Tomb Raider: Underworld
Encyclopedia
Tomb Raider: Underworld is the eighth instalment of the Tomb Raider series
. The story continues from the events in Tomb Raider: Legend as a direct sequel, but also addresses unexplained plot elements by association with Tomb Raider: Anniversary; the 2007 remake of the original Tomb Raider (1996). The three games are subsequently merged into the renowned stand-alone Tomb Raider Trilogy of the late 2000s, by the series' second continuation developer Crystal Dynamics
. Underworld is the third game in the series to be developed
by Crystal Dynamics and is also the first Tomb Raider game to be released on the PlayStation 3
.
Underworld is an action-adventure
video game with different versions developed by Crystal Dynamics
, Buzz Monkey Software
, and Santa Cruz Games
, all published by Eidos Interactive
. Crystal Dynamics developed the PlayStation 3
, Xbox 360
, and PC
versions, which were released in November 2008. Santa Cruz Games
developed the Nintendo DS
version, which was also released in November 2008. The Wii
and PlayStation 2
versions were developed by Buzz Monkey Software
, although the PS2 version saw a January 2009 release in Europe
and March 2009 in North America
. Eidos released two new chapters of Tomb Raider: Underworld, Beneath the Ashes and Lara's Shadow, developed by Crystal Dynamics
, as exclusive downloadable content for the Xbox 360
on the Xbox Live Marketplace
in February and March 2009 respectively.
Underworld received mostly positive reviews for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC versions. Critics praised the environments, Lara's motion capture
d movements, story, puzzles, exploration, graphics and the less linear style of gameplay, although some aimed at its "haywire" camera angles and "dodgy" combat system. The PS2 and Wii versions received mostly moderate to negative reviews. Most cited them as having medium/poor graphics, being oversimplified and "dumbed" down, and some bugs, especially the PS2 version.
As of 27 February 2009, the game has sold 2.6 million copies worldwide. On 25 May 2009 it was announced Tomb Raider: Underworld would be re-released as part of the Xbox Classics
and Platinum Range
lines for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, respectively.
Eric Lindstrom, this is "to not only reward the player for the effect they're having on the world, but to give them navigational aids." The game uses an animation blending system that allows Lara to interact dynamically with her environment, such as pushing foliage aside with one or two hands, depending on if she is carrying a weapon. It also features a "hybrid lighting model that combines dynamic lights with carefully created light maps" and a weather system that changes the environment, for example, "If Lara’s negotiating a wet ledge she’s more apt to slip or lose grip," which makes "the environment ... her adversary" for a large part of the game.
Previously seen separate aspects of gameplay
were combined for a new experience. Lindstrom explained that "in the past, there was climbing, and there was shooting, and there was puzzle solving. And they often didn't overlap. We've now integrated all of those elements." This instalment also features a new melee combat system, requiring Lara in some instances to use "direct combat and evasive manoeuvres to distance herself from her attacker". Notably, Lara's bike, among other things, is a key component in solving the puzzles she will encounter in her adventure. Pick-ups have multiple uses as weapons and tools in interaction with the environment, and Lindstrom stated that Lara "can also split up her guns and fire at two different targets simultaneously," or hold an item with one hand and fire a gun with the other. The grappling hook
can be stretched taut and used to pull objects off ledges unlike in previous iterations, illustrating what project lead Rob Pavey said, that "Lara will be able to do anything that you'd expect her to be able to do," which he called "the big theme this year." Lindstrom describes this as "a philosophy called 'What Could Lara Do?'—WCLD. It's short-hand for having the player be able to use their own intuition about what someone with her abilities should be able to do in an environment such as this, and consistency across the different mechanics and abilities. If she can throw a grenade, then if she can pick up this pole, why can't she throw it?" Crystal Dynamics also aimed to make the game non-linear, unlike Tomb Raider: Legend, and eliminate the need for hint icons that indicate the ability to interact with objects.
The interactive cut scenes from previous titles were replaced with "adrenaline moments". Instead of specific button presses, time slows down and gives the player a chance to get out of harm's way while retaining complete control of Lara.
in the halls of her own mansion home when an explosion suddenly sets the whole building ablaze. Making her way to the front door, Lara is surprisingly fired upon by one of her closest friends, Zip.
The game then rewinds back in time to a week before the explosion, just after the events of Tomb Raider Legend. Lara is searching for Avalon
, the mythical resting place of King Arthur
, hoping it will lead her to an explanation for the disappearance of her long lost mother. Underneath the Mediterranean Sea
Lara discovers an ancient temple designating itself as "Niflheim
", one of the many Norse underworlds. Deep within, she discovers one of Thor's
gauntlets
. Most of the gauntlet crumbles to dust when she touches it, except for a small stone on the wrist that glows with an eerie blue light. After some mercenaries arrive and knock Lara out, she comes to, and the lead mercenary detonates a bomb that seals Lara in the gauntlet chamber, while remarking that "Amanda Evert sends her regards."
Lara escapes the temple and returns to the surface, noticing a large cargo ship nearby and Lara boards the ship. During a firefight between Lara and the guards, an explosion occurs and the boat begins to sink. While evacuating, Lara comes face to face with an old enemy, Jacqueline Natla, whom Lara believed she had killed in Tomb Raider Anniversary, but who had actually been discovered and imprisoned by Amanda Evert. Natla tells Lara that the Norse
underworld, Helheim and Avalon are one and the same and that she will need to find Thor's Hammer to open the Underworld and find her mother. Lara soon discovers that she will have to find Thor's other gauntlet and his belt if she wants to find and wield the hammer. Natla provides Lara with a starting point for her search in this quest - coastal Thailand
.
In Thailand, Lara discovers a Hindu
temple had been built in the middle of a remote jungle. Lara does not find the second gauntlet in the these ruins, but after she excavates deeper into the ruins, she find that the Hindu temple had been built over what appeared to be even more ancient Norse ruins. She still did not find the gauntlet, but evidence that her father had found it there and removed it before he died. She also discovers a message that reveals that her father and Natla had been working together at some point and that the relationship had not ended well.
Lara is able to deduce where her father hid the missing gauntlet - buried beneath her grandfather's tomb, within Croft Manor. She finds a secret old chapel buried beneath her home (an unfinished construction project), as well as her father's secret office. Upon his desk, Lara discovers the gauntlet as well as a tape-recorded message, warning her that Helhiem may contain a powerful weapon that could put the world to an end. Lara is then attacked by monsters called thralls, but escapes and returns to the mansion and finds it on fire, leading back to the opening events of the game.
