in delve deeper into the territory and penetrate the city.
Lara succeeds in finding out the location of The Divine Source, which is placed on top of the Lost City. In order to get there, you have to climb, climb, climb and climb some more. The last section of the game is mainly climbing before a 2-parter boss fight. You use every climbing tool you've earned in the game for the last part of the game, the climbing arrows, the climbing axe, acrobatic jumps, the rope repelling and the grappling hook. The last part is even called "Ascension".
After killing Konstantin, she finds that Ana has beat her to The Divine Source. Ana is dying from sickness and wants to use it on herself. Lana's original plan for if the myth were to be real, was to take it and have it studied and researched as it could help the humanity and eliminate sickness and death. But what if the wrong person becomes immortal? The cost is too high, which is why Jacob never wanted Lara to find it. Now realizing this, Lara intends to destroy The Divine Source; and gives Ana a monologue about how death is a part of life, a part of being human. Ana, unconvinced, says that it's easy for her to say since she's not the one who's dying, but Ana is more baffled at how Lara is willing to hide away The Divine Source from the world and leave her father's reputation ridiculed for being delusional and insane, as proving The Divine Source is real would re-establish Richard Croft's reputation as respectable as he's been right all along. Lara looks down at the floor, before looking back at Ana and deciding that she's willing to make that sacrifice... This is detailing the growth she gained from Yamatai when Roth explained to her that sometimes, "the right thing to do" is not easy to determine, which is true even for Lara here, as she hesitated for a second when looking down at the floor, before willing to make a sacrifice for the greater good.
The End: Becoming the Tomb Raider
"After all I've sacrificed, I have to wonder... What will I become?"
The artifact at hand is a Mayan dagger that if taken, can result in a devastating apocalypse that will end the world. Lara sets out to take the dagger before Trinity does, and she succeeds, but as a result she will indirectly end all life on Earth because of a selfish act. Like a person craving a high: they only suffer the consequence and regret the action during the comedown -- that's exactly what Lara is suffering from. She knows she fucked up, big time. Her impulsiveness to "save the world" is ironically what will end the world. This is a mistake she already did in TR2013, when Roth explained that she has to make sacrifices and the moral choice is not as black and white as she thinks, then she appeared to have learned her lesson in Rise when she makes the sacrifice at the end of letting her dad's reputation stay forever tarnished for the greater good, but now she has relapsed. And that is something a lot of people can relate to: sometimes even after making a mistake then learning a lesson from it, you might end up doing the exact same mistake down the line. The "relapse" also works when using her obsession with seeing Trinity fail as a "drug" and Lara gets a "high" when she fulfills her tunnel visioned task no matter what else suffers in the process.
No hope -- or friends -- left, Lara is left alone and forsaken
The game hasn't been released yet, but from the gameplay we have so far; the game starts in a tomb with Lara saying "What is this place?" in a calm tone filled with intrigue. (This contrasts the beginning of the TR2013, where Lara says the exact same thing but in a scared tone, detailing Lara's experience and capabilities now) we also see the exact opposite spectrum of what's happening in the previous two games: In Tomb Raider, Lara is helped by her Endurance friends and stick to her side even after tension and blaming her for the fiasco; In Rise, Jonah, Sofia and Jacob all start out hostile but warm up to Lara's ideas an cooperate with her. In Shadow, she starts out friendly with Jonah and some folks (the friendliest - and funniest - we've ever seen Lara, in fact), but upon her selfishness she loses those friends. In addition, the metaphorical "rising" from Rise of the Tomb Raider is reversed: in Rise, a lot of the mechanics introduced had an emphasis on "ascension" like the climbing arrows and the grapple hook. You climb a lot at the beginning of the game and you climb even more at the end of the game. Whereas in Shadow, a lot of the mechanics have you "descending": the new rope repelling and underground water swimming have you descending into tombs or swimming into the depths of the underground. A metaphorical way to showcase that in this entry, Lara is "descending" into madness.
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