Rhianna Pratchett, the scribe behind Crystal Dynamics' popular Tomb Raider reboot and its more recent sequel Rise of the Tomb Raider, has decided to move on from the franchise. The writer announced the news on Twitter this evening, thanking the team for their dedication and series fans for being the "best in the world".
It's unclear whether she's penned the plot for the third game in the current arc, which is rumoured to be called Shadow of the Tomb Raider and in production at Deus Ex: Mankind Divided developer Eidos Montreal. We're going to guess, given the timing of this statement, that she's not involved with that project at all.
While we obviously wish Pratchett all the best, the writing is one of the worst aspects of the Tomb Raider games in this author's opinion, and while we'll never know how much her plots were edited in favour of game design decisions, she didn't really come up with any compelling characters to surround protagonist Lara Croft with.
We feel a little mean for saying it, but perhaps a fresh set of eyes will be able to come up with something better. And maybe the people at Eidos Montreal will consider some different voice talent, too. Just sayin'…
[source twitter.com]
Comments 42
I don't see why people hated the writing in the Tomb Raider games so much. I wouldn't say I think it's incredible, but it kept me engaged enough to keep playing. I'll hope for the best in the (hopefully real) third entry in the rebooted series.
@wiggleronacid Well, @ShogunRok thinks Final Fantasy XV's story is okay. There's no accounting for taste where Square Enix games are concerned.
Was that the reason you hated RotTR, not enough interesting characters? Never play a Zelda or Metroid game, Link and Samus are the 2 most solitary stars I've ever come across.
I still haven't played RotTR, a ways down the list, but I really enjoyed the reboot. After my PS+ subscription expired I actually bought the game. And now that I resubscrided that purchase seems kind of pointless. Though I did really enjoy it at the time.
I'm starting to think more and more that the rumors are true. Which worries me about the future of the Deus Ex series. It's clear a third game in the Adam Jensen saga is planned but if it's not Eidos Montreal at the wheel who is? Or is there going to be another one at all? I don't like SE's decision making regarding its Western franchises lately.
@rjejr There are lots of things I dislike about Rise of the Tomb Raider but this isn't the place for them. I think the writing is garbage in both of the rebooted games, though.
I loved the Reboot, i found the sequel very very meh though 🤔
Tomb Rider and its sequel were both critically praised for the story and writing and I believe both were nominated in the Story and voice work (Camilla) in the annual game awards. Seems she must of goy something right...
If it hadn't been for the Witcher 3 last year (XB1 release) and Uncharted 4 PS4 release) this year, Rise of the Tomb Raider would easily be my game of the year - I have comp;eted the campaign to 100% on both consoles and the DLC on PS4's version.
@BAMozzy
Sammy is just a hater.
I like her (and adored the works of her father) and wish her the best in future endeavors.
I do agree that ROTTR was a success in spite of its story. The gameplay was spot on and one of my favourite games in 2016.
Hope Square confirm what is going on with regard to TR and Deus Ex soon. Deus Ex ended on a major cliff hanger and I want to see a follow up sooner rather than later!
@Gamer83 @BAMozzy Y'all are crazy. Whoever nominated it in those categories is insane.
Name three characters without Googling from the two most recent Tomb Raider games that aren't Lara and Jonah (?) and tell me what their character arcs are.
I'll wait.
Bring back keeley hawes dammit!
@get2sammyb
I've been on record as saying I couldn't care less about the side characters. I do like the new Lara and the story didn't push me away, so that's all that matters. I wouldn't personally nominate either game for story awards, but the gameplay put both among my favorite games of the year each time they came out.
@get2sammyb "but this isn't the place for them"
Well when you find the place, let me know. You spent a lot of time promoting the RotTR PS4 version and it's Pro support, but I can't recall you ever once saying a bad thing about it. If it weren't for that tweet I'd guess you loved the game.
The Tomb Raider reboot - both games - would definitely be in my top 10 playstation game series list right now, should I put such a list together. (I say series to avoid Dark Souls taking up all the spots). I actually played the reboot twice, which is rare for me.
@get2sammyb I don't think number of protagonists is a measure of story quality in video games. But the prophet, the hunter chasing him in ancient times, and the prophet's daughter all from RotTR probably count. So would Ana, Lara's Stepmom. I think the story was enjoyable and was exactly what it needed to be. The gameplay was fantastic and in particular they did collectables well by making alot of them part of the narritive rather than meaningless dots (something other games should learn from).
@rjejr
I wouldn't say promoting it so much as reporting the news.
Only played the reboot but the characters were so cliched, they made my teeth itch. You had the the massive black shaman guy, the American/ Japanese girl wanting to "get in touch with her Japanese roots" that she knew nothing about, the techie nerd guy and Lara who just sounded so dramatic in everything she said. Great game overall though, just bad writing.
