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-   -   The next game should drop the heavy, gritty and melodramatic storytelling and tone (https://www.tombraiderforums.com/showthread.php?t=222853)

Alterjano 24-05-19 19:36

The next game should drop the heavy, gritty and melodramatic storytelling and tone
 
We have already had three games of Lara fighting her demons, struggling with PTSD, losing herself in the process and almost becoming a shadow of her former self. As a result, I had a hard time connecting to her character, as she was too serious, stoic, cold and over dramatic most of the time. It pains me to say this but I did not like this aspect of the trilogy games, and it never made for a compelling narrative especially in ROTTR and SOTTR.

This is a criticism of the trilogy games that I hope CD will engage with in their next game. Ideally, I want the next game to have well written arcs with all the characters, but especially with Lara. I want her to finally enjoy her passion for adventure without any parental drama issues that has plagued her identity and character development in the previous games. My hope is for the game developers and writers at CD to find the right balance, but drop the excessive gritty and heavy subject matter in the storytelling elements and tone.

By the end of the rebooted trilogy, Lara and many other characters that she journeyed with, had already experienced so much trauma and pain. They have faced too many struggles, that there needed to be a resolution to that chapter of their story. Even the ending of SOTTR gave us a glimpse of a hopeful future for Lara and her comrades. I wouldn’t want CD to retcon that development for these characters in their next adventure. Rather, I want them, and especially Lara to have had a change in perspective about their past and to have reconciled with the events that have transpired before moving on, to their next big adventure in the sequel. Most importantly, I want Lara's future adventure to have an air of levity and thrill. Let her make some witty jokes and be her true, daring and charming self. Let her reflect during a prolonged off-screen time skip, so she could forge a renewed sense of hope and optimism for whatever comes next in her life. Personally, I think the next game should explore the theme of rebirth in Lara’s character and part of that, should see her reclaiming the dual pistols as a way of re-envisioning her own destiny of her own volition as a Tomb Raider. That's my wish for the sequel game.

VictorXD 24-05-19 19:48

I want the heavy, gritty storytelling to stay I just want it to be good.

Hepburn 24-05-19 20:20

The 2010s seemed to be all about gritty/dark narratives and themes ([I]The Last of Us[/I], [I]Dark Souls[/I], [I]Shadow of Mordor[/I], etc.). I always felt like TR2013 (and even Rise/Shadow) was a direct response to the success of things like [I]The Walking Dead[/I] and [I]The Hunger Games[/I]... where the focus was on survival and apocalyptic scenarios. I also think that throughout the 2010s, the gaming industry was really out to prove that it could do dramatic storytelling as well as television, film, or literature. That's just a hunch though... I don't really know.

Anyhow, I'd definitely like to see more fun and lighthearted adventures, brighter colors, and more hopeful themes in future games. And I've been calling for a more personable, sassy Lara for while now, too.

killchan 24-05-19 21:27

I'm fine with whatever tone they go for.
what they need to drop is that [i]"we have this huge responsibility of proving Lara is more than just [insert classic trope] and that [insert moral message]!!!"[/i] approach to the writing.

Melonie Tomb Raider 24-05-19 21:31

Yes PLEASE! Just focus on the mythology as the story and Lara being a badass loner playing for sport. No more Lara and pals drama, it's ridiculous.

Grimaldi 24-05-19 21:49

While the reboot timeline should definitely lighten up after Shadow, completely removing the grit and drama (which isn’t always a terrible idea) wouldn’t feel true to what came before.

Just have Lara mellow out, be more daring in how you write her, don’t rely on family for personal stakes, and don’t resort to guilt tripping her for the fourth time. They can still tell a serious story with a smarter, wittier, and laid back Lara and colourful environments.

VictorXD 24-05-19 21:59

[QUOTE=Melonie Tomb Raider;8092707]Yes PLEASE! Just focus on the mythology as the story and Lara being a badass loner playing for sport. No more Lara and pals drama, it's ridiculous.[/QUOTE]

I think it's perfectly possible to have both.

Lara being a bad ass adventurer who is an adrenaline junkie does not mean we have to strip down the other aspects of the story.

mandylane 24-05-19 22:00

in the next game there should be jonah, and alittle bit of new characters PLEASE :tea:

biscuits 24-05-19 22:03

I kinda agree. Dark and gritty was cool back in 2013, but now it's just old.
Shadow had a pretty lighthearted tone though. I thought it struck the perfect balance.

Melonie Tomb Raider 24-05-19 22:08

[QUOTE=VictorXD;8092717]I think it's perfectly possible to have both.

Lara being a bad ass adventurer who is an adrenaline junkie does not mean we have to strip down the other aspects of the story.[/QUOTE]

I don't want both myself, and I don't consider not showing a dramatic Lara and friends around all the time to be a stripped down story either.

To each their own, I personally like seeing Lara as a power figure though. I don't want to see her get all emotional. Maybe a small moment, but nothing beyond that. Something to the effect of John Wick storylines, not regarding the subject matter, but moreso the balance of the main character being a badass 98% of the time with maybe 2% showing a vulnerable side. I also like the balance of friends with the John Wick stories too, they write well for a loner character, he has comrades he meets along the way here and there, but for the most part he is on his own doing his thing. That's how I believe Lara should be written too, but for some reason most writers don't know how to write a loner woman character.


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