Zip claims that "Lara" broke in to her own safe in the middle of the night and detonated a bomb in the mansion. When Lara returns to the burning office to recover the security footage, she finds herself face to face with a doppelgänger
of herself created by Natla, who is much faster and stronger than Lara. The doppelgänger kills Alister Fletcher, another close friend of Lara's. After his emotional death, Lara resolves to continue with her quest and prevent Natla and Amanda from causing any more misery.
In Mexico
, Lara finds more Norse ruins under a Maya
ball court near other Mayan structures. Here, she finds both Thor's Belt and some ancient pictographs linking the weapon in Helheim to Jörmungandr
, the mythical Norse sea-serpent that encircles the world, brought about by the seventh age. After fighting thralls emitted from the blue Eitr below, she escapes out of the norse ruins and sets out to find Mjolnir.
Her next stop are ruins on Jan Mayen Island that correlate to Valhalla
. It is here that Lara finally recovers Thor's Hammer. In the meantime, Zip has managed to track Amanda down to a sister-ship of the one Lara sank earlier.
Armed with Mjolnir, Lara boards the vessel and interrogates Natla once again. Amanda interrupts the meeting, but before she and Lara start fighting, the doppelgänger (under Natla's command), throws Amanda down a shaft, seemingly to her death. Natla provides now Lara with the coordinates of Helheim, but points out that Lara does not know the Ritual of Odin, which is needed to open its gates. Lara reluctantly strikes a bargain with Natla and frees her from her cell.
They rendezvous in the outer chambers of the Helheim complex, deep below the Arctic Sea. From a distance, Lara watches Natla perform the ritual and then fly away. With the ritual performed, Lara is able to use Mjolnir to open the gates of Helheim. She battles her way through hoards of thralls and yetis protecting the secret at the heart of the ancient city. Along the way, Lara discovers the horrifying truth of her mother's fate - she has been turned into a thrall. When her mother's undead body advances threateningly upon her, Lara is forced to shoot and "kill" her, an act that greatly upsets Lara.
Natla reveals the true extent of her manipulation of Lara, also revealing that she was the one who killed Lord Richard Croft when he saw Natla's true intentions. Natla goes, leaving the Doppelgänger to kill Lara. Amanda saves Lara's life and Lara pursues Natla, who is activating an ancient doomsday device. It is revealed that Jörmungandr, the Midgard Serpent, was a Norse metaphor for the many tectonic divisions that encircle the world, beneath the seas. The doomsday device was built upon the most unstable junction of these lines and its activation would cause massive volcanic activity across the whole planet and the destruction of most of humanity, leaving Natla to be the ruler of what's left.
Lara successfully destabilises the device and while Natla desperately tries to repair the damage, Lara throws Mjolnir at Natla, sending her down into the pool of deadly Eitr below and bringing the Midgard Serpent down with it. But this causes the pool to slowly rise and, as Amanda comes round from holding off the Yeti Thralls, she recalls the legend of Thor and the Serpent, ending 'We'll die here, just like your mother'. Lara suddenly sees a dais like the one that brought her mother to Helheim and together Lara and Amanda repair and use it, teleporting back to the temple in Nepal (from Tomb Raider Legend). There, Amanda walks away and Lara bids one final farewell to her mother, then too departs, ending her final search for her mother.
, who is voiced by Keeley Hawes
. She is the only playable character in the main part of the game.
-Lara's butler and recurring character, Winston (voiced by Alan Shearman), also reappears during the Croft Manor segment.
-Lara's assistants, Zip (Alex Désert
) and Alister (Greg Ellis
) return from Legend, though their contact with Lara is now limited to cut scenes rather than during gameplay.
-Jacqueline Natla (Grey DeLisle
) and Amanda Evert (Kath Soucie
) are the game's main villains, reprising their roles from Anniversary and Legend respectively. Greg Ellis also voices the leader of Amanda's mercenaries in the Mediterranean.
-The game also features the Doppelgänger, a creature created by Natla that is nearly identical to Lara, but with pale skin and red hair. Throughout the main part of the game, she acts as an antagonist serving Natla.
Lara, Zip, the Doppelgänger, and Natla reappear in the Xbox 360 downloadable content. The Doppelgänger, who does not speak during the main game, is voiced by Keeley Hawes, and serves as the playable character in Lara's Shadow.
- The game begins in the Mediterranean Sea where the first level is set. There, Lara spends some time swimming among sharks and discovers an air pocket containing the Norse underworld of Niflheim
where she faces a giant Kraken
and boards Amanda's boat.
Coastal Thailand
- The second level takes place on the west coast of Thailand. There she discovers Bhogavati
, a mythical Hindu
city, which Lara finds to be guarded with Nāga
, creatures that the Hindu religion describes as snake people.
England
- The third part of the game takes place in England at Croft Manor. Lara discovers, via clues left by her father at Bhogavati, a chapel
hidden underneath Croft Manor which leads to Richard Croft's secret study. Lara then must escape her mansion as it burns to the ground.
Southern Mexico
- The next level takes place in Southern Mexico. Lara explores ruins in the middle of a jungle, and then excavates the Mayan underworld of Xibalba
, which is guarded by giant spiders and zombie-like thralls as she goes deeper into the ruins.
Jan Mayen
Island- Lara then travels to Jan Mayen
Island to find Thor's Hammer. There she discovers Valhalla
, another Norse world.
Andaman Sea
- A short segment then takes place in the Andaman Sea where Lara infiltrates The Tisiphone, which is the twin of Amanda's original cargo ship.
Arctic Sea
- The final part of the game takes place in the Arctic Sea, where Lara discovers the entrance to Helheim. Upon opening Helheim, Lara discovers the Midgard Serpent
and destroys it. She then finds out what happened to her mother and ends her quest.
was reported to have filed for a trademark on the phrase, Tomb Raider Underworld, and soon after reserved the Tomb Raider Underworld domain name. In December 2007, Eidos filed for a second trademark for Tomb Raider Underworld, reserving the right to provide "computer games that may be accessed network-wide by network users." In the January 2008 issue of the magazine Play
, details from the "first-ever demo" of the game were revealed. SCi, which owned Eidos at the time, officially announced Tomb Raider: Underworld on 10 January 2008, and confirmed that all platform versions of the game would be released simultaneously in November 2008.
Play's assertions that the game is the "first true next gen Lara with one big physics smorgasbord that looks altogether photo-real" led to speculation that Tomb Raider: Underworld might be using a new game engine
for its next-generation
graphics rather than the system used by Tomb Raider: Legend and Tomb Raider: Anniversary. Later, the Senior Producer and External Designer separately confirmed that Underworld uses an all-new engine that was built especially for it. This new engine is also used in the game Deus Ex 3
.
