It's fallen to her to pen a new Lara who's more sympathetic, but no less as tough or deadly, as the green-topped, gun-blazing firebrand we knew on PSone. Her work spans games such as Prince of Persia, Mirror's Edge, Heavenly Sword and the Overlord series. That task has fallen to Rhianna Pratchett. How then, can both classic Lara and this new rendition be stacked side by side fairly? How can Crystal Dynamics make us fall in love with this hero in the same way we did back in 1996? She's completely out of her depth, and is forced to adapt to a world she fears. People know who she is, but this new Lara is somebody else. Reboots can be tricky, especially when they involve characters as long-standing and as recognisable as Croft. She's a gaming institution, so rebooting the franchise was always going to be a risk. In Crystal Dynamics' Tomb Raider reboot, that consideration must be levied at the new and improved Lara Croft. What makes a game character iconic? Is it because we support their cause, or do they just charm us to the point of submission? Is it because they make us laugh, make us cry, or make us really care about their struggle? Pratchett's most recent work has been rebooting Lara Croft For Crystal Dynamics' 2013 release, Tomb Raider.

Penned scripts for Heavenly Sword, Mirror's Edge, Overlord, Risen and more. VG247's Dave Cook speaks with lead writer Rhianna Pratchett on the task and the state of games writing today.Įnglish freelance game writer based in England. Tomb Raider attempts to reboot a long-established character.

Tomb Raider by Rhianna Pratchett