[00:01] Gamescom 2026. 30 years ago, a little game called Tomb Raider made his debut And with the upcoming remake, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, you get to Here to break it all down for me is game director Rahul Cicada and art director
[00:17] >> Hi, thanks for having us. >> So, we're going to jump right into it here. You've got a really long gameplay demo here of of Lara exploring Peru, exploration, and it all culminates with the very iconic T-Rex encounter, which
[00:30] here, so we make sure we don't miss out on this. So, this is a really iconic You're It's a remake, though, so you want to add in some like new bells and know, pressure to to not overdo it too much?
[00:44] >> Go for it. The pressure was there definitely, but it was a good way of good good side of pressure. Uh and it was not we don't do remake we are doing flavor to what was done before and in the T- situation for example we kept the
[00:57] color palette that the guy had 30 years ago but we added the red feathers. perspective too is important to like note out the difference between like the T-Rex encounter as iconic as it was in 1996. We knew we wanted to do something
[01:10] different with it. So, like echoing back to some of like the roots for like the at getting Lara to be chased by a bear, chased by an avalanche, like it felt like, "Hey, that would be a really cool cinematic moment that we can get to do
[01:24] T-Rex is celebrated, and then there's just more content for players." being cinematic, it feels almost like a full circle moment because, uh, and now this seems, you know, this the cinematic presentation seems very
[01:40] >> Well, I think we look at it more of it the roots of where Tomb Raider has gone to, right? Like I think the Survivor trilogy is we started implementing some I'd mentioned earlier like the avalanche, the bear, the tsunami in
[01:53] where like >> Lara's gotten really good at escaping from things and it's part of the DNA. So although it's a new modern take on it, the classics and we were looking at the stuff that we've done recently, that
[02:06] balance between what is new and what is old was important to keep. And so we continue that trend moving forward. >> I think one of the first things you absolutely gorgeous game. Like that's
[02:18] accomplished there even like um with shadows and then the reflections that you speak to the art design and what you sort of set out to accomplish? >> I mean we're trying to recreate the memories that people had in 1996, right?
[02:31] technology and just push the graphics as much as we can but we want to stay authentic uh to the places we are discovering because LAR is a hologist. example Peru we're trying to stay true to the incan architecture and the
[02:45] plantations and everything that people would see in that place. On the push it as much as we can just because in the 1996 it was beautiful, right? Like the way the way we remember is awesome, but now
[02:58] we need to push ourselves uh to create the same feeling for people and that's >> Yeah, we just saw Lara use some kind of a scanning device. Tell us about that. >> Uh a scanner is a new inventory item that Lara has for Legacy of Atlantis. It
[03:11] allows you to do two things. First of them is for you to opt in into helping you solving puzzles. So several objects in the environment will either give you want to maneuver the space. And a secondary function to it, it allows you
[03:24] about the lore or about the world within it. We separate the two of them. So if you're the type of player that wants to explore at your own pace and you don't a puzzle, you can completely ignore it and not engage with it. And the objects
[03:38] have a different coloration than the objects in the worlds that are marked call out one of my favorite parts of this demo just happened when she falls down in the water and does that context sensitive uh animation of just sort of a
[03:51] pencil dive that looks so cool. Are you just how are you sort of thinking about you're just designing the game? >> I mean we want to recreate those little themselves when they playing the game and in this example is one of them but
[04:06] different animations of jumping into the water as well uh from a different height. So it's depending how from what different animation to Lara and we have a lot of those little details within the
[04:19] >> Yeah, Lara's the way that Lara moves is very important for us. So we always acrobatics and the different flourishes that she can do, we wanted to make sure that that was represented and it felt very natural both for you to watch as a
[04:31] when you're on the sticks. So you could do the handstands, you could do the very classic from 1996. We wanted to bring it back and put it in its best trilogy earlier. Is her like pick pickaxe tool. Is that something that you
[04:45] brought over from that from those games? >> Yes. Obviously, it's not as present as always finding interesting ways of using it. Obviously, we saw her use uh as to throughout the game that you might recognize it, but it was important to us
[04:59] in the previous games were celebrated. I think we said that a couple of times, but we want players to know that this is the same Lada that was in the Survivor connected universe. So, if she had an axe back then, it makes sense that she
[05:11] still has axes. >> Yeah. She also has this grapple tool. can you just talk about that? >> Oh, the Well, it's the grapple cuff because it's on it's on her cuff. But, yes. So, grapple is one of those things
[05:24] things in interacting with the environment like moving around the example of it. But, it's also a great swing through certain parts of the game to reach ledges and places that you
[05:37] favorites, you can use it to repel. So you can anchor to a point and go up and down in several different ledges, which allows us to get a lot more freedom in how you explore the environments. A lot of these levels are very vertical based,
[05:50] so having a bunch of different ways for players to navigate was very important >> Yes. >> Okay. Interesting. Uh, I think you've some of the puzzles to make them make a little bit more sense in the context of
[06:05] you exploring this ancient tomb and oh, there's this strange machine here. Uh, original game that you've just left completely intact? >> We did not because it's your imagination. So, we want uh we wanted to
[06:19] puzzle in this case, we created the whole ceremony and the whole narrative part about why this co coke system is in there. So it makes sense and we are keeping as many puzzles as we can to be respectful to original one but we want
[06:33] them to put them in a modern concept so people understand we don't just put them because that would make sense and when you are seeing them you feel like you're discovering something new. >> We saw that big T-Rex fight at the
[06:46] beginning uh of this segment. >> There's also some some uh lesser that >> they indeed are velociraptors coming up. we can talk to some of the combat. I think you've added a dodge move.