Lara's costume was redesigned and she no longer wears her trademark turquoise sleeveless top and khaki
shorts, but instead, a dark brown halter top and black shorts. Additionally, her hair is no longer braided, but worn in a ponytail. According to Play, Lara "moves as good as she looks [and] no longer moves like a video game character" due to her being fully motion capture
d. Olympic gymnast and NCAA Women's Gymnastics champion
Heidi Moneymaker was the model used for motion capturing. Lara Croft is said to have over 2,000 animations. Keeley Hawes
provided the voice of Lara in this instalment, as she did in Anniversary and Legend. Gymnast Alison Carroll
was selected as the new official Lara Croft model to promote the game, replacing Karima Adebibe
.
The first official video, entitled "Beneath the Surface", was released on 17 July 2008, and featured interviews with members of the development team and showed screenshots, artwork, and several clips of gameplay footage. A teaser trailer was released on 19 July 2008, and the first gameplay trailer was released on 15 August 2008.
was scoring the bulk of the music. Underworlds music is purely orchestral in style.
There are pieces that do not loop, meaning they will only play one time and will be triggered on specific events. The score is made more of musical fragments, similar to the first five games of the Tomb Raider series, and there is less constant music than in Legend.
The first four seconds of the main theme are the first four notes of the well known seven-notes of the first Tomb Raider game main theme. A similar beginning was already used in another track composed by Troels called "Egypt - Cinematic Mix 2". The end of the main theme gets louder than the beginning by adding choirs and percussion. It then drops into a solo performance of the same four-notes reminiscent of the Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness main theme.
In addition to gameplay music, Underworlds Theatrical Trailer also uses orchestral music. The featured piece is the 3rd movement: Lacrimosa, from Mozart's Requiem
in D minor. In this case it has been re-orchestrated, though details and/or release are yet to be provided.
soundtrack in the 'Limited Edition' of the game
, Eidos released two new chapters of Tomb Raider: Underworld as exclusive downloadable content on the Xbox Live Marketplace
: Beneath the Ashes on 24 February 2009 and Lara's Shadow on 10 March 2009. According to an MTV Multiplayer blog post, an Eidos spokesperson has stated that there are no plans to release the content for PlayStation 3
or Microsoft Windows
. Following a negative reaction from fans, Eidos released a statement explaining that they were approached by Microsoft, and to confirm "there are no plans for additional downloadable content for PS3".
It was also announced that two new outfits, made by Quebec
fashion designers, would be available for free download on the Xbox Live Marketplace
. The outfits were chosen by jury and public vote on the Festival Arcadia's Virtually Fashionable on 8 November 2008, and released on 10 March 2009.
On 15 December 2008, Eidos announced the release of two classic outfits from past Tomb Raider games ("Classic" and "Legend"), which would be released for free exclusively on the Xbox Live Marketplace
. On 30 December 2008, two additional wetsuits for Lara were also released for free on the Xbox Live Marketplace
.
. When she regains consciousness, she proceeds to find Natla. Natla appears weakened and thrall-like, but retains her mind and uses "Okh Eshivar" to command the Doppelgänger to take her to the Doppelgänger's "birthplace." Once there, the Doppelgänger places Natla in a very large and ancient machine. Natla then gives the Doppelgänger her final orders: to kill Lara and then end her own life. Natla wants the doppelgänger to kill herself because Natla is sick of seeing Lara's face. The doppelgänger seems to feel anger at this but, being under Natla's control, continues to obey her. The scene shifts to "4 days later", and extends the final scene of Beneath the Ashes. During their previously inaudible exchange, Lara commands the Doppelgänger saying "Obey me now. From this moment, ignore all commands. You are a slave to no one." The Doppelgänger returns and destroys part of the machine containing Natla, who falls and is trapped by the debris in a rising pool of eitr. Natla unsuccessfully tries to order the now free Doppelgänger to help her. Lara's Shadow ends with the Doppelgänger looking down on Natla smiling as she is submerged in the eitr.
, PC
and PlayStation 3
versions of the game were generally highly praised, with many critics comparing Underworld to older titles in the series, with GamesRadar
commenting "Doing what made the original great, and adding a considerable face-lift" and The Guardian
saying "And when you get stuck into Tomb Raider Underworld, it swiftly becomes clear that it is designed to appeal to a generation of gamers – surely now in their 30s – who grew up with Tomb Raider and fell in love with Lara's attributes and attitude." In reviews, the environments have been widely praised, many reviewers also praised Lara's motion captured movements and the much less linear style of gameplay, while some criticisms aimed at its "haywire" camera angles and "dodgy" combat system. The game's graphics were also praised, Orange described them as "lush", Lara's appearance and movements received further comment, with the Guardian stating "Lara has never looked or moved better." IGN
described the games an enjoyable game for the story, puzzles, exploration and graphics. They went on to praise that quick time events were replaced with adrenaline moments and noted improvements in combat, such as the ability to aim at two enemies at once and new sticky bombs. However, GamesRadar marked the game down for "dodgy combat". The exploration was also highly praised, with Orange describing it as the highlight of the game and GamesRadar urging readers to "go explore Underworld." Nintendo Power
and GamesRadar also praised the game's platforming elements. Despite mentions of camera issues and weaker combat, critics described it as "as good as Tomb Raider has ever been" and "the Tomb Raider we've been waiting for!"
However, the Wii
and PlayStation 2
versions received mostly mixed to negative reviews. IGN commented the Wii version "is not a bad game" but went on to say "The whole thing has been oversimplified and dumbed down. The Wii puzzles are a joke, the combat is almost nonexistent, and the game is pretty short." GameSpot added "Tomb Raider Underworld can be an enjoyable adventure, but it’s marred by bugs, camera issues, and ill-conceived Wii extras." While the PlayStation 2 version was called "an embarrassment to the franchise" by IGN. They went on to say that the version was such a poor conversion that it shouldn't have even been released, saying "Full of bugs, linear play that discourages exploration and non-existent combat, Tomb Raider Underworld feels as though it's part of the series in name and main character only."
Prior to the game's release, Eidos attempted to prevent any reviews rating the game at less than 8 out of 10 from appearing, with an Eidos spokesman stating "[t]he brand manager in the US that's handling all of Tomb Raider has asked that we just manage the scores before the game is out, really, just to ensure that we don't put people off buying the game, basically."
Tomb Raider: Underworld received a BAFTA
nomination in 2009. For Underworlds story, Eric Lindstrom and Toby Gard received a nomination for the WGA
’s Videogame Writing Award.
, President of Eidos Interactive, said "Underworld has met our target expectations". In September 2009 Tomb Raider: Underworld was released as part of both the Xbox 360 Classics range and PlayStation 3 Platinum range.
Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider is an action-adventure video game developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive. It was originally released in 1996 for the Sega Saturn, with MS-DOS and PlayStation versions following shortly thereafter...
