5 Reasons I Like Reboot Lara
Reboot Lara has been the target of much disdain since she came on the scene in 2012. While I adore the traditional design in all her green vest top, brown shorts, gun-toting badassary; the new vision of Lara arrived at a time when I very much needed her. Like Lara, I was a recent graduate trying to make a smidgen of a mark on the world and I warmed to her new design. As I was attending my first comic con in 2013, it was my first choice and creating it was a fantastic distraction from being a carer and dead-end part time jobs.
So aside from personal connections to reboot Lara, here are five reasons why I like the reboot Lara design:
1. Bow
The addition of a bow to Lara's arsenal I believe was a fantastic choice. It is great for stealth and it feels pretty badarse to finish off a hoard of attackers with only arrows. For the 2013 game, it worked well to show development as Lara built on her crafted bow that started as a few twigs and string. Mechanically, I love using the bow and feel like Tomb Raider has mastered it better than any other game I have tried.
2. Jewellery
 |
| Sean Nash Deviantart |
Hear me out, I know this sounds like a stupid reason to like a character design, but I feel the jade necklace and the three earrings add a finish touch to the overall ideology of who Lara is. In case you have missed it, I discussed possible origins of Lara's necklace
in this blogpost and I still believe there is something more to that necklace than has already been revealed. The two earrings on one ear and one on the other appears quirky (and yes, I know of the possible insinuations that the piercings can mean, however with the rise in people obtaining a greater number of piercings, these hidden meanings don't account as much as they may have done in historical subcultures). I like the earrings so much, I replicated the second piecing position for myself!
3. Comebacks
While classic Lara holds the number one spot for one liners and comebacks, reboot Lara came out with some corkers, mainly while being held hostage in Rise or after a grueling fight. They are slightly darker in tone and I really didn't expect them while playing the 2013 game; but the 'go to hell' one fitted perfectly after being caught out and fighting waves of Yamatai's residents. So much so, I reloaded my save to hear it again!
4. Ice Axe
Again, mechanically it works very well and the ice axe works brilliantly as a melee attack, especially to get out of a sticky situation. As a gamer, I'm very much a melee person so having this option was a godsend. It was also the first weapon I created from scratch so holds a special place for that reason in addition to clearing a path at comic cons when held up in the air!
5. Survival Nature
More so in the 2013 game, I enjoyed the way survival elements were integrated. Admittedly, I did expect more in regards to hunting and crafting and while Rise did respond to this; there is a lot more that could be intergrated into the game. Nevertheless, some of the cutscene's imaginary of survival makes for some beautiful scenes of struggle and determination.
0 comments :