Lara Croft Go
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''Lara Croft Go'' is a
turn-based In video and other games, the passage of time must be handled in a way that players find fair and easy to understand. This is usually done in one of the two ways: real-time and turn-based. Real-time Real-time games have game time progress cont ...
puzzle video game Puzzle video games make up a broad genre of video games that emphasize puzzle solving. The types of puzzles can test problem-solving skills, including logic, pattern recognition, sequence solving, spatial recognition, and word completion. H ...
in the ''
Tomb Raider ''Tomb Raider'', also known as ''Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'' from 2001 to 2008, is a media franchise that originated with an action-adventure video game series created by British gaming company Core Design. Formerly owned by Eidos Interactive, th ...
'' series. The player moves
Lara Croft Lara Croft is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the video game franchise ''Tomb Raider''. She is presented as a highly intelligent and athletic British archaeologist who ventures into ancient tombs and hazardous ruins around th ...
as a
puzzle piece A puzzle is a game, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. In a puzzle, the solver is expected to put pieces together ( or take them apart) in a logical way, in order to arrive at the correct or fun solution of the puzzle ...
through a
board game Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well. Many board games feature a comp ...
while avoiding obstacles and manipulating the environment. The developers distilled major series motifs, such as boulder-chases and reaction-based gameplay, to suit ''Lara Croft Go'' time-independent gameplay. Square Enix Montréal developed the game as a spiritual successor to its 2014 ''
Hitman Go ''Hitman Go'' is a turn-based puzzle video game developed by Square Enix Montréal and published by Square Enix's European subsidiary. Announced in February 2014, the game was released for iOS in April 2014 and for Android in June 2014. Windo ...
'', based on another
Square Enix Europe Square Enix Limited (formerly Domark Limited and Eidos Interactive Limited) is a British subsidiary of the Japanese video game company Square Enix, acting as their European publishing arm. The company formerly owned ''Tomb Raider'', which was in ...
franchise. The company released ''Lara Croft Go'' in August 2015 for Android,
iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...
,
Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
, and
Windows Phone Windows Phone (WP) is a discontinued family of mobile operating systems developed by Microsoft for smartphones as the replacement successor to Windows Mobile and Zune. Windows Phone featured a new user interface derived from the Metro design la ...
devices. Versions for
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
,
PlayStation Vita The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita, or Vita) is a handheld video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, and in North America, Europe, and other international territo ...
and Steam were released in December 2016. The game received generally favorable reviews. Critics praised its aesthetics, puzzle design, and fidelity to the series, but criticized its short length and disputed its
degree of difficulty Degree of difficulty (DD, sometimes called tariff or grade) is a concept used in several sports and other competitions to indicate the technical difficulty of a skill, performance, or course, often as a factor in scoring. Sports which incorporate ...
. It was selected for a 2016
Apple Design Award The Apple Design Awards (ADAs) is an event hosted by Apple Inc. at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference. The purpose of the event is to recognize the best and most innovative Macintosh and iOS software and hardware produced by independent d ...
, Apple's 2015 iPhone game of the year, and best mobile/handheld game at the 2015 The Game Awards.