[06:58] >> Uh, yes. Uh, it there is a way for you to dodge. It is directly tied to your acrobatics. Again, kind of back to Lara's ability to move around the space in a way that only she can do it. It was important for us that form met factor in
[07:11] that regard. It was really cool in 1996 when we were able to do the acrobatics to approach it from a modern perspective, you might think like, well, if you're doing that technically slower, maybe it will influence in combat. So,
[07:23] how do we balance the two? So her acrobatics give you an opportunity to eye frames so you don't get damaged and then there are other ways that you can navigate around. >> We see a very sparse UI here but I think
[07:35] turn it all off. >> Yes, there is an option in the >> Yeah, if for a little bit more >> if you want the full immersed experience we are always talking about like it was it was important for the development
[07:48] team that we let you play the game that the way that you want to play it. So, if want to do dual pistols, you don't want to interact with a lot of our systems and you want to go no UI for maximum amount of difficulty, go for it. I am
[08:00] >> Yeah. And we had a conversation today with the guy who basically he wants to play without the scanner. He wants to find the ledges and everything himself. >> Yeah. >> As people have been seeing this gameplay
[08:13] >> Yes. >> That's something you spent time on to >> Yeah. No, it's just just the time passed. So, you know that the hair grew and it's been 3 months. So, >> yeah, we showed it in uh June uh in
[08:26] Summer GameFest. Hair usually grows every two months, right? So, now we're >> It's just realistic. >> Um you know, in combat. She can start jumping and flipping around. So, is
[08:40] there a lock on mechanic? >> Uh there currently is no lock- on mechanic. No. Uh and that is by design. Uh, combat in Legacy of Atlantis is meant to be faster and fluid. We want you to be able to move around and hunt
[08:52] your enemies, not stand still. We talk a lot about how this isn't a cover shooter. This is more acrobatic cuz that is what Locoft is. So, we wanted to of like slightly designed decisions that we shied away from it because we felt
[09:05] like acrobatic movement. >> Yeah. I think a lot of her her uh because of this uh focus feature, right? She has this focus ability. Yeah, focus She has this focus ability. Yeah, focus mode. Yeah, absolutely. So, uh the when
[09:20] combat, certain actions in combat certain dude certain actions in combat reward you with uh focus points. When you build enough of your focus meter, you can activate focus mode, which slows down time and allows you to land a
[09:34] >> You mentioned that the the puzzle is completely redone. Is there any of the original dialogue from the game in here? in here in Peru in here or just in the from the original one but the whole script has been rewritten and all the
[09:49] the game it's just because we chose them to and we have few hints and he here and there for for fans to find but in general the whole script has been actress. >> Yeah.
[10:02] >> What would you say this uh the thing you're Well, you don't want no no know we've saw the T-Rex here. Are there other key moments in the game that experience again? >> Yes, so many of them. We are actually
[10:15] showing uh some new footage, some new areas here at Gamescom this week behind closed doors. Uh it will be available to the public next week. Uh and I am very excited for them to see what that is. >> Yeah. What was the what was your first
[10:28] >> My first experience with Tomb Raider, it's funny. Someone else asked me that question today. Uh I was walking from home to swimming lessons, which is a had a my brother and I we didn't had a PlayStation back at the time. But the
[10:42] receptionist for the swimming club that we were in, she used to play video games attention to the reception. One day we were walking in and lo and behold, she's >> Uh we skipped swimming that that day and we just watched her play for like about
[10:57] >> Nice. How about you? >> Well, I remember playing with my cousin when I was 7 years old. So we we had just one PC and we had to kept swapping was playing. >> Unfortunately, he lied to me and uh he
[11:11] >> Yeah. >> Bad friend. Bad friend. Uh I'm very Atlantis. It's out February 12th. >> February 12th, 2027. >> Thanks for having us. >> Tomb Raider Legacy of Atlantis comes to
[11:25] year. We've got lots more Gamescom studio coming up, so stick around.