. The story continues from the events in Tomb Raider: Legend as a direct sequel, but also addresses unexplained plot elements by association with Tomb Raider: Anniversary; the 2007 remake of the original Tomb Raider (1996). The three games are subsequently merged into the renowned stand-alone Tomb Raider Trilogy of the late 2000s, by the series' second continuation developer Crystal Dynamics
Crystal Dynamics
Crystal Dynamics is an American video game developer based in the San Francisco Bay Area and founded in 1992 by Judy Lang, Madaline Canepa and Dave Morris...
. Underworld is the third game in the series to be developed
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
by Crystal Dynamics and is also the first Tomb Raider game to be released on the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
.
Underworld is an action-adventure
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
video game with different versions developed by Crystal Dynamics
Crystal Dynamics
Crystal Dynamics is an American video game developer based in the San Francisco Bay Area and founded in 1992 by Judy Lang, Madaline Canepa and Dave Morris...
, Buzz Monkey Software
Buzz Monkey Software
Buzz Monkey Software is a United States video game developer based in Eugene, Oregon. Buzz Monkey was formed in late 2001 by four former Dynamix employees: senior producer Randy Thompson, senior engineers Jon Milnes and Steve Cordon, and lead artist Barry Drew....
, and Santa Cruz Games
Santa Cruz Games
Santa Cruz Games is an independent video game developer founded in 2001 in Santa Cruz, California, USA.-Published games:* 2008: Tomb Raider: Underworld for Nintendo DS* 2007: Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash for DS...
, all published by Eidos Interactive
Eidos Interactive
Eidos Interactive Ltd. is a British video game publisher and is a label of Square Enix Europe. As an independent company Eidos plc was headquartered in the Wimbledon Bridge House in Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton....
. Crystal Dynamics developed the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, and PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
versions, which were released in November 2008. Santa Cruz Games
Santa Cruz Games
Santa Cruz Games is an independent video game developer founded in 2001 in Santa Cruz, California, USA.-Published games:* 2008: Tomb Raider: Underworld for Nintendo DS* 2007: Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash for DS...
developed the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
version, which was also released in November 2008. The Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
and PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
versions were developed by Buzz Monkey Software
Buzz Monkey Software
Buzz Monkey Software is a United States video game developer based in Eugene, Oregon. Buzz Monkey was formed in late 2001 by four former Dynamix employees: senior producer Randy Thompson, senior engineers Jon Milnes and Steve Cordon, and lead artist Barry Drew....
, although the PS2 version saw a January 2009 release in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and March 2009 in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. Eidos released two new chapters of Tomb Raider: Underworld, Beneath the Ashes and Lara's Shadow, developed by Crystal Dynamics
Crystal Dynamics
Crystal Dynamics is an American video game developer based in the San Francisco Bay Area and founded in 1992 by Judy Lang, Madaline Canepa and Dave Morris...
, as exclusive downloadable content for the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
on the Xbox Live Marketplace
Xbox Live Marketplace
The Xbox Live Marketplace is a virtual market designed for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download purchased or promotional content...
in February and March 2009 respectively.
Underworld received mostly positive reviews for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC versions. Critics praised the environments, Lara's motion capture
Motion capture
Motion capture, motion tracking, or mocap are terms used to describe the process of recording movement and translating that movement on to a digital model. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, and medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robotics...
d movements, story, puzzles, exploration, graphics and the less linear style of gameplay, although some aimed at its "haywire" camera angles and "dodgy" combat system. The PS2 and Wii versions received mostly moderate to negative reviews. Most cited them as having medium/poor graphics, being oversimplified and "dumbed" down, and some bugs, especially the PS2 version.
As of 27 February 2009, the game has sold 2.6 million copies worldwide. On 25 May 2009 it was announced Tomb Raider: Underworld would be re-released as part of the Xbox Classics
Platinum Hits
Platinum Hits is a term used to refer to a line of select Xbox games that were considered by Microsoft to have sold considerable units on the platform in the nine months after release, and have dropped in price from their original MSRP to a newer, lower price, generally that of US$19.99, although...
and Platinum Range
Platinum range
The Platinum Range is a Sony PlayStation budget range in the PAL regions, notably Europe , Australia, New Zealand, India, and Africa...
lines for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, respectively.
Gameplay
Differences from previous iterations in the series are that Lara's environment reproduces a more "interactive world that reacts and remembers", such that footprints left in the mud or mud transferred to Lara's knee from kneeling on the ground is washed away by rain, the bodies of the foes she encounters remain where she killed them, and any destruction to the environment she causes are permanent. According to creative directorCreative Director
A creative director is a position often found within the graphic design, film, music, fashion, advertising, media or entertainment industries, but may be useful in other creative organizations such as web development and software development firms as well....
Eric Lindstrom, this is "to not only reward the player for the effect they're having on the world, but to give them navigational aids." The game uses an animation blending system that allows Lara to interact dynamically with her environment, such as pushing foliage aside with one or two hands, depending on if she is carrying a weapon. It also features a "hybrid lighting model that combines dynamic lights with carefully created light maps" and a weather system that changes the environment, for example, "If Lara’s negotiating a wet ledge she’s more apt to slip or lose grip," which makes "the environment ... her adversary" for a large part of the game.
Previously seen separate aspects of gameplay
Gameplay
Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...
were combined for a new experience. Lindstrom explained that "in the past, there was climbing, and there was shooting, and there was puzzle solving. And they often didn't overlap. We've now integrated all of those elements." This instalment also features a new melee combat system, requiring Lara in some instances to use "direct combat and evasive manoeuvres to distance herself from her attacker". Notably, Lara's bike, among other things, is a key component in solving the puzzles she will encounter in her adventure. Pick-ups have multiple uses as weapons and tools in interaction with the environment, and Lindstrom stated that Lara "can also split up her guns and fire at two different targets simultaneously," or hold an item with one hand and fire a gun with the other. The grappling hook
Grappling hook
A grappling hook is an anchor with multiple hooks , attached to a rope; it is thrown, dropped, sunk, projected, or fastened directly by hand to where at least one hook may catch and hold. Generally, grappling hooks are used to temporarily secure one end of a rope. They may also be used to dredge...
can be stretched taut and used to pull objects off ledges unlike in previous iterations, illustrating what project lead Rob Pavey said, that "Lara will be able to do anything that you'd expect her to be able to do," which he called "the big theme this year." Lindstrom describes this as "a philosophy called 'What Could Lara Do?'—WCLD. It's short-hand for having the player be able to use their own intuition about what someone with her abilities should be able to do in an environment such as this, and consistency across the different mechanics and abilities. If she can throw a grenade, then if she can pick up this pole, why can't she throw it?" Crystal Dynamics also aimed to make the game non-linear, unlike Tomb Raider: Legend, and eliminate the need for hint icons that indicate the ability to interact with objects.
