20 years of "Tomb Raider": A career review
26.10.2016
Translation: machine translated
Since her first appearance on the Sega Saturn, treasure hunter Lara Croft has experienced one adventure after another. We would like to congratulate her and present the highlights of Ms Croft's career to mark her 20th anniversary.
On 25 October 1996, "Tomb Raider" was released on the Sega Saturn. Forgotten treasures, lots of jumping, deadly traps and two pistols against biting dinosaurs created a new mass phenomenon. Lara Croft, the tomb raider with the big square breasts, was the new heroine and sex symbol of the gaming world. Since her first appearance, not only have the angles become rounder, but Lara has also made herself. Here are 14 highlights from her adventurous career:
Lara's birth
For once, we Europeans were one step ahead of the Americans. While Sega Saturn owners in this country were the first to be able to guide Lara into abandoned temples on 25 October 1996, the USA had to wait until 14 November - but at the same time as the Playstation version. The PC version finally followed a week later. The game hit like a bomb. "Tomb Raider" was one of the few games to feature a female protagonist in a scene dominated by young males.
Lara was almost a man
During development, designer Toby Gard played with different versions of the main character. Initially, she was a typical male hero. To set the character apart from Indiana Jones, the decision was finally made in favour of a woman and Laura Cruz, a South American army bride, was born. However, Eidos wanted something more British, so Laura Cruz became Lara Croft, with a broad English accent.
The accidental breast augmentation
With the last two instalments, the developers may have rowed back a little, but Lara Croft was once clearly known for her impressive bust size. She came up with her two most powerful arguments quite by accident - at least according to the developers. During a test, her bust size was accidentally set to 150 per cent instead of 50 per cent. The new model was so well received by the team that the "mistake" was left in.
The star of the Playstation
Although the game first appeared on the Sega Saturn, it was the new Playstation on which the game really took off. It was THE Playstation game par excellence and sold almost seven million copies, even though another ground-breaking hopping game, Super Mario 64, had been released just weeks earlier.
Guest appearance with the doctors
The German punk band Die Ärzte fought with a digital version of Lara Croft in their 1998 music video for "Männer sind Schweine". Needless to say, they got punched in the mouth.
Lara, the sex symbol
While the in-game Lara remained rather edgy for a long time, she was stylised into a busty sex symbol in promotional videos and photos thanks to render graphics. Posters of Lara in lascivious poses were included in games magazines and henceforth adorned the rooms of horny teenagers.
In 1999, Lara almost ended up on the cover of Playboy magazine - embodied by model Nell McAndrew. However, a US court banned the unauthorised use of the logo and name. As a result, Playboy had to affix stickers to cover 20,000 already printed covers. 5000 issues had already been delivered to British subscribers at the time.
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary, Playboy published a video with another Playmate showing Lara in different poses - dressed.
Lara, the racehorse
Eidos, the developer company at the time, received numerous curious requests over the years. One of them was from a racehorse owner who wanted to name his mare after Lara. Eidos declined, fearing that the horse might stumble at the first hurdle.
Jumping onto the big screen
In 2001, Lara made a detour to Hollywood and was represented on the big screen by Angelina Jolie. Daniel Craig, best known for his role as James Bond, played Lara's boyfriend, which would certainly have pleased the computerised Lara. A second part followed in 2003 with "The Cradle of Life". Both films are even slightly below 'Indiana Jones' level. A new part is supposedly due to be released in the cinema in 2018.
The crash
"Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness" tried to give Lara a more serious and darker image in 2003, but failed due to countless bugs and poor controls. A potential trilogy was nipped in the bud. "The Angel of Darkness" marks the low point of the series.
Lara's beauty treatment
While most of us have grown older, wider and wrinklier over the last 20 years, Lara has gone the other way round. With each new instalment, the adventurer has gained more polygons (540 in the first part to around 35,000 in the last) and therefore more personality. The current peak is "Rise of the Tomb Raider", in which Lara shows her most beautiful side. The breast fetish seems to have shifted to the bum.
Trick film
In 2007, a ten-part animated film series called "Revisioned: Tomb Raider Animated Series" was released. It ran exclusively online via GameTap, a game rental service.
Change of ownership
In 2009, the Japanese publisher Square Enix took over Eidos and transformed it into Square Enix Europe. After several rather average instalments and the flopped "The Angel of Darkness", a change didn't seem to do any harm. The 2013 reboot with "Tomb Raider" is the best proof of this.
Lara is growing up and getting younger at the same time
2013 marked the new beginning of the series. Simply called "Tomb Raider", it featured the beginnings of the action archaeologist. The focus was no longer on Lara, the soulless sex symbol, but on a vulnerable, but at the same time strong-willed young woman who grows with her adventures. The game became more open, darker and also more brutal.
Lara goes mobile
In 2015, Square Enix Montreal released "Lara Croft GO". A mobile game in which you had to complete various beautifully designed levels. Unlike the classic "Tomb Raider", "Lara Croft GO" is primarily a puzzle game in which you move Lara back and forth on the field in the style of "Mill".
Fittingly, there is an anniversary version of the latest instalment
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Philipp Rüegg
Senior Editor
Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.chBeing the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.