Rise of Tomb Raider and FF XV have bad writing, yet games developed by Ninja Theory have good writing in your opinion. Wow, I guess there really isn't accounting for taste as far as anyone is concerned. 😂
I have just started ROTR and very much liked the first reboot game. I would say that the plot and characters are very 'average game' like with the exception of Lara who I quite liked in this set of games. I have no problems with the voice acting.
I think the issue is that Uncharted has done similar stories better. Outside of Lara, I can't even really name or remember most of the protoganists of either game - and I'm still playing the second one.
However, as a long time fan of the TR franchise, I am glad that the reboot was a sucess and it did a bang up job of keeping it fresh and relevant so hats off to the writer.
@get2sammyb Apart from the fact that Lara Croft has always been more of a lone wolf, and therefore side characters are somewhat superficial in these games. Its not like Nathan Drake with Sully and Elena who are recurring characters.
Anyway, you want me to name two - How about Roth from the first game - the father figure to a young Lara and guide - the voice over the radio for much of it until he sacrifices himself to save her. Roth was a very significant person in the first game and gives her the iconic dual wield pistols. Then what about Ana from the 2nd? Her fathers lover but to go into her character more would spoil the story but she turns out to be Konstantin's sister. There is two! I could have mentioned more - like Dr Whitman who was the lead archaeologist in the first game along with Sam who was filming but also quite central to the plot too. The second game also has Jacob, leader of the 'remnant' but again revealing more could be a spoiler.
Tomb Raider games generally don't have much of a supporting cast. Its usually just Lara up against some other archaeologist/company who wants to use some mythical item for their own gain and these games are no different. What sets them apart from their predecessors though is that Lara herself is given much more character, a more fleshed out story and more human traits inc vulnerability, emotion etc instead of being a one woman army with almost super-human abilities - that had a lot to do with Rhianna Pratchet.
Granted the characters are maybe not as strong as those in Uncharted and the plots are more supernatural than the U4. However the story's themselves are not bad at all - I do prefer the Story of Tomb Raider to Rise but prefer Rises approach to the game-play and package as a whole - dropping MP in favour of Survival and Challenge modes.
For me, both of these games were in top 2-3 games of the year they were released. Both I have completed at least twice (on different platforms) to 100% (story completion). Both games I think brought the series forward in a lot of ways to the modern era. I do hope the Tombs become more significant than 'optional side quests' but I really like the RPG style elements they brought into the game too.
Good, I like both of tomb raider reboot game but lara is just awful character in this new rebooted game, all she do is complain, complain and more complain! And I don't care about the supporting characters, I don't even remember their name anymore. Also whose bright idea to make lara death and kill animations so violent?? And why?
I hope the new writer can make a fun storyline and a good characters, just look at uncharted, make a fun adventure and don't take the story seriously.
@Neolit
I think Naughty Dog has the best writing in the industry, I would never argue the new Tomb Raider games are on par. But, I don't play games for story alone and I'd be lying if I said I didn't find certain gameplay aspects of both the rebooted TR's to be vastly superior to any of the Uncharteds.
I went through Uncharted 4 twice, it's an awesome game, just doesn't encourage many replays (I felt the same about Uncharted 1 and 3. 2 and Golden Abyss I played through 4 or 5 times each). I played the rebooted Tomb Raider on Xbox 360, PS4 then Xbox One and Rise I played on the Xbox One and now going through on PS4 plus all the extra content the games offer keep you going back. I don't want to make it seem like I'm trashing either series for what it doesn't do though. Both excel at different things and PlayStation owners should be happy to have access to both.
The writing can be pretty bad, but it does shine sometimes. I hate the campfire monologues Lara goes off on though, they are actually embarrassing.
I'm glad she has left, the next game would benefit from a shift in tone.
@wiiware The brutal death animations are awesome, Tomb Raider has always been about that. Chucking Lara off a cliff, hearing her scream as she falls and landing in a bony heap was awesome on PS1.
Ohh a wee bit mean there, personally I didnt think the writing (or the voice acting for that matter) was "that" bad, the storyline kept me fully engaged all the way through, but it will be nice to see a different tone / direction for game 3.
I thought the voice and story were great. Loved both recent Tomb Raiders.
Haven't played Rise yet, but I couldn't recall a single thing from the reboot if I tried- & that's a game I bought twice (PS3 & PS4)!
Maybe a change in direction is what they need. Tomb Raider to me feels like a franchise that should be way bigger than it is.
@MadAussieBloke Lol, yup
I don't think the story was that bad, waz better than Uncharted's at least
I suppose she might have finished up writing on the 3rd?
I have to agree that the writing wasn't particularly great but ROTTR was a cracking game to actually play. I would definitely take Keely Hawes' Lara Croft over Camilla Luddington's, though.
I loved both Tomb Raiders and as much as I loved Uncharted I preferred Laras adventures.The writing wasn't THAT bad but I just hope the next Tomb Raider doesant have Lara constantly talking to herself the whole time,very annoying.
