The Tomb Raider reboot trilogy is critically acclaimed and has allowed Lara Croft to fully flourish on current generation consoles. Now that she has some great recent games under her belt, it’s time for Ms. Croft to continue on to be the full-fledged Tomb Raider that we’ve always known her as being.
Tomb Raider’s Release
The newest Tomb Raider game to release was 2018’s Shadow of the Tomb Raider. It featured Lara’s descent into a darker path, where she fully leaves behind her days of doe-eyed shock and instead steps into the shoes of a cold-blooded killer. Sure, Lara still has feelings and emotions, but if an adversary crosses her path, she won’t hesitate to deftly take them down.
Hiding in the shadows, wearing camouflage mud on her face and looking a tad crazed, Lara now emerges from the bushes to savagely take down her foes with stealth and brutality. If a group of soldiers is shooting away at her, she takes the lead and uses a semi-automatic arm to mow down any and all in her sights.
Shadow was a great way to send off Lara’s origin story, but what will come next? Square Enix and development studio Eidos-Montréal have a couple of options from here, as we’ve now caught up to the original timeline presented in the 1996 PlayStation 1 title.
Is ‘Shadow of the Tomb Raider the last game in the reboot series?
Yes, Shadow of the Tomb Raider is indeed the last game in the reboot series, but there is likely more to come in Lara’s globetrotting adventures. Square Enix has stated that “Shadow of the Tomb Raider is the cinematic finale of Lara’s origin story.” The important thing to note here is the language of “origin story,” as opposed to “the finale of the Tomb Raider series.” The trilogy of the origin story may be completed, but Lara’s adventures are just getting started.
Experience the final chapter of Lara Croft's origin story in Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition now available digitally & at retailers in select regions on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Steam.
Buy Now https://t.co/mqbBu8tbEm
Learn More https://t.co/oujmZUdS2J pic.twitter.com/VLwPzF9fxI— Tomb Raider (@tombraider) November 5, 2019
Will ‘Tomb Raider 4’ be a sequel to ‘Shadow of the Tomb Raider?
More likely than not, the Shadow of the Tomb Raider sequel will be a remake of the first game in the series. While 2007 saw a remake of the first Tomb Raider in Anniversary, nearly 15 years have passed since that title released for the PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii console generation.
The telling of Lara’s origin has been crafted for this reboot. For the first time in the series, we have a perfectly cohesive picture of Lara Croft as a young woman. She didn’t come in guns blazing, and now that she’s had some time to wear the clothes of a mercenary, we know now how she became the woman she is in the first Tomb Raider.
Some are suggesting that Square Enix should leave the original three PlayStation 1 games alone. They stand the test of time and are the ones that need the least amount of improvement. Lara’s fourth adventure set in Giza, the 1999 Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, could be the logical next step in the latest reboot sequel of Ms. Croft.
Whether or not a remake of the 1996 PS1 title or 1999’s Last Revelation is in store, one thing’s for sure: the next Tomb Raider game to follow Shadow of the Tomb Raider will likely be a remake of one of the PlayStation 1 classics. Lara’s origin stories have done a great job of leading up to all of the epic moments that we experience in the original trilogy. While a brand new adventure following the origin trilogy would be great, it wouldn’t make sense to linger in Lara’s past for too much longer.
‘Tomb Raider 4’ sequel release date announcement
Square Enix recently released the definitive edition of Shadow of the Tomb Raider, meaning it’s likely that a sequel announcement is just around the corner. The first title in the Tomb Raider reboot series released in 2013, and the next, Rise of the Tomb Raider, hit two years later in 2015. The latest title, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, released three years past that in 2018.
In January of 2021, Tomb Raider celebrated 25 years as a franchise! With this celebration came some updates on when fans could expect the next game to arrive as well as what it might look like. Game director Will Kerslake teased that because the original Tomb Raider games featured a seasoned they are looking forward to, “a future of Tomb Raider unfolding after these established adventures, telling stories that build upon the breadth of both Core Design and Crystal Dynamics’ games, working to unify these timelines.”
Stay tuned with Stanford Arts Review for all the latest updates.
