Croft really gets lucky in the beginning, for example, when she frees herself from the first trap of the game - that arrow could have had her face written on its blade, but it settled for his side instead. Her abilities only go so far, and on an island this broken and busted, there’s a great deal of luck or coincidence at work. Croft comes into the game rather skilled - unusual given her age and personality, but even so, Croft still has difficulties. In all situations, the answer is yes, she can. At one point, though, will there come a time when she won’t have the ability to overcome? This question drives the tension and drama of Tomb Raider. She has the ability to overcome her obstacles (thank God for Roth, her mentor). “Can” and “can’t.” Croft says these words constantly, but they’re appropriate for the story’s goals.
They add muscles to Croft, physically and mentally, especially mentally as throughout the game Croft gets bolder and angrier, crying to her enemies, “You can’t stop me, you bastards!” It’s one of the more inspiring moments of the game, where she guns down a castle full of cultists for her sake and the sake of her friends. In either case, the purpose reigns supreme: These men - these falling buildings and cliffs and malfunctioning parachutes - are dumbbells. In a way, Croft fights the Sun Queen herself, and the men are hapless victims of her diabolical will. These men - Mathias, the cult leader included - are misguided servants to the Sun Queen. There’s commentary here on the male to female protagonist ratio in the video game industry, or something like that, but I’m not convinced if that argument ever sprouts. The repayments are brutal: The men on the island have no problem throwing Croft off a cliff, snapping her neck, or hanging her upside down to ruthlessly impale her.įor some, this may be a problem - young girl versus dirty, old men. Croft is a modern girl who, in true modern fashion, mucks up everything the island has going for it, and the island repays Croft for every little secret she uncovers. Yamatai is time warped: a mix of ancient Japan, World War II, and the 1980s. It’s about the island and Croft’s development both have a profound effect on one another.
If Croft was the experienced tomb raider we all know and love (or love to hate), and this story, the story of fighting crazy cultists on a mysterious island, was all writer Rhianna Pratchett could muster, there would be reason to complain.īut Tomb Raider has more going for it. For Tomb Raider, that meaning involves watching Croft grow from a university student to a survivor.
Here’s why excuse stories are good: They sacrifice a wonderful plot for a deeper purpose. Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice. Just easy-to-follow story. No mountain list of characters who you have to follow and remember like in George R.R. I’m a huge supporter of “excuse stories.” No huge, unexpected twists. But I love predictable only if it serves a greater purpose, and predictable and simple was exactly what Tomb Raider needed for the sake of creating a grand, beautiful presentation.