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[IbizaPocholo]

https://venturebeat.com/2018/09/17/...ew-how-developers-view-lara-crofts-evolution/

GamesBeat: Have you always seen Lara Croft as different from something like the Uncharted series or Indiana Jones in some definite way?

Briggs: One of the things that separates Lara is — partly her drive, partly that unique combination of skills I was talking about, the survival action lens we try to view everything through. We look at it as cinematic survival action. The tombs are also a big differentiation. We obviously draw inspiration from movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark. We have great respect for the Uncharted series. Those are games we love playing. I think that Lara has sort of defined this unique combination of being a brilliant archaeologist, having that fast-paced, movement-based combat, her ability to push beyond boundaries that would stop most people. Really, to me, it feels like a special combination. It makes her unique.

Check the link for more.

 

[Thiagosc777]

We’ve always seen their relationship as a big brother and little sister. Jonah calls her his “little bird,” which is an affectionate reference to his culture. The thing about Jonah is that he has always followed Lara on all these adventures in the reboot. He’s always been there for her.

The only conclusion I can take form this is that they are high on their own farts. This level of blindness indicates an environment full of yes-men and people who aren't willing to rock the boat. Jonah doesn't even begin to make sense. Just think of basic necessities, how does he pay his bills?

We have a narrative that we want to tell. We borrow and combine different elements from different cultures in order to do that. But we did want it to feel like it could take place. It could be rooted in historic events.

Would they do the same with ancient Greek culture? I don't think so. On the contrary, media in general is very careful in separating Greeks from other civilizations of the time like the Persians. They wouldn't dare to do this to Chinese culture as well, purely out of economic concerns.

Mayans in Peru? Seriously. Why wasn't the game set entirely in Mexico? This is so lazy.

 

[Salty Popsicle]

The only conclusion I can take form this is that they are high on their own farts. This level of blindness indicates an environment full of yes-men and people who aren't willing to rock the boat. Jonah doesn't even begin to make sense. Just think of basic necessities, how does he pay his bills?



Would they do the same with ancient Greek culture? I don't think so. On the contrary, media in general is very careful in separating Greeks from other civilizations of the time like the Persians. They wouldn't dare to do this to Chinese culture as well, purely out of economic concerns.

Mayans in Peru? Seriously. Why wasn't the game set entirely in Mexico? This is so lazy.

Lara Croft is rich. She can pay Jonah to accompany her on her expeditions.

 

[Humdinger]

https://venturebeat.com/2018/09/17/...ew-how-developers-view-lara-crofts-evolution/

GamesBeat: Have you always seen Lara Croft as different from something like the Uncharted series or Indiana Jones in some definite way?

Briggs: One of the things that separates Lara is — partly her drive, partly that unique combination of skills I was talking about, the survival action lens we try to view everything through. We look at it as cinematic survival action. The tombs are also a big differentiation. We obviously draw inspiration from movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark. We have great respect for the Uncharted series. Those are games we love playing. I think that Lara has sort of defined this unique combination of being a brilliant archaeologist, having that fast-paced, movement-based combat, her ability to push beyond boundaries that would stop most people. Really, to me, it feels like a special combination. It makes her unique.

Check the link for more.

Lara often gets criticized for not being an interesting character, and I think you can see why here, in his description of what "defines" and "separates" Lara. Almost everything he says is based on action ("fast-paced, movement," "her ability to push beyond boundaries," "unique combination of skills," etc.). There is very little discussion of her character or personality.

The only actual character/personality qualities he mentions are "drive" and "brilliant." So, she's smart and driven. Ok. So is about 20% of the population. That's not an interesting character. What makes her different, unique, likeable, sympathetic, someone to root for ... anything?

 

[astroglide]

The only conclusion I can take form this is that they are high on their own farts. This level of blindness indicates an environment full of yes-men and people who aren't willing to rock the boat. Jonah doesn't even begin to make sense. Just think of basic necessities, how does he pay his bills?



Would they do the same with ancient Greek culture? I don't think so. On the contrary, media in general is very careful in separating Greeks from other civilizations of the time like the Persians. They wouldn't dare to do this to Chinese culture as well, purely out of economic concerns.

Mayans in Peru? Seriously. Why wasn't the ame set entirely in Mexico? This is so lazy.

