Tomb Raider: Underworld

Following the franchise’s legendary return to success under Crystal Dynamics’ direction, Underworld, the studio’s sophomore production with Lara Croft, aims to maintain the series’ high level of solid, free-flowing action while bringing back more of the spooky exploration and challenging jumping puzzles that helped define the classic Tomb Raider games of the late ’90s. The developers worked hard to build a character that moved smoothly and was contextually integrated. Motion-capture technology is employed for the first time in the series, with 3D recordings of a world-class gymnast bringing Lara’s leaps, flips, and kicks to life. Lara’s mobility in the game includes around 2,000 animations in total. To slay a god, you must use a god’s weapon. Lara embarks on a mission to gain the power of Mjöllnir, Thor’s invincible hammer. Lara’s acrobatics and ingenuity are tested in intricate, vast platform puzzles set among ancient tombs and ruins in Mexico’s jungles, Thailand’s shoreline, beneath the icy polar waters, and other forbidden areas of magical power worldwide.