[HTML1]

It was nearly two years ago when developer Crystical Dynamics and publisher Square Enix officially unveiled the next installment in the core Tomb Raider series, a reboot, featuring a younger (and more proportionate) Lara Croft.

The new Tomb Raider drops the any subtitles and numbers for the franchise name and promises to be the more realistic, harshest game in the series, one that would deservedly earn an M rating.

The game has been nearly four years in the works and after a delay to 2013, it won't be long before we embark on Lara's most harrowing adventure yet.

From seeing Tomb Raider two years in a row at E3 and even getting hands on to try out the combat, and take a peek at the upgradable skills, it's hard to deny the similarities between it and Ubisoft's just-released Far Cry 3. At least, in terms of what's happening thematically and in the narrative.

Croft, like Far Cry 3's Jason Brody, is hunted by the island's inhabitants, and must learn to survive on a dangerous island against all odds, learning to kill and hunt, mastering a bow and arrow, and learning skills that redefine her.

The third-person style of gameplay, from combat to platforming, is what paved the path for games like Uncharted so we'll wait and see how Tomb Raider compares and what Crytical Dynamics has learned from their own experiences and what's worked (and not worked) in the genre over the years since Tomb Raider: Underworld released back in 2008.

 

Follow Game Rant on Twitter and watch all of the Spike Video Game Awards trailers and unveilings here.

Tomb Raider releases March 5, 2013, for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

-

Follow Rob on Twitter @rob_keyes.