The first tomb raider reboot delt with Chinese culture I believe

 

[astroglide]

I dont know. Iv played all of theae and all the uncharted games. I feel like the only area uncharted is better is the story and characters. Tomb raider arnt bad its just uncharted is better there. Everything wlse from climbing gunplay stealth just overall game play is way better in tomb raider and the story is still good. I feel like climbing or exploring doeant need to be in uncharted because its always doing it on a linar safe path where u cant die but it looks pretty

 

[Salty Popsicle]

Lara often gets criticized for not being an interesting character, and I think you can see why here, in his description of what "defines" and "separates" Lara. Almost everything he says is based on action ("fast-paced, movement," "her ability to push beyond boundaries," "unique combination of skills," etc.). There is very little discussion of her character or personality.

The only actual character/personality qualities he mentions are "drive" and "brilliant." So, she's smart and driven. Ok. So is about 20% of the population. That's not an interesting character. What makes her different, unique, likeable, sympathetic, someone to root for ... anything?

That's because this new version of Lara isn't supposed to be special. Other than the fact that her father was world renown and very wealthy, she is just a very adventurous and intelligent young woman trying to find a grand purpose to her life.

 

[Thiagosc777]

That's because this new version of Lara isn't supposed to be special. Other than the fact that her father was world renown and very wealthy, she is just a very adventurous and intelligent young woman trying to find a grand purpose to her life.

By killing people. Haha

Lara Croft is rich. She can pay Jonah to accompany her on her expeditions.

That's never explored in the games.

 

[Humdinger]

That's because this new version of Lara isn't supposed to be special. Other than the fact that her father was world renown and very wealthy, she is just a very adventurous and intelligent young woman trying to find a grand purpose to her life.

I guess that just doesn't seem like an interesting or unique character to me. I mean, you could say that ("smart and adventurous") about two-thirds of videogame protagonists. That's pretty much boilerplate stuff.

Oh well, it's what they've gone with, so I'm okay with it. As I said, at this point, I just ignore the story, characters, and dialog, and I play TR games for the action.

 

[xviper]

both Tomb Raider and Uncharted games are about finding a treasure, but do they ever get the treasure and become rich ?? nope, it's frustrating

 

[Dibils2k]

That's never explored in the games.

really? do you want that explored? lol I mean we know Lara is rich so what you want explored is Jonah wondering how he can afford to live doing this with Lara? really?

 

[nowhat]

both Tomb Raider and Uncharted games are about finding a treasure, but do they ever get the treasure and become rich ?? nope, it's frustrating

All of the Indiana Jones movies are about finding a treasure, but does he ever get the treasure and become rich? Nope, it's frustrating.

 

[xviper]

All of the Indiana Jones movies are about finding a treasure, but does he ever get the treasure and become rich? Nope, it's frustrating.

i watched about half of Raider of the lost ark and couldn't continue because i hated everything about it, but yeah, you get my point, most movies and game that are about treasure hunt, they never actually get the treasure, so it makes the whole plot pointless

 

[Dunki]

There was no real evolution story wise. It is the same character it was 30 minutes into the first game. She did not grow, she has no real ambition etc. I can not believe they made her so replaceable. Even the old Lara has more personality.

 

[ruvikx]

both Tomb Raider and Uncharted games are about finding a treasure, but do they ever get the treasure and become rich ?? nope, it's frustrating

Uncharted 1 ends with (spoiler, I guess) Sully & Drake getting a sh*t load of treasure. Uncharted 4 also shows a 'retired' Drake in a very expensive villa next to the ocean (with a big ass boat as well). As for Lara, she's a c*nt. No redeeming qualities whatsoever & I'm astounded at how the writers at Crystal Dynamics & Eidos Montreal managed to make her so unlikeable.

Humourless, self-righteous, self-absorbed deranged mass murderer who sticks her nose in places it doesn't belong because she's a narcissist & has serious daddy issues? Check. I mean who in their right mind would write this character as 'grounded'? She resembles no one on earth! Thankfully, actually, because if such a person did exist they'd be loathsome & belong in prison.

 

[nowhat]

i watched about half of Raider of the lost ark and couldn't continue because i hated everything about it, but yeah, you get my point, most movies and game that are about treasure hunt, they never actually get the treasure, so it makes the whole plot pointless

Actually, I don't agree with your point - sometimes the journey is more important than the destination. Which I'd argue is the case with Indiana Jones movies (Crystal Skull aside, that has no redeeming qualities) and Uncharted games. To a lesser extent with the TR reboots too, but the writing is just way worse (admittedly haven't played Shadow yey though).