I'm in total agreement with the writing being one of the worst things about the rebooted Tomb Raider series. It's a bigger problem in the first game which suffers from tonal inconsistencies that undermine the adventure - "oh no, woe is me, I've committed murder" five minutes later Lara Croft transforms into Arnie in the last twenty minutes of Commando - but while the sequel is better it's still an absolutely bog standard story with cardboard cut-out characters and plot twists that might as well have been revealed on the box art.
@get2sammyb
I felt there was a tonal issue between the writing and the game play at times in the first Tomb Raider reboot but could that equally be attributed to the studio paying a writer to write a subtle, nuanced character and plot then butcher it to make a game.
What if TR was going to be more like TLOU until execs told them to pump up action/bring more classic TR vibe in?
The fact that Rihanna has left as a choice might indicate more she is unhappy at her name being put out against a final product that doesn't mirror her work more than it does with her writing being poor, otherwise i assume she'd have been canned.
@Gamer83 "I wouldn't say promoting it so much as reporting the news."
Sorry, but when people use the word "ogle" I view that as "promoting" more than "reporting", it's too strong of a positive word. Can you recall somebody ever using the word "ogle" in a negative context? Well maybe if a woman asked you to stop doing it.
https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2016/09/ogle_rise_of_the_tomb_raiders_assets_on_ps4_pro
Sammy wrote the article, he didn't say anything remotely negative in there. In his defense, that was before he played the game, I'll give him that.
Here's the review where it got an 8. You and Jax were talking about how the game play was better than U4. Sammy commented 3x, never once saying anything negative about the game.
https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps4/rise_of_the_tomb_raider
All together there were over 20 articles on RoTR, and I can't find anything negative other than the price. That much positive reporting w/o any real negativity I read as "promoting". It's ok if you don't agree, that's just how I choose to view it. If I didn't follow Sammy on Twitter I'd never know he thought it was garbage. (I can't put the actual quote here too much cursing.) Yet he wrote so many articles about the game, if he thought it was garbage you'd think by now he would have had the chance to express and explain that opinion. Not everybody likes every game, but if you run a gaming website and hate a game that much, you should express it, or what's the point in having a gaming website?
https://twitter.com/_get2sammyb/status/807748493108531200?lang=en
The biggest problem I had with Tomb Raider is how they made a big deal out of Lara killing someone for the first time then all of a sudden she's an expert marksman with knowledge how to handle a variety of weapons. It just didn't make sense. Crystal dynamics put the gameplay in front of making the story have logic, it got ridiculous towards the end when Lara had killed about 1000 men on a supposedly lost island. I appreciate that they wanted to better portray Lara but if the game is going to undermine that then they shouldn't bother because Naughty Dog are the only ones that can pull off a fantastic gameplay experience with memorable characters and more importantly keeps it's overall tone.
And that's before I go into why Crystal dynamics thinks Tomb Raider needs lite RPG elements and a semi open world structure to either pad out the game's length or because Square Enix want it to be every game out there.
I'd say that even 99% of AAA games have sh*te writing, most devs/publishers aren't willing or wealthy enough to invest the extra cash on good writers. On the other hand most games don't need good writing. A good script and plot is always a bonus for me, The Last Of Us was great writing, the plot wasn't great for me but it was structured excellently. I'm not surprised Tomb Raider has a crumby story.
The other characters in those games were completely forgettable, story was the weakest thing with those two games (apart from the multiplayer in the first game that was shocking) but I still thought they were ok, and the gameplay definitely made up for it
@rjejr
"And having ogled the device for a fair few minutes earlier today, we can confidently say that it very much does represent a step forward." Not trying to be a d*ck but if that's the quote you're referring to then in my opinion you're really reaching. But lately it seems like you've fallen into the same trap as that of another group of trolls who only come here from Nintendo Life to b*tch about how the writers here put together their articles. I mean God forbid on a PlayStation-specific website they're positive about PlayStation and don't fawn over everything Nintendo. Come on man, you've posted here for a long time, I know you're better than this.
I loved Rise of the Tomb Raider. Had no issues with story or writing.
I mean sure, Uncharted probably tops it in that category, but if we're using that as the standard by which to judge writing in games... everything is gonna suck.
@Gamer83 I wasn't referring to that sentence, which is obviously about the Pro hardware, but in the title of the article it makes it look like he is referring about the game. The title is big and bold and at the top of the article.
"Ogle Rise of the Tomb Raider's Assets on PS4 Pro"
And I've been coming here long enough, at least 7 or 8 years, whenever this site started, to know that Sammy always does a good job at expressing what he feels, good, bad or indifferent, and for this title it just really surprised he felt so strongly against it yet he never wrote a bad thing about it on this website. The omission is what's glaring.
@rjejr
I guess I just figured it was common knowledge among regulars here that Sammy isn't big on the new Tomb Raider games because he has mentioned it before.
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