October is truly the month that keeps on giving to us horror fans! In the spirit of the spooky holidays and Lara’s 25th anniversary, Square Enix dropped footage of an unrealized version of Tomb Raider.
The seven-minute video gives us a glimpse of what Crystal Dynamics had planned for our kick butt heroine in the early 2010s. Known as Tomb Raider: Ascension, the game leaned heavily into the horror genre. Early gameplay shows torch carrying Lara Croft transverse through some dark dungeon like surroundings, constantly looking back to see what the shadows held. Those shadows give way to the truly horrific long fingered creatures of “the lost tomb.” With her trust bow and what appears to be a pickaxe, she repeatedly engages in battle with these denizens of darkness.
About 4 minutes in, we are given glimpses of giant enemies that make Lara and her horse look like ants. Further footage of modulizations really make us wonder at the lost potential Ascension could have had. As recent games have shown, she’s not afraid to get down and dirty. Fighting the supernatural seems like a logical progression of the Tomb Raider story. Unfortunately, Crystal Dynamics chose to take Lara’s journey in a different direction, leading up to her origin reboot in 2013. But hey, this horror gamer has her fingers crossed. We never know where Lara will end up in the next game!
Check out the haunting footage. Let us know- do you think Square Enix should have released this game? Would Lara have survived the unknown horrors once planned for her?