 

[xviper]

Uncharted 1 ends with (spoiler, I guess) Sully & Drake getting a sh*t load of treasure. Uncharted 4 also shows a 'retired' Drake in a very expensive villa next to the ocean (with a big ass boat as well). As for Lara, she's a c*nt. No redeeming qualities whatsoever & I'm astounded at how the writers at Crystal Dynamics & Eidos Montreal managed to make her so unlikeable.

Humourless, self-righteous, self-absorbed deranged mass murderer who sticks her nose in places it doesn't belong because she's a narcissist & has serious daddy issues? Check. I mean who in their right mind would write this character as 'grounded'? She resembles no one on earth! Thankfully, actually, because if such a person did exist they'd be loathsome & belong in prison.

the "Villa" you're referring to in UC4 is a medium sized house on the beach, sure it's expensive but with the amount of treasures Drake finds, he should easily be living in a large mansion with expensive cars parked everywhere, but i guess he never picks anything he finds, which makes this whole treasure hunt pointless

 

[ruvikx]

the "Villa" you're referring to in UC4 is a medium sized house on the beach, sure it's expensive but with the amount of treasures Drake finds, he should easily be living in a large mansion with expensive cars parked everywhere, but i guess he never picks anything he finds, which makes this whole treasure hunt pointless

Uncharted 1 had a terrorist villain, Uncharted 2 had a rogue military leader villain who wanted superpowers, Uncharted 3 had a secret organization villain & Uncharted 4 had a greedy villain who really just wanted a sh*t load of gold. So finding 'treasure' is really not the be-all & end all in those games. Drake is more interested in the 'hunt' & archaeology, i.e. uncovering long lost mysteries tbh (& stopping the bad guys/saving someone) rather than the enrichment part. Sully on the other hand really wanted the gold.

As for Lara Croft, they've struggled to give her plausible motivation at all. That's why her daddy issues feel so contrived & the 'villain' (Trinity) is so clichéd. Nothing explains why this dumb character even goes on this journey (she is dumb, i.e. half the problems she encounters in these 3 games originate from her own foolishness, short-sightedness & inability to predict sh*t is about to hit the fan).

 

[xviper]

Uncharted 1 had a terrorist villain, Uncharted 2 had a rogue military leader villain who wanted superpowers, Uncharted 3 had a secret organization villain & Uncharted 4 had a greedy villain who really just wanted a sh*t load of gold. So finding 'treasure' is really not the be-all & end all in those games. Drake is more interested in the 'hunt' & archaeology, i.e. uncovering long lost mysteries tbh (& stopping the bad guys/saving someone) rather than the enrichment part. Sully on the other hand really wanted the gold.

As for Lara Croft, they've struggled to give her plausible motivation at all. That's why her daddy issues feel so contrived & the 'villain' (Trinity) is so clichéd. Nothing explains why this dumb character even goes on this journey (she is dumb, i.e. half the problems she encounters in these 3 games originate from her own foolishness, short-sightedness & inability to predict sh*t is about to hit the fan).

but still, the main goal for Drake is to find a treasure but he never takes it

i really don't care about the story in Tomb raider at all, but at least Lara's character is good when compared to a horrible female leads in gaming like Bayonetta

 

[Danjin44]

but still, the main goal for Drake is to find a treasure but he never takes it

i really don't care about the story in Tomb raider at all, but at least Lara's character is good when compared to a horrible female leads in gaming like Bayonetta

I guess that's your opinion and all but to me Bayonetta is damn good female lead and she has waaaaaay more personality and A LOT more entertaining than new Lara.

 

[xviper]

I guess that's your opinion and all but to me Bayonetta is damn good female lead and she has waaaaaay more personality and A LOT more entertaining than new Lara.

i noticed that you like characters with unrealistic and weird designs

i think Bayonetta is by far the worst character in gaming, whether it's from a character design, dialogue or voice acting, she's the worst in all categories

just out of curiosity, what do you think of Aloy ?? i thought it was a good and likeable character in my opinion

 

[Kreydo]

I guess that's your opinion and all but to me Bayonetta is damn good female lead and she has waaaaaay more personality and A LOT more entertaining than new Lara.

i think Bayonetta is by far the worst character in gaming, whether it's from a character design, dialogue or voice acting, she's the worst in all categories

just out of curiosity, what do you think of Aloy ?? i thought it was a good and likeable character in my opinion

A waifu contest?! HYPE!

