Microsoft and developer Crystal Dynamics revealed a new demo for Rise of the Tomb Raider at Gamescom last week. Folks who attended the convention in Germany got to see it, but now the entire public can watch a full playthrough of the demo.
The 13-minute demo opens with a car crash in Syria, and in typical Tomb Raider fashion Lara Croft ends up covered in cuts and bruises. She makes it out and finds herself in a canyon, which looks beautiful with the shining sun as the backdrop. It's a refreshing change of pace from the dreariness of 2013's Tomb Raider.
The canyon leads to a tomb, which means it's time for Lara Croft to live up to her nickname. She quietly explores the tomb, searching for clues to puzzles and secret entrances. Then she finds an idyllic oasis, which looks fantastic on the Xbox One hardware.
There's plenty of action and treacherous climbing in the demo, but I'm most excited about the prospect of exploring more tombs. As much as I enjoyed the first Tomb Raider from Crystal Dynamics, I was disappointed that the game didn't include more exploration. It looks like the developer aims to fix that with the next chapter in Lara Croft's journey.
Rise of the Tomb Raider comes out on November 10 for Xbox 360 and Xbox One. A PC release will follow in early 2016, and it also heads to PlayStation 4 in Fall 2016.