Gameplay

''Lara Croft Go'' is a
turn-based In video and other games, the passage of time must be handled in a way that players find fair and easy to understand. This is usually done in one of the two ways: real-time and turn-based. Real-time Real-time games have game time progress cont ...
puzzle video game Puzzle video games make up a broad genre of video games that emphasize puzzle solving. The types of puzzles can test problem-solving skills, including logic, pattern recognition, sequence solving, spatial recognition, and word completion. H ...
in the ''
Tomb Raider ''Tomb Raider'', also known as ''Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'' from 2001 to 2008, is a media franchise that originated with an action-adventure video game series created by British gaming company Core Design. Formerly owned by Eidos Interactive, th ...
'' franchise. Its core gameplay and control-scheme is similar to its predecessor, ''
Hitman Go ''Hitman Go'' is a turn-based puzzle video game developed by Square Enix Montréal and published by Square Enix's European subsidiary. Announced in February 2014, the game was released for iOS in April 2014 and for Android in June 2014. Windo ...
''.
Levels Level or levels may refer to: Engineering *Level (instrument), a device used to measure true horizontal or relative heights *Spirit level, an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal or vertical *Canal pound or level *Regr ...
are composed of interconnected nodes and lines. The player controls the series' protagonist,
Lara Croft Lara Croft is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the video game franchise ''Tomb Raider''. She is presented as a highly intelligent and athletic British archaeologist who ventures into ancient tombs and hazardous ruins around th ...
. The player and the environment take turns, in which one rests while the other moves. During the player's turn, the player moves Croft one unit between connected nodes in the given direction. While Croft rests at the node, enemies and obstacles on the board simultaneously take a turn to simultaneously move one unit. While levels in ''Hitman Go'' were restricted to the horizontal plane, ''Lara Croft Go'' adds vertical movement with steps, cliff faces, and climbable terrain incorporated into the level design. The game contains five chapters and forty levels in total. As the player progresses, the game's puzzles become more complex. Successive
levels Level or levels may refer to: Engineering *Level (instrument), a device used to measure true horizontal or relative heights *Spirit level, an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal or vertical *Canal pound or level *Regr ...
introduce new
game mechanics In tabletop games and video games, game mechanics are the rules or ludemes that govern and guide the player's actions, as well as the game's response to them. A rule is an instruction on how to play, a ludeme is an element of play like the L-shap ...
and enemy types. Enemies take the form of deadly creatures such as snakes, lizards, and giant spiders. Each enemy type has a specific movement pattern. Single-use items, such as spears, can be collected on levels and then used to dispatch enemies from a distance. Other mechanics include obstacles such as boulders, saw blades, and traps to avoid. The player can activate levers, which shift walls and platforms to open paths through the level. ''Lara Croft Go'' also features optional
in-app purchases Microtransactions, often abbreviated as mtx, are a business model where users can purchase virtual goods with micropayments. Microtransactions are often used in free-to-play games to provide a revenue source for the developers. While microtransact ...
, which provide hints to the puzzles.


Development and release

''Lara Croft Go'' was developed by Square Enix Montréal, a studio that was founded to develop a triple-A ''
Hitman Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may be ...
'' game but was repurposed to create mobile games for the West. All of the staff left besides technical director Antoine Routon and game director Daniel Lutz, and after a month of ideation, Lutz convinced Routon to work on a turn-based ''Hitman'' game, which became ''Hitman Go'', and released to what the developers considered a positive response. The quick, turn-based puzzle concept itself came from a focus on short sessions while keeping the
bespoke The word ''bespoke'' () has evolved from a verb meaning 'to speak for something', to its contemporary usage as an adjective. Originally, the adjective ''bespoke'' described tailor-made suits and shoes. Later, it described anything commissioned t ...
series visual aesthetic, like an "elegant board game", through many rounds of iteration. The team felt that their product distilled the franchise's elements into its simplest form. Upon seeing the ''Hitman'' franchise reduced to its core elements, the development team saw a Lara Croft ''Tomb Raider'' version as an obvious next step (or as they called it, a "go-brainer"). The team consisted of ten people (on average) who were able to work closely and nimbly, similar to an indie development team. They fit Lara Croft in the ''Hitman Go'' setting and knew to change elements like less focus on assassinating foes, less board game aesthetic, more animations, and more emphasis on environment than enemies. The team chose the classic ''Tomb Raider'' visual design over that of the series reboot, but reconstructed that series aesthetic from memory rather than from its actual design documents. They sought to recreate the moments of being chased by a giant animal or boulder. In place of time restraints, like the
quick time event In video games, a quick time event (QTE) is a method of context-sensitive gameplay in which the player performs actions on the control device shortly after the appearance of an on-screen instruction/prompt. It allows for limited control of the ...
s from the series, the developers added floors that crack with each successive turn to give a sense of time-based urgency. The team also emphasized gameplay for the player to learn without tutorial and storytelling that did not interrupt the play experience. Compared to the previous game, the developers wanted ''Lara Croft Go'' puzzles to have fewer elements and be completely visible without scrolling, such that the player could see puzzles in their entirety and focus instead on solving for the correct sequence. The camera also follows Croft rather than remaining stationary. The game was built in the
Unity game engine Unity is a cross-platform game engine developed by Unity Technologies, first announced and released in June 2005 at Apple Worldwide Developers Conference as a Mac OS X game engine. The engine has since been gradually extended to support a var ...
, which enabled faster prototyping across multiple smartphone platforms. It was also designed first to fit on the iPhone's smaller screen - a lesson learned from ''Hitman Go'', which had been designed for tablets. The ''Square Enix'' team collaborated with ''Tomb Raider'' brand owners Crystal Dynamics to fit the series license. The player-character outfits, in particular, were informed by this exchange. ''Lara Croft Go'' was unveiled during Square Enix's
E3 2015 The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2015 (E3 2015) was the 21st E3 held. The event took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California. It took place from June 16 to June 18, 2015, with 52,200 total attendees. Major exhibit ...
press conference. The game was released for Android,
iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...
,
Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
, and
Windows Phone Windows Phone (WP) is a discontinued family of mobile operating systems developed by Microsoft for smartphones as the replacement successor to Windows Mobile and Zune. Windows Phone featured a new user interface derived from the Metro design la ...
on 27 August.