 

[xviper]

A waifu contest?! HYPE!

the one and only waifu is Bowsette

 

[sublimit]

Once again the base of these discussions and interviews are fundamentally wrong from the get go. For the love of God please stop talking about stupid Lara and start talking about the fucking gameplay that has been turned to shit. It should be the gameplay that defines the character and not the other way around. That's why these games are now so boring and have nothing to do with what TR used to be. Crystal Dynamics always loved to build the gameplay around the story and characters and not the other way around and that is one of the core problems of this series.

To the vast majority of people in the media who talk about this series: Please,for the love of God if you don't understand what a series is about stop talking about it. You are giving the wrong impressions to new fans as well as the developers.

Tomb Raider was at its best when it didn't tried to be a character driven game.

 

[Whitecrow]

I really dont like the new Lara. It's always suffering, screaming in pain, and always worried about everything and everyone. it's a one-sided character, there are no contrasts.
You play 30 minutes with her, and you already saw everything she have to offer.

 

[Thiagosc777]

really? do you want that explored? lol I mean we know Lara is rich so what you want explored is Jonah wondering how he can afford to live doing this with Lara? really?

Yes, because characters need motivation. Why would anyone risk their lives? Does Jonah have a job? A career? A family? So instead of investing in himself, he spends his time with Lara? He has no skills that are needed. He is a loser. That character makes no sense, and neither does Lara.

I am not saying that games need deep stories, but if they want to add one, then do it right.

 

[PurpleDragon92]

I really enjoyed the 2013 reboot and the way it ended basically had me believe that the next game would be more classic Lara ...instead we got rise which was the exact same thing as the first game only worse ! I will buy shadow at some point but not for full price

 

[plushyp]

Polygon had an interesting article regarding the disappearance of NuLara's personality (has some marked spoilers): http://www.polygon.com/2018/9/13/17...ry-lara-croft-analysis-review-ending-spoilers

 

[Kreydo]

I don't like the new Lara either, I think her design and her lack of charisma is one of the many cause why those new TR remake are mediocre games.
Those TR game are the result of publishers/dev listening to media and journalist instead of their core audience! And It piss me off to know that it still managed to sell well... Says a lot how press and marketing can influence people.

the one and only waifu is Bowsette

She's fine... But everybody know the real waifu is Mitsuru from Persona 3.

 

[Humdinger]

As for Lara Croft, they've struggled to give her plausible motivation at all. That's why her daddy issues feel so contrived & the 'villain' (Trinity) is so clichéd.

Yeah, that's never been clear to me. The big motivation is "prove Daddy was right"? That's it? Eh. You need your character to have a motivation that people can identify with or sympathize with. I can't wrap my head around that sort of thing -- risking your life and the lives of others, just to prove Daddy was right about something? That doesn't really hold up. Maybe I'm missing something.

I think these types of games are at their best when they stick to the original sorts of motives that inspired them. I'm talking about Tom Mix and the comic-book serials from the 50's (?) -- the stuff that inspired Indiana Jones. The motive there was adventure. Finding some long-lost treasure was just the pretext (which is why criticisms about "why didn't they get rich" miss the point). The real motive was to go on an exciting adventure. And then, along the way, it also became about good guys vs. bad guys. That's the feeling Uncharted maintained, at least up until #4, when Druckman turned it into a family drama.

 

[Rhazer Fusion]

i noticed that you like characters with unrealistic and weird designs

i think Bayonetta is by far the worst character in gaming, whether it's from a character design, dialogue or voice acting, she's the worst in all categories

just out of curiosity, what do you think of Aloy ?? i thought it was a good and likeable character in my opinion

Personally, I think Bayonetta is a good character who suits her game. I honestly think most people despise her because she shamelessly accentuates her femininity like no other and doesn't have a problem being sanctimonious in most situations. She may not always be the most likeable person in the world, but imo she is very interesting and makes Bayonetta what it is. I think her character design is great also. To me it’s quite imaginative and memorable.

I don’t mind the new Lara, but she can be one dimensional and she doesn’t have the most personality, especially compared to a Bayonetta or the old Tomb Raider Lara.

