Crystal Dynamics shows off Tomb Raider gameplay at PAX Prime 2012

The Tomb Raider franchise is headed for a total reboot with the upcoming game by Crystal Dynamics, simply titled Tomb Raider. News about the game has been mostly quiet, but now, thanks to the good folks at GamesRadar, we have a bunch of new video we can look forward to when the game finally hits shelves in 2013.

In the video, the developer shows off many of the gameplay mechanics, including the one mechanic that Tomb Raider is more or less known for – the platforming. In the first two minutes of the game, players will have to scale a crashed plane that’s hanging on rocks in the middle of a waterfall and try to tightrope walk on a log without falling off to certain doom. The developer has stressed that this isn’t exactly the battle-hardened Lara Croft we’ve become used to in previous games like Tomb Raider: Legends and Tomb Raider: Underworld. Instead, this is an origin story for Lara and has been likened by the developer to movies like Batman: Begins.

The game will feature the need for survival, including doing things like finding shelter and hunting for food. The primary weapon featured in the video is a bow, as opposed to the classic Lara Croft going akimbo with two pistols. The game seems to aim for a more open world style instead of the linear platforming of the older games. Lara must overcome a hostile island and its not-so-nice inhabitants after her ship gets torn apart by a nasty storm. The game sports a darker tone than what you’re used to in most Tomb Raider games and will push Lara to the very edge of her sanity. The new game is a radical departure from the standard action/adventure gameplay of the previous titles in the series, and instead seems to go for gameplay more focused on survival.

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The reboot will see Lara growing into an adventurer

The game also seems to feature mechanics typically associated with RPGs (role playing game) with the inclusion of a level up system and skills that give Lara the ability to do things like salvage for materials. The skills are divided into categories like Ingenuity, which has skills like Safe Fall that reduces the damage Lara will take from falling

Originally, the game was meant to be released in fall 2012, but it got pushed back to a 2013 release date before this year’s E3. Here is what Crystal Dynamics said about the delay: “Our priority is to make sure we fully deliver the very highest quality game. In order to do this, we have decided to move the game’s release date by a few months, from Fall 2012 to the first quarter of 2013. We’re doing things that are completely new to Tomb Raider in this game and the additional development time will allow us to put the finishing touches into the game and polish it to a level that you deserve. We believe this is the right choice and I guarantee it will be worth the wait.”

The game will see a release on the PlayStation 3, the Xbox 360 and the PC on March 5, 2013.