The interactive cut scenes from previous titles were replaced with "adrenaline moments". Instead of specific button presses, time slows down and gives the player a chance to get out of harm's way while retaining complete control of Lara.
Plot
Tomb Raider: Underworld begins with Lara CroftLara Croft
Lara Croft is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Square Enix video game series Tomb Raider. She is presented as a beautiful, intelligent, and athletic British archaeologist-adventurer who ventures into ancient, hazardous tombs and ruins around the world...
in the halls of her own mansion home when an explosion suddenly sets the whole building ablaze. Making her way to the front door, Lara is surprisingly fired upon by one of her closest friends, Zip.
The game then rewinds back in time to a week before the explosion, just after the events of Tomb Raider Legend. Lara is searching for Avalon
Avalon
Avalon is a legendary island featured in the Arthurian legend. It first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 1136 pseudohistorical account Historia Regum Britanniae as the place where King Arthur's sword Excalibur was forged and later where Arthur was...
, the mythical resting place of King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
, hoping it will lead her to an explanation for the disappearance of her long lost mother. Underneath the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
Lara discovers an ancient temple designating itself as "Niflheim
Niflheim
Niflheim is one of the Nine Worlds and is a location in Norse mythology which overlaps with the notions of Niflhel and Hel...
", one of the many Norse underworlds. Deep within, she discovers one of Thor's
Thor
In Norse mythology, Thor is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing, and fertility...
gauntlets
Járngreipr
In Norse mythology, Járngreipr or Járnglófi are the iron gloves of the god Thor. According to the Prose Edda, along with the hammer Mjölnir and the belt Megingjörð, Járngreipr is one of Thor's three crucial possessions. According to chapter 20 of the book Gylfaginning, Thor uses the gloves to...
. Most of the gauntlet crumbles to dust when she touches it, except for a small stone on the wrist that glows with an eerie blue light. After some mercenaries arrive and knock Lara out, she comes to, and the lead mercenary detonates a bomb that seals Lara in the gauntlet chamber, while remarking that "Amanda Evert sends her regards."
Lara escapes the temple and returns to the surface, noticing a large cargo ship nearby and Lara boards the ship. During a firefight between Lara and the guards, an explosion occurs and the boat begins to sink. While evacuating, Lara comes face to face with an old enemy, Jacqueline Natla, whom Lara believed she had killed in Tomb Raider Anniversary, but who had actually been discovered and imprisoned by Amanda Evert. Natla tells Lara that the Norse
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
underworld, Helheim and Avalon are one and the same and that she will need to find Thor's Hammer to open the Underworld and find her mother. Lara soon discovers that she will have to find Thor's other gauntlet and his belt if she wants to find and wield the hammer. Natla provides Lara with a starting point for her search in this quest - coastal Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
.
In Thailand, Lara discovers a Hindu
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
temple had been built in the middle of a remote jungle. Lara does not find the second gauntlet in the these ruins, but after she excavates deeper into the ruins, she find that the Hindu temple had been built over what appeared to be even more ancient Norse ruins. She still did not find the gauntlet, but evidence that her father had found it there and removed it before he died. She also discovers a message that reveals that her father and Natla had been working together at some point and that the relationship had not ended well.
Lara is able to deduce where her father hid the missing gauntlet - buried beneath her grandfather's tomb, within Croft Manor. She finds a secret old chapel buried beneath her home (an unfinished construction project), as well as her father's secret office. Upon his desk, Lara discovers the gauntlet as well as a tape-recorded message, warning her that Helhiem may contain a powerful weapon that could put the world to an end. Lara is then attacked by monsters called thralls, but escapes and returns to the mansion and finds it on fire, leading back to the opening events of the game.
Zip claims that "Lara" broke in to her own safe in the middle of the night and detonated a bomb in the mansion. When Lara returns to the burning office to recover the security footage, she finds herself face to face with a doppelgänger
Doppelgänger
In fiction and folklore, a doppelgänger is a paranormal double of a living person, typically representing evil or misfortune...
of herself created by Natla, who is much faster and stronger than Lara. The doppelgänger kills Alister Fletcher, another close friend of Lara's. After his emotional death, Lara resolves to continue with her quest and prevent Natla and Amanda from causing any more misery.
In Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Lara finds more Norse ruins under a Maya
Maya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
ball court near other Mayan structures. Here, she finds both Thor's Belt and some ancient pictographs linking the weapon in Helheim to Jörmungandr
Jörmungandr
In Norse mythology, Jörmungandr , mostly known as Jormungand, orJörmungand , or Midgard Serpent , or World Serpent, is a sea serpent, and the middle child of the giantess Angrboða and the god Loki...
, the mythical Norse sea-serpent that encircles the world, brought about by the seventh age. After fighting thralls emitted from the blue Eitr below, she escapes out of the norse ruins and sets out to find Mjolnir.
Her next stop are ruins on Jan Mayen Island that correlate to Valhalla
Valhalla
In Norse mythology, Valhalla is a majestic, enormous hall located in Asgard, ruled over by the god Odin. Chosen by Odin, half of those that die in combat travel to Valhalla upon death, led by valkyries, while the other half go to the goddess Freyja's field Fólkvangr...
. It is here that Lara finally recovers Thor's Hammer. In the meantime, Zip has managed to track Amanda down to a sister-ship of the one Lara sank earlier.
Armed with Mjolnir, Lara boards the vessel and interrogates Natla once again. Amanda interrupts the meeting, but before she and Lara start fighting, the doppelgänger (under Natla's command), throws Amanda down a shaft, seemingly to her death. Natla provides now Lara with the coordinates of Helheim, but points out that Lara does not know the Ritual of Odin, which is needed to open its gates. Lara reluctantly strikes a bargain with Natla and frees her from her cell.
They rendezvous in the outer chambers of the Helheim complex, deep below the Arctic Sea. From a distance, Lara watches Natla perform the ritual and then fly away. With the ritual performed, Lara is able to use Mjolnir to open the gates of Helheim. She battles her way through hoards of thralls and yetis protecting the secret at the heart of the ancient city. Along the way, Lara discovers the horrifying truth of her mother's fate - she has been turned into a thrall. When her mother's undead body advances threateningly upon her, Lara is forced to shoot and "kill" her, an act that greatly upsets Lara.
Natla reveals the true extent of her manipulation of Lara, also revealing that she was the one who killed Lord Richard Croft when he saw Natla's true intentions. Natla goes, leaving the Doppelgänger to kill Lara. Amanda saves Lara's life and Lara pursues Natla, who is activating an ancient doomsday device. It is revealed that Jörmungandr, the Midgard Serpent, was a Norse metaphor for the many tectonic divisions that encircle the world, beneath the seas. The doomsday device was built upon the most unstable junction of these lines and its activation would cause massive volcanic activity across the whole planet and the destruction of most of humanity, leaving Natla to be the ruler of what's left.