I actually like Aloy. Again, I don’t understand the hate for her. She was pretty likeable as well to me.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

The hero does not need to get rich in order to succeed. I know a lot of people connote success with material wealth but it’s an easy and lazy trope

Reason why Raiders works so well is the actual history behind it, the idea of Nazis being destroyed by the Jewish mysticism they fetishised and sought to control. If you actually watch the film the whole way through you are paid off with an ending that has massive political and historical connotations while also being b movie exploitation spectacle. The ark was part of Spielberg’s culture. Indy wins by giving it up. Whether Indy himself profited is beside the point, it’s a Hollywood literalization of a historic struggle. TOD didnt work cos it was based on stereotypes of cultures foreign to the protagonists. Hence they went back to the battle between western forces for the well received trilogy finale

Lara’s reboot stories say nothing about the world or history or myth or legend or anything. They exist to give the one character at the center a backstory.

 

[nowhat]

Reason why Raiders works so well is the actual history behind it

(offtopic Raiders gushing)

That too, but it also has one of the greatest scenes in the history of cinema:


The scene is awesome in and of itself, but what makes it even greater is the fact there was supposed to be an elaborately choreographed fight scene involving the sword guy and Indiana Jones' whip. But as Harrison Ford had a severe case of the runs, it was cut down to just Jones shooting the guy. So, thanks diarrhea!

 

[Danjin44]

i noticed that you like characters with unrealistic and weird designs

i think Bayonetta is by far the worst character in gaming, whether it's from a character design, dialogue or voice acting, she's the worst in all categories

just out of curiosity, what do you think of Aloy ?? i thought it was a good and likeable character in my opinion

Bayonetta is not suppose to be realistic, she has personality and over the top design which is why I like her. Also like new Lara I find Aloy boring both in personality and design wise.

 

[Humdinger]

I like Aloy. She's a good counter-example to Lara. She's an interesting, likeable, sympathetic person with a bunch of admirable traits and an intriguing backstory. They could flesh her out a little more, and I'm sure they will do that in the sequel. But in terms of whether the writers developed an interesting and unique character, I think she's much better than Lara Croft.

 

[IncognitoPanda]

but still, the main goal for Drake is to find a treasure but he never takes it

i really don't care about the story in Tomb raider at all, but at least Lara's character is good when compared to a horrible female leads in gaming like Bayonetta

You are my polar opposite.

 

[Darak]

Videogame character design should be different compared to films or literature. Backstory should be there, but it is not as important as visuals, audio, and animation, as the character needs to show interesting traits during gameplay, even more than during cutscenes or monologues. You can just watch Kratos or Bayonetta walk or attack and those traits are immediately apparent (be it aggressive, strong, sexy, playful, etc). In fact, those characters will be often very simple and uninteresting if you view them through traditional lens, but their game presence makes them fan favorites. The important part of any game happens when the player has control IMO.

My feel about the modern Lara Croft is that she is poor as a videogame character. She is a realistic face/body scan and wears whatever is available and is appropriate for the weather. Except for better production values, she doesn't look much different to me compared to any random NPC. At least the original Lara, or the one in Legend, was nimble and acrobatic, and had an iconic presence. I don't know what the modern one wants to be.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

(offtopic Raiders gushing)

That too, but it also has one of the greatest scenes in the history of cinema:


The scene is awesome in and of itself, but what makes it even greater is the fact there was supposed to be an elaborately choreographed fight scene involving the sword guy and Indiana Jones' whip. But as Harrison Ford had a severe case of the runs, it was cut down to just Jones shooting the guy. So, thanks diarrhea!

Ford has a habit of improvising things on set not written in the script that end up changing a movie for the better and becoming iconic moments. that's a kind of movie magic you can't purchase even for $4 billion.

this fight is so classic and it demonstrate another reason Raiders succeeds in its story telling: the enemies are unique characters. it is a gallery of different and memorable characters rather than generic Bad Guys: there is the sadistic glasses wearing SS guy, there is this mysterious swordsman, there is the bald tough guy that gets chopped up by the airplane, the fatigued Nazis that Indy punches while driving a truck, who later have their bodies pummeled with holy lightning and their heads exploded by literal Yahweh from the Old Testament. all of these moments are memorable.

the best videogames pull this off as well. MGS3 had memorable main boss villains. not just in the cutscenes but integrated into the gameplay as well. this is one problem with the new Tomb Raider, when a cutscene happened, it was just things going on. there were armies of faceless bad guys in the gameplay to kill, but you never saw any main characters or villains in the game world itself. you never ended up in a room with someone you recognized as the Bad Guy, something even Far Cry 3 pulled off. just shooting galleries. ultimately it felt like the cutscenes and gameplay were taking place in two different planes of existence.

