Tomb Raider Origins: Lara Croft Begins? It looks like that may be the direction the long-running series is headed in, as leaked pictures of what is supposedly new concept art suggest the next Tomb Raider game will give Lara her turn at a full-blown reboot.
The pics come by way of an insider "mole" who sent them to Four Player Co-Op (via Joystiq), and are attached to a fairly detailed description of what the concept of the new game might be -- and it sounds like Lara is taking a page out of fellow Brit adventurer Bear Grylls' book. It'll reportedly be an open-world game, with a "young and inexperienced" Lara Croft being marooned on a large and mysterious island. Survival will be a major theme of the game, as well as hunting and being hunted by mysterious enemies (no doubt the weird-looking claw people seen in the pictures). There will also be a new combat system that focuses more on "brutal" melee combat, as well as ranged weapons like guns and, for some reason, a bow.
These pictures also appear to be attached to what may be a survey seeking opinions on the new concept of the game, as one picture has the words "how much do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?" visible at the bottom. There's also a bullet-point list of new features and ideas included with the images, which have been transcribed bellow:
* Hunt or Be Hunted: Evade, outsmart, trick and kill the mysterious enemies that hunt you as prey.
* Survival Action: Brutally attack and defend yourself as you fight to survive through visceral one-on-one melee combat.
* Strategic Weapons: Gain an advantage in combat by finding an array of different melee and ranged weapons including a variety of guns, and the hunter's ultimate weapon, the bow.
* Creative Survival: React and adapt to the island by using only that which you can salvage from the environment like climbing axes, rope, and machetes that can be used to unlock new traversal and combat gameplay options.
* Free Movement: Scramble up a vertical cliff wall, sprint and leap across a huge chasm, steer mid-air to land a misdirected jump: There is no one right way to traverse, survive, and explore the harsh environment of the island.
* One Cohesive World: The diverse multi-region island is an open playground alive with creatures, weather, and natural events.
* Origin Story: The new Tomb Raider concept reboots the franchise by exploring Lara Croft's transformation into a hardened adventurer as you unravel the story behind the island's mysterious past.
As usual with these types of leaks, keep in mind that not only is this all unconfirmed to be a legitimate possible concept for the new Tomb Raider, but that even if it is, a lot could still change by the time the game is released anyway.
So, thoughts? Do you like the idea of a meaner, more brutal Lara Croft... who apparently might wield a bow? Think the survival aspects could add an extra level of challenge and complexity to the Tomb Raider series?