Lara Croft from Tomb Raider is undoubtedly one of the most popular heroines in the history of videogames, and her history is a long one. Lara Croft, conceptualised as Laura Cruz in 1996, was introduced as a new type of female gaming character.
Most female gaming characters up until that point had been either weak damsels in need of rescue, or crones and vixens hellbent on ruining the hero’s quest. Enter Lara; the emergence of a strong, smart, and independent woman as the main hero of an action-adventure game. The success of Lara as a gaming character paved the way for movies, comics and even new slots, and cemented Tomb Raider as a pop culture phenomenon.
The Tomb Raider Games
Tomb Raider was released in 1996 and follows archaeologist Lara Croft as she hunts for the artefact The Scion of Atlantis. The gameplay sees Lara navigating a series of levels, each with multiple room complexes, enemies that need killing and puzzles that need to be solved before progressing. The game was laid out over a 3D grid, which for the time was quite innovative. The game got rave reviews and ended up taking home several industry awards.
After the success of Tomb Raider, several follow-ups were released, starting with Tomb Raider II in 1997. The plan was to continue releasing a new Tomb Raider annually until 2000, but this proved to put too much strain on the development team behind the success. Following the sequel, the franchise continued with Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness in 2003, Tomb Raider: Legend in 2006 and Tomb Raider: Anniversary in 2007. In 2013 Tomb Raider, as the tenth title in the franchise, got a major reboot and was released as a reconstruction of the origins of Lara Croft.
The Cinematographic Tomb Raider
Lara Croft also made it to the big screen, and her first appearance came in the 2001 film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, starring Angelina Jolie. The movie was a box office success but received lukewarm reviews. Despite the lack of positive reviews, the sequel called Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of life was released in 2003, which was noted by critics as an improvement compared to the first movie. The box office success was however not repeated and plans for a third and final instalment in the series was cancelled when Angelina Jolie decline to return to her role as Lara Croft.
A reboot of Tomb Raider was released in 2018, with Alicia Vikander in the titular role. This time the film was based on the 2013 version of the video game, depicting Lara Croft’s origin story. Again, Tomb Raider received mixed reviews from critics, and while the film grossed $274 000 worldwide, it would have needed to gross $275 000 to break even. Even so, a sequel is in the works and is expected to release some time in 2022.
The Tomb Raider Comics
Based on the Tomb Raider videogame franchise, the original comic book series Tomb Raider was first released between 1999 and 2005. Following the 2013 reboot of the game, the comics also got a revival and currently 3 volumes of the series have been released. The comics haven’t received anywhere near the attention of the games or movies but have its own fan base and keep entertaining people within their own genre.
Slot Sites Offering the Tomb Raider Slot
What many people don’t know, is that Lara Croft also made it to a very different realm – namely the world of online slot machines. Currently, a plethora of new slot sites offer Microgaming’s Tomb Raider as well as their follow up Tomb Raider II: Secret of the Sword. The world of online gaming is a competitive place, and new slots show up every day. It is therefore a testament to the staying power of Lara Croft that the Tomb Raider slots are making it to the selection offered by many of the best slot sites on the market.
What’s Next for Lara Croft?
After multiple video games, a trio of movies, several comics and a couple of slot games, you might think that Lara Croft has done her bit and is ready to move into pop culture history. While the archaeologist adventurer isn’t getting the same amount of attention as she was back in the last half of the ‘90s, there’s no reason to think she’s on her way out any time soon.
Lara Croft represents one of the first strong female characters in adventure gaming and is nowhere near the end of her relevance. While critics question her backstory, the motivations behind her character and the evolution of Lara Croft, the audience seems to be more than willing to get to know this badass even better.
While waiting for another movie in the franchise, we continue to look to the horizon for more news on Lara Croft – another slot machine, another game instalment, or another direction entirely. It’s hard to predict where Lara Croft goes next, and that’s exactly what we have come to expect of her.
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