New Tomb Raider will be "horrifying", but isn't "survival horror"

Death's never far away in Crystal Dynamics' new Tomb Raider, but the game isn't a survival horror title in the traditional sense. Global brand director Karl Stewart prefers "survival adventure" instead.

"It's funny that the term 'survival horror' has been used by the press, because it's something we're not trying to be," he told fans on the Eidos forums. "Obviously we've only shown off so much of the game till now and there is a sense of horror to it.

"It will be horrifying because you're coming across people and instances and a world that is completely unfamiliar to you. The situations Lara will find herself in will require her to fight to survive. It's more survival-adventure in our eyes. Lara is still a treasure hunter and adventurer looking for something new."

A new dynamic camera system will amplify suspense - zooming, for instance, to convey a sense of claustrophobia.

"Yes, the camera will be unique from past Tomb Raider games. We realize that in some ways it always felt a little hard to control. We were very happy with the games we shipped, but we realized we needed to create a whole new camera to add a whole new experience.

"We needed to immerse the player in the experience and help them feel each different tone. When you Lara going through the tunnel in the scavenger den, obviously you can't do that with a ten-foot camera off the back of her shoulder. You need to be up close and personal and hear her in your speakers and have the intimacy to see what she is seeing.

During the game's yet-to-be-shown combat sequences, the camera will pull out to give you a workable overview.

"When you get into situation such as combat you need to be able to pull the camera back and allow the player to see more around them and evaluate the situation Lara is in. The same is true when she is climbing through the dynamic traversal. You need to be in that space with her.

"So we class it as a 'dynamic camera' and we've brought on a whole team just to ensure that experience is unique and different. As the campaign unfolds you'll start to see some very bold and innovative ways of showing how we've tailored the camera for each experience. It really is phenomenal."

Stewart also shed a bit more light on the game's day/night and weather systems. Though less linear than past Tomb Raider games, the reboot isn't an open world title; the island is broken up into hub areas whose atmospheric conditions are determined by the narrative, containing multiple objectives and challenges.

"You will not stand in one place and over time watch the sun set and the moon rise. That being said, you will feel like there's a persistent weather system. If you play in night hub and it's raining and you fast travel back to another area, it will be rainy there too.

"It won't feel like a dynamic weather system where you can stand on a cliff for hours and watch the sun moving across the sky. We have smart systems in place to help present it so that as you move around it will be the same time of day and weather as contextual to the narrative."

Tomb Raider is out this year, possibly after May, and you can read all about it in our 12 for 2012 Q&A.