 

[Pot Meet Kettle]

By killing people. Haha

It's funny how reboot Lara has a much higher kill count in just one game from the reboot trilogy than old Lara from multiple titles where she only kills wildlife and treasure hunter gangs and only out of necessity, not "im gonna go through their main camp, can't be stealthy enough, woe is me the tragic heroine forced to break Nathan Drake's record to survive and weep how hurt my feelings are from the experience"

There was one point in time where the series was breaking ground in 3D platforming and providing its own unique flavor, that of the atmospheric puzzle action platformer with sparse impactful high stakes thrill moments of action and gunfighting. Now most of it is optional or beyond recognition. Even Uncharted knows better than to play the emo hero card, and that's the series where a villain got away with everything purely because it was an identity politics mary sue that's too pure to be dealt anything negative by the plot. I miss old Lara. Even Angel of Darkness had more heart to it than this Uncharted clone reboot series.

Trying to tie this shallow QTE romp to the survival genre is insulting as fuck. Konami's cheap Lost in Blue games had that feel nailed far better than this AAA production.

 

[nowhat]

Ford has a habit of improvising things on set not written in the script that end up changing a movie for the better and becoming iconic moments.

That is so true. Or was - nowadays he seems to just phone it in, sometimes making the movie even worse (case in point, Ender's Game). But back in the day, he really could improve on the official script.

As an example, at the end of Empire Strikes Back, Leia says to Han Solo (i.e. Ford) "I love you". According to the script, Solo should have replied with "I love you too". A typical exchange, not bad, but just uninspired and to be expected. But Ford went off-script and replied "I know". The difference is just a few words, but it makes the scene so much better. Lucas hated it, but I think that just shows he has no idea what works in Star Wars and what doesn't.

 

[Whitecrow]

but still, the main goal for Drake is to find a treasure but he never takes it

i really don't care about the story in Tomb raider at all, but at least Lara's character is good when compared to a horrible female leads in gaming like Bayonetta

Nathan just wants the dopamine of uncovering lost relics from the past. he loves it.

It doesnt help either that everything gets destroyed always...

 

[xviper]

Nathan just wants the dopamine of uncovering lost relics from the past. he loves it.

It doesnt help either that everything gets destroyed always...

everything Drake touches gets destroyed, he's cursed

 

[Kreydo]

Man a just saw a Twitch liveplay of the last TR and for about 30 minutes? Lara was killing some indigene with a rifle... It was so dumb and not even fun! I mean The guy just standed in a corridor and waited for the indigene to come in his line of fire.
When this kind of 'gameplay' became prioritized than the usual jump around, roll, run with 2 guns?

I don't get it.

 

[OldBoyGamer]

I'm not 100% sure whether I see her as 'interesting' or not. I guess that's pretty subjective anyway. For me, I just find her difficult to relate to. How can I relate to a total nut job killer like the Joker at the same time as relating to do-gooder Clark Kent - how come I can relate to those two opposite ends of the spectrum, but I can't relate to this new Lara Croft? And I definitely related to old Lara! And I can relate to Aloy and Zelda and Yuna and Bayonetta and Joanna Dark and Jade and Evie from AC Syndicate who I related to more than Jacob. So this is not a feminism/anti feminist thing for me before someone goes off on that front. I'm more than happy with female characters thank you very much.

I guess I'm just saying that, for me at least, she was just a poorly written character with a pretty poor story line.

 

[Pot Meet Kettle]

I guess I'm just saying that, for me at least, she was just a poorly written character with a pretty poor story line.

It's wearing the husk of an older franchise.
It's a reboot that doesn't spend much time doing its own thing, justifying the character motivations or working on making them relatable. It's riding on an older Lara image from the old games (hence the "origin story" talk in interviews), that it still refuses, denies and spend most of its time "deconstructing" it. It wants to have its cake and eat it too.

"Doing its own thing", huh... it couldn't be more derivative even if it tried. Dropped the innovative game design ideas, where all stages are giant explorable 3D platformers with a sense of scale, environmental puzzles (just like Nintendo's Koizumi directed games, and what made much of its initial appeal, and if Tomb Raider's potential was fully realized and understood instead of constantly denied to chase industry trends it could have been the next BOTW) in addition to the smaller situational puzzles, minimal combat... to instead halfheartedly rip off the loops of Uncharted (gunfight massacres + QTE galore) and TLOU (emo try-hard drama) and the tombs that made its unique appeal are now side content with none of the original's flair.
It's only natural the writing is so schizophrenic as a result when so many conflicting directions are in there.