Lara successfully destabilises the device and while Natla desperately tries to repair the damage, Lara throws Mjolnir at Natla, sending her down into the pool of deadly Eitr below and bringing the Midgard Serpent down with it. But this causes the pool to slowly rise and, as Amanda comes round from holding off the Yeti Thralls, she recalls the legend of Thor and the Serpent, ending 'We'll die here, just like your mother'. Lara suddenly sees a dais like the one that brought her mother to Helheim and together Lara and Amanda repair and use it, teleporting back to the temple in Nepal (from Tomb Raider Legend). There, Amanda walks away and Lara bids one final farewell to her mother, then too departs, ending her final search for her mother.
Characters
-Tomb Raider: Underworld, like all others in the series, stars the fictional English archaeologist Lara CroftLara Croft
Lara Croft is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Square Enix video game series Tomb Raider. She is presented as a beautiful, intelligent, and athletic British archaeologist-adventurer who ventures into ancient, hazardous tombs and ruins around the world...
, who is voiced by Keeley Hawes
Keeley Hawes
Keeley Hawes is an English actress and model, known for many television roles. She is best known for her roles as Zoe Reynolds in Spooks and Alex Drake in Ashes to Ashes and Lady Agnes in the remake of Upstairs, Downstairs...
. She is the only playable character in the main part of the game.
-Lara's butler and recurring character, Winston (voiced by Alan Shearman), also reappears during the Croft Manor segment.
-Lara's assistants, Zip (Alex Désert
Alex Désert
Alex Désert is a Haitian-American actor and musician most known for his roles in the TV series The Flash, Becker, and Boy Meets World...
) and Alister (Greg Ellis
Greg Ellis (actor)
Greg Ellis is an English actor known for his TV, movie, and video game voice over work. He has appeared in films such as the Pirates of the Caribbean series, the 2009 Star Trek film , Titanic, Beowulf, To End All Wars, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith...
) return from Legend, though their contact with Lara is now limited to cut scenes rather than during gameplay.
-Jacqueline Natla (Grey DeLisle
Grey DeLisle
Grey DeLisle is an American voice actress, singer-songwriter, and comedienne. To date, she has released four solo albums and has featured on the tribute album Anchored in Love: A Tribute to June Carter Cash and film soundtrack of Loggerheads...
) and Amanda Evert (Kath Soucie
Kath Soucie
Katherine Elaine Soucie is an American voice actress. She is sometimes credited as Kath Soucie, Katherine Soucie, Kath Souci, Kath E...
) are the game's main villains, reprising their roles from Anniversary and Legend respectively. Greg Ellis also voices the leader of Amanda's mercenaries in the Mediterranean.
-The game also features the Doppelgänger, a creature created by Natla that is nearly identical to Lara, but with pale skin and red hair. Throughout the main part of the game, she acts as an antagonist serving Natla.
Lara, Zip, the Doppelgänger, and Natla reappear in the Xbox 360 downloadable content. The Doppelgänger, who does not speak during the main game, is voiced by Keeley Hawes, and serves as the playable character in Lara's Shadow.
Setting
Mediterranean SeaMediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
- The game begins in the Mediterranean Sea where the first level is set. There, Lara spends some time swimming among sharks and discovers an air pocket containing the Norse underworld of Niflheim
Niflheim
Niflheim is one of the Nine Worlds and is a location in Norse mythology which overlaps with the notions of Niflhel and Hel...
where she faces a giant Kraken
Kraken
Kraken are legendary sea monsters of giant proportions said to have dwelt off the coasts of Norway and Iceland.In modern German, Krake means octopus but can also refer to the legendary Kraken...
and boards Amanda's boat.
Coastal Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
- The second level takes place on the west coast of Thailand. There she discovers Bhogavati
Bhogavati
Bhogavati , that is, the voluptuous one, was the subterranean capital of the Nagas in the Nagaloka region of Patala. The place is also called Putkari. It is mentioned as Naga capital at . The foremost of cities which resembles the Amaravati of Deva king Indra, is known by the name of Bhogavati. It...
, a mythical Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
city, which Lara finds to be guarded with Nāga
Naga
Naga or NAGA may refer to:* Nāga, a group of serpent deities in Hindu and Buddhist mythology.-People:* Nayan / Nayar/Nair people of Kerala Society* Naga people, a diverse ethnic identity in Northeast India...
, creatures that the Hindu religion describes as snake people.
England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
- The third part of the game takes place in England at Croft Manor. Lara discovers, via clues left by her father at Bhogavati, a chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
hidden underneath Croft Manor which leads to Richard Croft's secret study. Lara then must escape her mansion as it burns to the ground.
Southern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
- The next level takes place in Southern Mexico. Lara explores ruins in the middle of a jungle, and then excavates the Mayan underworld of Xibalba
Xibalba
Xibalba , roughly translated as "place of fear", is the name of the underworld in Maya mythology, ruled by the Maya death gods and their helpers. In 16th-century Verapaz, the entrance to Xibalba was traditionally held to be a cave in the vicinity of Cobán, Guatemala. According to some of the...
, which is guarded by giant spiders and zombie-like thralls as she goes deeper into the ruins.
Jan Mayen
Jan Mayen
Jan Mayen Island is a volcanic island in the Arctic Ocean and part of the Kingdom of Norway. It is long and 373 km2 in area, partly covered by glaciers . It has two parts: larger northeast Nord-Jan and smaller Sør-Jan, linked by an isthmus wide...
Island- Lara then travels to Jan Mayen
Jan Mayen
Jan Mayen Island is a volcanic island in the Arctic Ocean and part of the Kingdom of Norway. It is long and 373 km2 in area, partly covered by glaciers . It has two parts: larger northeast Nord-Jan and smaller Sør-Jan, linked by an isthmus wide...
Island to find Thor's Hammer. There she discovers Valhalla
Valhalla
In Norse mythology, Valhalla is a majestic, enormous hall located in Asgard, ruled over by the god Odin. Chosen by Odin, half of those that die in combat travel to Valhalla upon death, led by valkyries, while the other half go to the goddess Freyja's field Fólkvangr...
, another Norse world.
Andaman Sea
Andaman Sea
The Andaman Sea or Burma Sea is a body of water to the southeast of the Bay of Bengal, south of Burma, west of Thailand and east of the Andaman Islands, India; it is part of the Indian Ocean....
