Tomb Raider

Is an upcoming action adventure video game, and the ninth instalment of the Tomb Raider series published by Square Enix and developed by Crystal Dynamics as their fifth related franchise title. The first in a third continuation, the game is set to provide no correlation to the entirety of the previous entries in the series; a reboot that emphasizes the reconstructed origins of the cultually influential lead character Lara Croft.

Tomb Raider is scheduled for release in the autumn of 2012 for PC,  Playstation 3,  and XBOX 360.

Fresh from academy and in search of lost relics, a 21-year-old Lara Croft  journeys to an island off the coast of Japan aboard the Endurance, a salvage vessel helmed by Captain Conrad Roth. Before anchoring at bay, the ship is cleaved in two by an unforeseen storm leaving Lara separated from any other survivors and washed ashore. She must endure physical and emotional torture in order to survive theisland.

The game begins with Lara devoid of any weapons, tools or essentials such as food and water, which the player must search for in order to survive.  Sections of the island are restricted to the player until Lara is able to perform specific physical abilities achieved via a "skill system", or obtained the necessary equipment to advance.  At frequent base camps throughout the world, the player can combine pick-ups to create new items, improve Lara's abilities and/or fast travel to previously discovered base camps to avoid copious amounts of backtracking.  There is a "much larger emphasis" on combat, as instead of using a lock-on aiming system akin to previous Tomb Raiders this game will employ a manual "free aim" mechanic.

The game introduces a "survival instinct" that Lara can use to solve puzzles. It will highlight useful items for use if the player is stuck in solving a puzzle. However, Lara can only do this while standing still. Some elements of the world crumble when Lara stands on them for too long. When the player jumps to grab a ledge, Lara will no longer magnetize to the nearest ledge like in the previous instalments. The player will also be able to change direction mid-air. Puzzles will be more complex than previous titles, it will use elements of fire, water, wind, and friction. Helping hands and UI will be kept to a minimum, except for indications of burnable objects, health items, and during quick time events.