Hardcore Tomb Raider fans already know that the reboot we got in 2013 originally took a much different form - a blend of Shadow of the Colossus, Ico, and Resident Evil originally titled Tomb Raider: Ascension. Info and bits of footage from Ascension have made their way to the internet over the years, and now the devs have officially released quite a bit of high-quality prototype gameplay, so we can see what might have been.
The roots of Tomb Raider 2013 are clearly here, as we see Lara making her way through a flooded cave, torch in hand, quite similar to the sequence that opens the reboot. And, of course, she's got a bow. But the differences quickly become evident once we see more of the monsters she's fighting.
The creatures are fairly upsetting-looking, with elongated forms and creepy teleporting abilities that would look at home in something like Silent Hill. See Lara in a mansion fighting off waves of zombies with a flamethrower. Then we get a bit of horseback riding as Lara escapes a giant monster and another horde of enemies, and a big boss fight in a swampland area.
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