- A short segment then takes place in the Andaman Sea where Lara infiltrates The Tisiphone, which is the twin of Amanda's original cargo ship.
Arctic Sea
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
- The final part of the game takes place in the Arctic Sea, where Lara discovers the entrance to Helheim. Upon opening Helheim, Lara discovers the Midgard Serpent
Jörmungandr
In Norse mythology, Jörmungandr , mostly known as Jormungand, orJörmungand , or Midgard Serpent , or World Serpent, is a sea serpent, and the middle child of the giantess Angrboða and the god Loki...
and destroys it. She then finds out what happened to her mother and ends her quest.
Development
In November 2007, EidosEidos Interactive
Eidos Interactive Ltd. is a British video game publisher and is a label of Square Enix Europe. As an independent company Eidos plc was headquartered in the Wimbledon Bridge House in Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton....
was reported to have filed for a trademark on the phrase, Tomb Raider Underworld, and soon after reserved the Tomb Raider Underworld domain name. In December 2007, Eidos filed for a second trademark for Tomb Raider Underworld, reserving the right to provide "computer games that may be accessed network-wide by network users." In the January 2008 issue of the magazine Play
Play (US magazine)
Play was a U.S.-based magazine focused on video games, anime, manga, film, DVD, television, comics, music and media. Published by Fusion Publishing, Inc. since 2001, Play magazine also had a separate Internet presence on its website, Play Online...
, details from the "first-ever demo" of the game were revealed. SCi, which owned Eidos at the time, officially announced Tomb Raider: Underworld on 10 January 2008, and confirmed that all platform versions of the game would be released simultaneously in November 2008.
Play's assertions that the game is the "first true next gen Lara with one big physics smorgasbord that looks altogether photo-real" led to speculation that Tomb Raider: Underworld might be using a new game engine
Game engine
A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
for its next-generation
History of video game consoles (seventh generation)
In the history of video games, the seventh generation of consoles is the current generation , and includes consoles released since late by Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony...
graphics rather than the system used by Tomb Raider: Legend and Tomb Raider: Anniversary. Later, the Senior Producer and External Designer separately confirmed that Underworld uses an all-new engine that was built especially for it. This new engine is also used in the game Deus Ex 3
Deus Ex 3
Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a science fiction action role-playing video game developed by Eidos Montreal and published by Square Enix. Released in August 2011, it is the third game in the Deus Ex series, and a prequel to the original game released in 2000.The game is set in 2027, 25 years before...
.
Lara's costume was redesigned and she no longer wears her trademark turquoise sleeveless top and khaki
Khaki
This article is about the fabric. For the color, see Khaki . Kaki, another name for the persimmon, is often misspelled "Khaki".Khaki is a type of fabric or the color of such fabric...
shorts, but instead, a dark brown halter top and black shorts. Additionally, her hair is no longer braided, but worn in a ponytail. According to Play, Lara "moves as good as she looks [and] no longer moves like a video game character" due to her being fully motion capture
Motion capture
Motion capture, motion tracking, or mocap are terms used to describe the process of recording movement and translating that movement on to a digital model. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, and medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robotics...
d. Olympic gymnast and NCAA Women's Gymnastics champion
NCAA Women's Gymnastics championship
The NCAA introduced Women's Gymnastics as a championship sport in 1982. Since then, only four universities have claimed the overall Division I championship; Division II competition was discontinued in 1987. During the early years of competition, the University of Utah under the leadership of head...
Heidi Moneymaker was the model used for motion capturing. Lara Croft is said to have over 2,000 animations. Keeley Hawes
Keeley Hawes
Keeley Hawes is an English actress and model, known for many television roles. She is best known for her roles as Zoe Reynolds in Spooks and Alex Drake in Ashes to Ashes and Lady Agnes in the remake of Upstairs, Downstairs...
provided the voice of Lara in this instalment, as she did in Anniversary and Legend. Gymnast Alison Carroll
Alison Carroll
Alison Carroll is an English gymnast, model, and actress. She was the most recent Lara Croft model, from 2008 to 2010.- Biography :Alison Carroll was born in Croydon, Surrey in England....
was selected as the new official Lara Croft model to promote the game, replacing Karima Adebibe
Karima Adebibe
Karima Adebibe is an English actress and fashion model.- Biography :Adebibe was born in Bethnal Green, in Tower Hamlets, London, England. Adebibe is of Moroccan origins....
.
The first official video, entitled "Beneath the Surface", was released on 17 July 2008, and featured interviews with members of the development team and showed screenshots, artwork, and several clips of gameplay footage. A teaser trailer was released on 19 July 2008, and the first gameplay trailer was released on 15 August 2008.
Music
Troels Brun Folmann composed the main theme of the game, and was the music supervisor for Underworld while Colin O'MalleyColin O'Malley
Colin O'Malley is a composer who has worked with CNN, the Walt Disney Company, the United States Air Force, Universal Studios, DC Comics and Electronic Arts....
was scoring the bulk of the music. Underworlds music is purely orchestral in style.
There are pieces that do not loop, meaning they will only play one time and will be triggered on specific events. The score is made more of musical fragments, similar to the first five games of the Tomb Raider series, and there is less constant music than in Legend.
The first four seconds of the main theme are the first four notes of the well known seven-notes of the first Tomb Raider game main theme. A similar beginning was already used in another track composed by Troels called "Egypt - Cinematic Mix 2". The end of the main theme gets louder than the beginning by adding choirs and percussion. It then drops into a solo performance of the same four-notes reminiscent of the Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness main theme.
In addition to gameplay music, Underworlds Theatrical Trailer also uses orchestral music. The featured piece is the 3rd movement: Lacrimosa, from Mozart's Requiem
Requiem (Mozart)
The Requiem Mass in D minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was composed in Vienna in 1791 and left unfinished at the composer's death. A completion by Franz Xaver Süssmayr was delivered to Count Franz von Walsegg, who had anonymously commissioned the piece for a requiem Mass to commemorate the...
in D minor. In this case it has been re-orchestrated, though details and/or release are yet to be provided.
Limited Edition DVD Soundtrack
Tomb Raider: Underworld included a ten-track DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
soundtrack in the 'Limited Edition' of the game
Downloadable content
After an agreement with MicrosoftMicrosoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
, Eidos released two new chapters of Tomb Raider: Underworld as exclusive downloadable content on the Xbox Live Marketplace
Xbox Live Marketplace
The Xbox Live Marketplace is a virtual market designed for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download purchased or promotional content...
: Beneath the Ashes on 24 February 2009 and Lara's Shadow on 10 March 2009. According to an MTV Multiplayer blog post, an Eidos spokesperson has stated that there are no plans to release the content for PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
or Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
. Following a negative reaction from fans, Eidos released a statement explaining that they were approached by Microsoft, and to confirm "there are no plans for additional downloadable content for PS3".
