The announcement of each Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis and Tomb Raider: Catalyst has sparked retcon hypothesis amongst the franchise’s fandom.
Eventually week’s The Recreation Awards, Catalyst’s first trailer was instantly adopted by the reveal of Legacy of Atlantis, a “reimagining” of the unique 1996 basic. Constructed with Unreal Engine 5, Legacy of Atlantis is due out subsequent yr as the franchise marks its thirtieth anniversary, with Catalyst set to comply with in 2027.
Whereas some, fairly naturally, counsel beginning at the starting is smart given the anniversary, others are questioning if the announcement of the new sport means the staff has to return and retcon some points of Lara Croft’s story to ensure the whole lot is smart in the character’s 30-year-old canon timeline.
“There are various theories about why the reimagining of TR1 is occurring. Some say it’s solely as a result of of the thirtieth anniversary however I personally suppose it’s taking place as a result of it HAS to occur. We’re coming into a brand new unified timeline the place some issues want to be retconned and some want to be reimagined,” urged X/Twitter person Merychxrry.
“This sort of reimagining will seemingly want to occur for each mainline sport, however particularly for these 4 story-heavy titles: Tomb Raider: The Final Revelation, Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness, Tomb Raider: Legend, and Tomb Raider: Underworld.
“You would possibly ask, ‘Why not TR2-3 first?’ Properly, they’re not story-heavy. As a lot as I’d love to see them remade, we first want to unify these 4 story-focused video games. In any other case, it will take too lengthy to attain them, and their tales would want to be retconned.”
As Mery added, the order itself seemingly does not matter — “it could possibly be 4 and 6 first, then Legends and Underworld, or vice-versa” — however since the property for Legacy of Atlantis might be obtainable first, “it should not take too lengthy to produce these video games.”
“That’s truly genius!” replied one commenter, whereas one other said: “Sure! This precisely!” “I really feel like LOA is a take a look at, like the [Resident Evil 2] remake was, suggested another person. “TR1 was the most secure selection that they had for a reimagining as a result of of its easy story.”
As sport director Will Kerslake lately instructed GamesRadar+, Catalyst suits into the timeline after the occasions of Tomb Raider: Underworld. The latest video games, often called the Survivor reboot trilogy — 2013’s Tomb Raider, 2015’s Rise of the Tomb Raider, and 2018’s Shadow of the Tomb Raider — are nonetheless thought-about as half of Croft’s origin story.
Whereas the information of the recasting was a shock for some, actor Camilla Luddington — who portrayed Lara Croft in the Survivor Trilogy — shared a bittersweet Instagram publish about her time as the lead this week, saying she beloved the followers and Croft will “perpetually be a component of [her].” Alix Wilton Regan will now play Lara Croft in each Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis and Tomb Raider: Catalyst.
In the meantime, there’s the upcoming Amazon TV present to contemplate. The live-action Tomb Raider Prime Video collection, which can star Recreation of Thrones alum Sophie Turner, will “reinvent the franchise on an enormous scale” and will interconnect “live-action tv collection and video video games right into a unified storytelling universe.”
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, in addition to a critic, columnist, and guide with 15+ years expertise working with some of the world’s largest gaming websites and publications. She’s additionally a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually Excessive Chaos. Discover her at BlueSky.