With Rise of the Tomb Raider release date set for Holiday 2015, news concerning the title is surfacing on the web. More recently, Microsoft and Crystal Dynamic showcased gameplay footage at E3 2015. The next installment in the Tomb Raider franchise will unfortunately be an Xbox exclusive. Even so, there are still rumors that the PC and PlayStation 4 version will be released later. The Xbox One and Xbox 360 edition is expected to debut later this year.
What Was Revealed at E3
In a 14-minute demonstration, fans had a glimpse of things to come. This time, Lara and her companion Jonah are seen scaling the side of a snowy cliff. Presumably, the location is somewhere in the Siberian wilderness. An avalanche separates the duo, and Lara is once again alone.
Even though the heroine has matured considerably since her last misadventure, she retains a bit of her vulnerable side. This is apparent when Lara tearfully asks Jonah to leave instead of going out to look for her. She does not want to see yet another friend killed.
Along the way, Lara faces dangers such as wolves and bears. She also must deal with Trinity, whose operatives are hell-bent on killing anyone in sight. Meanwhile, the weather and landscape is just as deadly.
Lara must make use of raw resources as well as ingenuity if she is to survive. She has the ability to construct makeshift bows, poisoned arrows and improvised explosives. Using hooks obtained from her previous adventure, Lara can climb cliffs. Just like in the previous Tomb Raider title, gameplay includes puzzle solving and combat stealth.
Will 'Rise of the Tomb Raider' Be Out on PlayStation 4 and PC
Many fans were disappointed when official announcements confirmed that Rise of the Tomb Raider is coming out on Xbox One and Xbox 360 only.
Some critics theorized that Microsoft is attempting to drive up sales for the Xbox One. Rival company Sony has employed a similar strategy for Uncharted on the PlayStation console.
Naturally, the rumor mill insists that the game will eventually be released on PC and PlayStation 4. Tomb Raider's developer Crystal Dynamics stated on its Tumblr page that Microsoft's monopoly "has a duration."
However, Microsoft maintains that Rise of the Tomb Raider will permanently be exclusive to Xbox. Last year, Microsoft PR representative Dom Carey defensively tweeted this sentiment on Twitter.
In the meantime, GameRant predicts that the PS4 and PC editions will be available sometime in 2016.
