Here’s the hottest scoop: Tomb Raider lovers are IN FRONT OF THE SUNSHINE. They are truly mad with the portrayal being tarnished of their dear Lara Croft. The “Main Character Energy” tweet ignited a raging debate among gamers. That phrase from one tweet—”Demand what you want like it’s non-negotiable”—really wounded gamers, and their responses were fed by frustration, nostalgia, and demands rallying Crystal Dynamics to get their act together.
First thing is the auntweighin’whisper: Lara’s visage is a one ever-changing personality. Players have just had enough seeing her change from game to game or in any number of promotional images. One user, Taphne, spilled a passionate rant: “I’m tired of watching her have 80 million different faces and not none of her own.” Amen! It’s as if the devs can’t figure out who Lara ought to be and are at this point just insulting her legacy.
Then, there’s also the mega-reboot. The franchise is too ancient to still muster classically bitter gamers toward its abandonment, all the more so with constant reboots. Then, there are more outspoken fans like Mery who can still contemplate “how heartbreaking it is to see the franchise thrown away after years of loyalty.” Those are words of truth. There have been so many reboots in the life of Tomb Raider that the counts are off-limits. The real essence of the initial games is lost in each and every inactivity.
But for real. They want the remakes. They want it yesterday. Especially, they demand the remake of Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness—that titanic train wreck with maybe the most ambitious storylines this series has ever known. Romant1cide straight-up asked for “AOD 2.” And you know what? I genuinely feel that was a good thing to want. That game deserved so much more, and the community believes Crystal Dynamics will finally give it.
Which brings me to the ongoing comparisons with Resident Evil. Given how Capcom’s series continues to prosper amidst remakes and brand-new titles, one really can’t help but feel that Tomb Raider is on hiatus. PowerfulCroft put it perfectly: “Resident Evil is in a far much better state than Tomb Raider”. Like, the sales number for RE4 Remake nearly touching 10 million, and then there’s the sheer embarrassment for Tomb Raider.
Long story short, the Tomb Raider fans have stopped waiting for anything to happen. They just want the remakes, a level of consistency, and above that, the Lara Croft that ever so deservedly respected the icon standing for her. Will Crystal listen? This question itself is totally worth a million bucks. But one thing is for sure: if this thing goes without staying true, then be ready for the apocalypse of Cronos’ own side—the rest of the fan base; and honestly, they would deserve it.