It was also announced that two new outfits, made by Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
fashion designers, would be available for free download on the Xbox Live Marketplace
Xbox Live Marketplace
The Xbox Live Marketplace is a virtual market designed for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download purchased or promotional content...
. The outfits were chosen by jury and public vote on the Festival Arcadia's Virtually Fashionable on 8 November 2008, and released on 10 March 2009.
On 15 December 2008, Eidos announced the release of two classic outfits from past Tomb Raider games ("Classic" and "Legend"), which would be released for free exclusively on the Xbox Live Marketplace
Xbox Live Marketplace
The Xbox Live Marketplace is a virtual market designed for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download purchased or promotional content...
. On 30 December 2008, two additional wetsuits for Lara were also released for free on the Xbox Live Marketplace
Xbox Live Marketplace
The Xbox Live Marketplace is a virtual market designed for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download purchased or promotional content...
.
Beneath the Ashes
As in the main game, the player controls Lara during Beneath the Ashes. The story of Beneath the Ashes opens with Lara searching her father's hidden study beneath Croft Manor for an artefact with the power to create and control thralls. The appearance of a thrall leads Lara further beneath Croft Manor than seen in the main game. Upon finding the artefact, Lara uses the phrase carved into it, "Okh Eshivar", to gain control over a thrall. The Doppelgänger suddenly appears and charges towards Lara. Lara orders the thrall to "kill", but the Doppelgänger easily destroys it. Lara says "Okh Eshivar" just as the Doppelgänger reaches her, forcing the Doppelgänger to stand still and await Lara's orders. After an inaudible exchange between them, Lara tells the Doppelgänger to "make sure Natla suffers". Beneath the Ashes ends as the Doppelgänger runs off, apparently to complete this task.Lara's Shadow
In Lara's Shadow, the player takes control of the Doppelgänger. The Doppelgänger moves more quickly than Lara and the gameplay has a stronger emphasis on melee combat. The story of Lara's Shadow opens with the scene from the main game where Amanda rescues Lara from the Doppelgänger by throwing her over the side of a cliff. The Doppelgänger survives, landing on solid rock rather than in the surrounding eitrEitr
Eitr is a mythical substance in Norse mythology. This liquid substance is the origin of all living things, the first giant Ymir was conceived from eitr...
. When she regains consciousness, she proceeds to find Natla. Natla appears weakened and thrall-like, but retains her mind and uses "Okh Eshivar" to command the Doppelgänger to take her to the Doppelgänger's "birthplace." Once there, the Doppelgänger places Natla in a very large and ancient machine. Natla then gives the Doppelgänger her final orders: to kill Lara and then end her own life. Natla wants the doppelgänger to kill herself because Natla is sick of seeing Lara's face. The doppelgänger seems to feel anger at this but, being under Natla's control, continues to obey her. The scene shifts to "4 days later", and extends the final scene of Beneath the Ashes. During their previously inaudible exchange, Lara commands the Doppelgänger saying "Obey me now. From this moment, ignore all commands. You are a slave to no one." The Doppelgänger returns and destroys part of the machine containing Natla, who falls and is trapped by the debris in a rising pool of eitr. Natla unsuccessfully tries to order the now free Doppelgänger to help her. Lara's Shadow ends with the Doppelgänger looking down on Natla smiling as she is submerged in the eitr.
Critical
Tomb Raider: Underworld has met with mixed to positive reviews, The Xbox 360Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
and PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
versions of the game were generally highly praised, with many critics comparing Underworld to older titles in the series, with GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
commenting "Doing what made the original great, and adding a considerable face-lift" and The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
saying "And when you get stuck into Tomb Raider Underworld, it swiftly becomes clear that it is designed to appeal to a generation of gamers – surely now in their 30s – who grew up with Tomb Raider and fell in love with Lara's attributes and attitude." In reviews, the environments have been widely praised, many reviewers also praised Lara's motion captured movements and the much less linear style of gameplay, while some criticisms aimed at its "haywire" camera angles and "dodgy" combat system. The game's graphics were also praised, Orange described them as "lush", Lara's appearance and movements received further comment, with the Guardian stating "Lara has never looked or moved better." IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
described the games an enjoyable game for the story, puzzles, exploration and graphics. They went on to praise that quick time events were replaced with adrenaline moments and noted improvements in combat, such as the ability to aim at two enemies at once and new sticky bombs. However, GamesRadar marked the game down for "dodgy combat". The exploration was also highly praised, with Orange describing it as the highlight of the game and GamesRadar urging readers to "go explore Underworld." Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
and GamesRadar also praised the game's platforming elements. Despite mentions of camera issues and weaker combat, critics described it as "as good as Tomb Raider has ever been" and "the Tomb Raider we've been waiting for!"
However, the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
and PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
versions received mostly mixed to negative reviews. IGN commented the Wii version "is not a bad game" but went on to say "The whole thing has been oversimplified and dumbed down. The Wii puzzles are a joke, the combat is almost nonexistent, and the game is pretty short." GameSpot added "Tomb Raider Underworld can be an enjoyable adventure, but it’s marred by bugs, camera issues, and ill-conceived Wii extras." While the PlayStation 2 version was called "an embarrassment to the franchise" by IGN. They went on to say that the version was such a poor conversion that it shouldn't have even been released, saying "Full of bugs, linear play that discourages exploration and non-existent combat, Tomb Raider Underworld feels as though it's part of the series in name and main character only."
Prior to the game's release, Eidos attempted to prevent any reviews rating the game at less than 8 out of 10 from appearing, with an Eidos spokesman stating "[t]he brand manager in the US that's handling all of Tomb Raider has asked that we just manage the scores before the game is out, really, just to ensure that we don't put people off buying the game, basically."
Tomb Raider: Underworld received a BAFTA
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
nomination in 2009. For Underworlds story, Eric Lindstrom and Toby Gard received a nomination for the WGA
Writers Guild of America
The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
’s Videogame Writing Award.
Sales
On 9 January 2009, Eidos announced that Tomb Raider: Underworld sales failed to meet expectations, selling 1.5 million copies worldwide as of 31 December 2008. However, on 27 February 2009, Eidos announced that the game had sold around 2.6 million copies worldwide, outselling the previous two titles in the series. Also, on 8 May 2009, Ian LivingstoneIan Livingstone
Ian Livingstone OBE is an English fantasy author and entrepreneur. He is a co-writer of the first Fighting Fantasy gamebook, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, and co-founder of Games Workshop....
, President of Eidos Interactive, said "Underworld has met our target expectations". In September 2009 Tomb Raider: Underworld was released as part of both the Xbox 360 Classics range and PlayStation 3 Platinum range.