Reception

The game received generally positive reviews, according to video game
review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
. It was named Apple's 2015 best iPhone game of the year, for "its beauty and clever design", and best mobile/handheld game at the 2015 The Game Awards. Apple recognized ''Lara Croft Go'' with one of its 2016
Apple Design Awards The Apple Design Awards (ADAs) is an event hosted by Apple Inc. at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference. The purpose of the event is to recognize the best and most innovative Macintosh and iOS software and hardware produced by independent d ...
. Reviewers commended the game's aesthetics, puzzle design, and fidelity to the series, but criticized its short length. Critics disagreed on its degree of challenge and either found it too easy, too hard, or just right. Chloi Rad (''
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'') wrote that the game was theatrical and diorama-like in its display and attention to detail. Andrew Reiner (''
Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'', most often stylized ''gameinformer'' from the 2010s onward) is an American monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated consoles. It debuted in August 1991 w ...
'') called its graphics among the best-looking smartphone games, from the vibrancy of its environments to the fluidity of its animations. While Rad felt that the game presented little challenge as a minor complaint, Reiner considered its final puzzles disproportionately challenging. Ray Carsillo (''
Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The m ...
'') criticized the game's departure from ''Hitman Go'' strict board game motif and described ''Lara Croft Go'' art style as a "cheap ... knockoff" of the series. He found the puzzles "decent" but the game altogether not particularly challenging and not worthy of recommendation outside of series fans. Matt Peckham (''
Wired ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fra ...
'') was additionally confused by the game's collectibles, which he felt were too hidden and not compelling to collect. Though Jaz Rignall (''
USgamer Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British mass media company based in Brighton. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and other ...
'') deemed the game short in length, he also called it balanced and "a perfect iOS game". Rignall added that the game appeared to have been influenced by ''
Monument Valley Monument Valley ( nv, Tsé Biiʼ Ndzisgaii, , meaning ''valley of the rocks'') is a region of the Colorado Plateau characterized by a cluster of sandstone buttes, the largest reaching above the valley floor. It is located on the Utah-Arizona s ...
''.


Awards


See also

* ''
Deus Ex Go ''Deus Ex Go'' is a 2016 turn-based puzzle video game in the ''Deus Ex'' series by Square Enix. The player uses a touchscreen to move Adam Jensen, a protagonist from the cyberpunk-themed series, as a puzzle piece through a board game while avo ...
'' – third title in the ''Go'' series, based on the ''Deus Ex'' franchise


References


External links

* {{Good article 2015 video games Android (operating system) games IOS games Linux games MacOS games PlayStation 4 games PlayStation Vita games Puzzle video games Single-player video games Square Enix games Video games developed in Canada Video games with cel-shaded animation Windows games Windows Phone games Video games with isometric graphics Apple Design Awards recipients Tomb Raider spin-off games The Game Awards winners