One of the Tomb Raider reboot’s most interesting decisions was to relegate many of the puzzles – and by extension, actual tomb raiding – to optional tombs, which you could just run past with no penalty for missing them. Naturally, if you were focused on completing the game and progressing the story, you might’ve just avoided them altogether.
In an interview with Game Informer, the game’s creative director Noah Hughes has stated that the team at Crystal Dynamics have been listening to the feedback, and it looks like we’ll be getting more of those “secret” tombs in the new title, although there will be even more of an incentive to complete them:
“Puzzles are an important part of the Tomb formula, so we’re excited to have more tombs in the game, featuring more puzzles,
“You’ll still see a spectrum of difficulty for puzzles, so some of the secret tombs are larger and in some cases might have more difficult puzzles, but we’re trying to put them in the game in a ramped kind of way.”
He went on to state that they “don’t want average players getting into stalemates” so are bringing back “nested puzzles” – essentially a collection of smaller puzzles across a room or area which serve to complete a larger puzzle, and that’s something that we saw in the older Tomb Raider titles.
Rise of the Tomb Raider will launch exclusively later this year for Xbox 360 and Xbox One, though will likely soon follow on PlayStation consoles and PC, after the timed exclusivity expires.
Source: Game Informer, via Eurogamer
psychobudgie
I thought they had confirmed that it wouldn’t appear on anything else bar the XBox. Perhaps I imagined it. They may have then made a really ambiguous comment following the buckets of hate thay subsequently received from Playstation and PC gamers.
Forrest_01
I don’t think anyone has given any concrete evidence that it will be coming to PS, but there was a highly ambiguous comment regarding it being a timed exclusivity deal, which may point to it only being for a set period of time.
How long for or what they choose to do with it after that is anyone’s guess at this stage.
MrYd
If by “highly ambiguous” you mean “pretty clear what they mean unless you want to be really awkward in how you read it”, sure. Everything they’ve said (unless you want to deliberately read it wrong) says it’s an XBox exclusive, but any sequels aren’t covered by the deal.
TSBonyman
“Obviously the deal does have a duration. I didn’t buy the IP in perpetuity.” — Phil Spencer
Square Enix also added:
“Our partnership with Microsoft on ‘Rise of the Tomb Raider’ does have a duration, but we aren’t discussing those details at this time and are focused on collaborating to deliver a great game on Xbox One and Xbox 360.”
I will NOT be buying this game for PS4 .. in 2015. ;)
double-o-dave
It appears that the most difficult Tomb Raider puzzle of all time to fathom is the exclusivity deal.
Old School
I don’t know what people are on about, it’s definitely timed. Microsoft and Square both said this deal has an end date and it’s exclusive to Xbox for the holidays, that’s it. I think Xbots just want it to be exclusive only. Either way I’ll buy it day one on Xbox even though it’ll definitely come to ps4.
colmshan1990
Well it would be hard to have less puzzles than the last one.
hazelam
that’s pretty much exactly what i was thinking.
tactical20
Maybe it’s because I’m old, but to me, Lara is to Playstation, as Mario is to Nintendo. So the only puzzling thing is how it’s not a PS4 exclusive!!
JR.
I agree, it would be like Halo 5 being exclusive to PS4.
Wont be the same but I’m buying it anyway.
Youles
I had the first Tomb Raider on the Sega Saturn (I’m old too), so I’m not sure it’s been a PS exclusive, unless 2 & 3 were? :)
JR.
TR1: PC, PS1, Saturn
TR2: PC, PS1
TR3: PC, PS1
TR4: PC, PS1, Dreamcast
TR5: PC, PS1, Dreamcast
So not exclusive to PS but it’s a huge part of Playstation history.
When I think of the PS1, the first thing that comes to mind is Tomb Raider.
Youles
So it seems. I guess I never looked at it (Lara) like that – I’d be more inclined to go with Crash Bandicoot as a PS icon! ;)
double-o-dave
“When I think of the PS1, the first thing that comes to mind is Tomb Raider” – Yep, that and WipeOut.
JR.
Crash, Tomb Raider, Resi Evil, Spyro, MGS, erm… Kula World (…) all defined my PS1 experience. But none more so than Tomb Raider. So many great games on the PS1.
Avenger
Given that PC and Sega (I played TR1 on the Saturn too, great times) had some Tomb Raider, I don’t consider it quite on the same level as ‘Mario to Nintendo’. I really just like the idea of such a game being cleanly multi-platform. Gives more people the opportunity to play it.
JR.
1+1=2 is more puzzling than the first game. Make it extra hard this time please.
Carrot381
I enjoyed the last one but the tomb puzzles were quite simplistic with the solutions pretty much sign-posted anyway. Good fun though.
JustTaylorNow
Hope the puzzling is not as hard as trying to log into TSA ;D
Youles
I hope they don’t make the puzzles too easy – if “average” players get stuck on them, use YouTube or a guide, I’d welcome some tough puzzles like in the earlier games. Died many times trying to establish whether I could reach certain platforms etc.
OneShotWook
I’m puzzled by just how much it took to buy out Tomb Raider.Like for example now we’ve established esteem and integrity aren’t a part of the brand is she up for grabs by anyone.Elton John maybe? Joey Essex? or does she now just do Marketing companies,if so why and how much? Maybe we can start a kickstarter campaign.
A proper conundrum.
TSBonyman
More puzzles this time is good but he still mentions secret tombs which makes it sound like they will be optional again.
Starman
More tomb raider Lara and less mass murderer Lara is fine by me.