Summary
It’s been quite the year for every gamer’s favorite treasure hunter. No, we’re not talking about Nathan Drake. We’re talking about Lara Croft,also known as gaming’s most iconic character ever. Betweenthe anniversary collection,news of a live-action series on Amazon Primeand an upcoming anime series, longtimeTomb Raiderfans and newcomers alike have been pretty spoiled.
On Thursday, fans got a first look at Hayley Atwell’s portrayal of Lara Croftvia a Netflix sizzle reel. Previous teasers conspicuously did not have any actual lines outside of some grunts, so this is the best preview of Atwell’s take on the character yet.
Thursday’s teaser revealed her voice in full, and it is majestic. Granted, it’s only two lines of dialogue and just eight seconds of footage, but Atwell has certainly nailed her portrayal Croft.
Thatteaser was immediately met with praise from fans of the series. “Hayley sounds fab as Lara,“wrote one user on Twitter.Another chimed in, writing, “Y’all need to get her into the booth for Tomb Raider 12.”
As for the anime, it will pick up after the events of the Survivor Trilogy. The Survivor Trilogy, of course, is the group of games thatwere released across two console generations; Tomb Raider,Rise of the Tomb RaiderandShadow of the Tomb Raider. Those games all received definitive editions for modern hardware. Theofficial plot synopsis is as follows:
Following the events of the Survivor Trilogy, Lara Croft (voiced by Hayley Atwell) has abandoned her friends to embark on increasingly more perilous solo adventures. But she must return home when a dangerous and powerful Chinese artifact is stolen from Croft Manor by a thief with an uncanny personal connection. Her daring pursuit will take her on an adventure around the world and to the depths of forgotten tombs, where she will be forced to confront her true self, and decide just what kind of hero she wants to become.
Thursday’s reveal is a welcome bit of news for the franchise, though details on the next game are still sparse. A new Lara Croft design popped up in February, showcasing a unified look for her between the original and reboot trilogy,though some Crystal Dynamics employees reportedly refuted that image as being Croft’s new look. Instead, they deemed it just “a vision.” Elsewhere,it’s been rumored that the next game is “well into full-scale development.“Perhaps news of a new game will coincide with the anime’s release. Here’s hoping.
