Added: 19.06.2015 0:37 | 5 views | 0 comments

A little over a year ago, Square Enix Montreal released , a new take on the mobile puzzle game featuring Tomb Raider's iconic heroine. But while Lara's puzzle journey borrows key elements from Agent 47's, the experience is vastly different thanks to new obstacles, tools, and enemies.

For one thing, Lara Croft Go's art style doesn't follow the same boardgame aesthetic as Hitman Go. It looks like a cartoon, with little Lara (of the original series, not the reboot) running from space to space, climbing up walls, and sometimes even backflipping between points. You view Lara's journey as though you're peeking at her through a canopy of trees, with the silhouettes of bugs and rustling leaves moving around in the foreground. In the distance, beyond Lara's current puzzle, you'll sometimes see something move--something large and sinister, a creature Lara may encounter in later levels.

Lara Croft Go also ditches Hitman Go's flat horizontal plane for a varied series of cliff faces, steps, and other vertical change-ups. Sometimes puzzles require Lara to move to a space and pull a lever that will alternate the terrain; walls shift up or down and platforms move into place to give Lara a clear path out. Some puzzles have spaces peppered with cracks; Lara can only walk over these cracked spaces once, as a second step will shatter the stone and send Lara falling to her demise. This adds another strategy element to an already cleverly-designed puzzle set, as it prevents you from backtracking in some areas and requires you to really think your moves carefully.

Other neat obstacles include deadly creatures. In the hands-on demo I saw, the spaces were filled with snakes. Like in Hitman Go, you can only dispatch enemies by approaching them from the side or the back. Facing a snake head on means certain death for Lara. Later puzzles introduced enemies that chase you if you move two spaces near them. Sometimes you can take these enemies out by luring them over cracked spaces and trapping them in holes, or throwing a spear at them. Spears are a one-use item that can be collected on the board, then thrown at an enemy two spaces away. Other puzzles include multiple enemies facing Lara at the beginning, so you have to choose carefully which one to use your precious spear on.

Navigating Lara through these puzzles doesn't feel like a simple puzzle game at all; I feel like I'm playing a true Tomb Raider game. A narrative connects each puzzle Lara faces, and without spoiling it I can say that it involves what she does best: treasure hunting. Players won't just be solving environmental challenges and moving pieces around, they'll be actively guiding Lara on an adventure in a new, innovative way. There's something special happening in Lara Croft Go, and it's hard to explain without getting your hands on it. It's the same Hitman Go magic, but with a twist that is unmistakably Tomb Raider-y in nature.

Lara Croft Go innovates on Hitman Go in some very entertaining ways, and I'm eager to get my hands on more. There is currently no date for the mobile game's release, but it's already looking like another high point in Square Montreal's string of creative mobile games.

Added: 18.06.2015 22:16 | 7 views | 0 comments


Based around the same board game style as Hitman Go, Lara Croft Go is Square Enixs next dash into the premium mobile gaming world. Completely controlled by the swipe of your finger, the simplicity of the Go series translates well into the Tomb Raider world.

Added: 18.06.2015 20:16 | 1 views | 0 comments


OnlySP: Some Youtube users have recorded new gameplay from Rise of the Tomb Raider out of E3 2015 that shows off some fantastic looking visuals along with our first look at combat in the game.

Added: 18.06.2015 7:16 | 8 views | 0 comments


Daniel from Press Start Australia got to see a behind closed doors demo of Rise of the Tomb Raider

Added: 18.06.2015 5:00 | 12 views | 0 comments




Common practice, when you've got a timed exclusive, is to not say exactly how long that timing is. But something being common doesn't make it any less silly. In an interview with Gamespot about E3 overall, Sony Europe's Jim Ryan was asked about Final Fantasy VII. Here's how that went: Another big E3 reveal for you was the HD Final Fantasy 7 Remake, which was a huge crowd pleaser. How long does the timed exclusivity deal last? We don’t have anything to say about that at this point in time. I understand. I remember when Microsoft announced the Rise of the Tomb Raider exclusivity deal, and Phil Spencer was engulfed by the press who were asking him how long the exclusivity lasted. I feel this issue deserves the same scrutiny. Yes, but that whole thing was very ambiguous. Yes, but this is ambiguous as well. No one knows how long Final Fantasy 7 is a timed exclusive for. [PR spokesperson: "At this stage, we are announcing that it’s coming to our platform. There’s nothing else we can say, in terms of exclusivity."] But that is ambiguous. People who want to buy this game don’t know how long it will remain as a PlayStation 4 exclusive. [PR spokesperson: "At this stage, we are just saying announcing the title, so it’s very common, especially at this stage, to say it’s coming and that it’s coming to our platform.] Do you think the exclusive window will be? Six months? More? Less?

Added: 17.06.2015 17:41 | 7 views | 0 comments


Join Lara Croft on her first great tomb raiding expedition as she seeks to discover the secret of immortality

Added: 17.06.2015 16:16 | 38 views | 0 comments


Despite a largely positive reception, Tomb Raider fans had plenty of feedback to offer to the developers of the 2013 reboot. Judging by what we've seen of Rise of the Tomb Raider, Crystal Dynamics has had its ear to the ground, listening.

Added: 17.06.2015 13:44 | 11 views | 0 comments


Witness Lara Croft begin the journey to becoming the Tomb Raider and discover the legend within.

Added: 17.06.2015 2:07 | 14 views | 0 comments



The newest gameplay trailer for Rise of the Tomb Raider was unleashed during Microsoft's E3 press conference this past week. The video footage contained Lara traversing up and across a dangerous mountain while an avalanche proceeds to take place.