Rise of the Tomb Raider gives Lara less agency in her decisions, which only makes her less competent as an archaeologist and explorer.īut her incompetence doesn’t equate to British imperialism, she might make bad decisions, but she’s not a looter or a thief. Lara is less interested in discovery and the excitement of the archaeology she finds, and more the need to prove that her father was right (about Trinity and the supernatural). In Siberia, Lara joins the Remnant (descendants of the prophet Jacob) in order to defeat Trinity. But the narrative device of seeking revenge leaves her more in John Wick territory than Howard Carter’s trench. Before in 2013’s Tomb Raider, Lara was mesmerised (as much as she was afraid) of the island she was stranded on. Rise of the Tomb Raider shows us quickly that Lara has changed, she’s become more interested in hunting an organisation known as Trinity, (who she believes is behind the death of her father) than in archaeology. The story focused on her trying to break into the archaeological world with a huge discovery, and that’s the key difference to its successors. The trip turns into a fight for survival as she finds herself stranded on a desert island with cultists and a supernatural force who refuses to let her leave. In the game, Lara voyages to find the lost kingdom of Yamatai on an expedition (not to look for her lost father, thank you kindly Alicia Vikander) funded by her best friend Sam. I loved 2013’s Lara Croft, she reflected the metaphorical journey of becoming an archaeologist that it was hard not to root for her. Her trials throughout the game proved that she could take care of herself no matter what was thrown at her while still taking a moment to savor the ruins and artefacts she encountered. Lara was much younger and inexperienced, but she eventually became reminisce of the fierce warrior we all know and love. When the game was released we were introduced to a very different Lara than what we were previously familiar with. This wasn’t an issue with her character in 2013’s Tomb Raider. In the first Tomb Raider, she says it herself: “I’m sorry, I only play for sport.” But as the reboot series tried to transform Lara to less of a female protagonist built for the male gaze to a relatable hero, she fell more victim to Western imperial privilege. Like many archaeogamers, I’m a huge fan of Lara Croft, even Classic Lara, who stole artefacts and disseminated archaeological sites just because she felt like it. She embodies woman empowerment, wit and adversity, but Lara Croft also represents the colonial values of old school archaeology. She proved to the world that women can make exceptional protagonists. Lara Croft in Shadow of the Tomb Raider after taking a valuable indigenous artefact in Mexico
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