Lara Ashley has been an active participant in many of the world’s cultures. Born and raised in England, the then fifteen-year-old grew up in rural Wales. Her adventurous roots have led her to seek love and adventure in many foreign lands; however, the most recent of these ventures is Tomb Raider: Anniversary. This third installment of her epic science fiction series features Lara, still a young woman in this third installment of her career-spanning adventure to save the world. The game takes place twenty years after her last adventure, Tomb Raider: Anniversary; and centers upon her relationship with a much younger doctor who realizes that her time on earth has not been all that it was meant to be.
In this game, Lara has taken on a much younger, much less experienced partner. Much of the dialogue in the game is devoted to discussing their pasts together; something that could be explored more if they were human partners instead of artificial intelligence software programs created by the government. This new relationship opens up new issues regarding her biological age and identity, as well as the responsibilities and personal struggles that come with being an adult woman and raising a child. The scenes between these two are quite touching and relatable for any fan of adventure, mystery, or suspense. However, much of the content focuses on Lara’s relationship with a much younger man; something that has become quite common within video games over the past few years.
While I was enjoying the first couple of hours of the game, it became dull and repetitive. The fighting scenes, while often exciting, had little impact and rarely if ever produced any emotional reactions; despite the scenes that did attempt to depict strong emotions. The overall story and direction did not live up to expectations that the hype built, and I decided to give it a minimal grade; earning it a “B”. It is not a game I recommend for those with a serious love of adventure and fantasy stories, but one that can be enjoyed by most people.