Big plans are in motion to expand the Tomb Raider franchise's reach dramatically. Not only has the mobile rogue-like game Tomb Raider: Reloaded been recently released, but fans can clean the Croft Manor in the PowerWash Simulator DLC and track the development of the upcoming Tomb Raider television series being made by Amazon Studios. Among these exciting projects, developer Crystal Dynamics is creating a new Tomb Raider game. Within the realm of new video games released in 2023, Forspoken arguably has the most similarities to the Tomb Raider franchise. Its underwhelming performance is a great learning opportunity for future Tomb Raider content.
Forspoken was widely anticipated because of the promise of an expansive open world and a story that featured a female protagonist of color wielding extraordinary abilities. Unfortunately, the game was critically panned, with players citing the game's slow start, clunky combat mechanics, and awkward dialogue as flaws. While Square-Enix no longer controls the Tomb Raider franchise, Forspoken was a major Square-Enix title with the potential to rival Lara Croft's next adventure if done well. Given the similarities, there's quite a bit to be gleaned from Forspoken's critical reception.
A New Tomb Raider Game Needs The Dynamic Storytelling, and Open World Forspoken Couldn't Provide
One of Forspoken's most compelling initial selling points was a character-focused, dimension-hopping story combined with a unique location. Unfortunately, the game never entirely delivered on either. For instance, throughout the game, and compelling character development that Forspoken protagonist Frey receives is undercut by slow progression and frenetic storytelling. Frey is thrown into combat in the barren and loreless world of Athia before the player knows what's at stake. This continues throughout the game until any potential meaningful environmental or character storytelling is lost. Forspoken tries to fix this using oddly-timed conversation prompts with a talking bracelet Cuff, but it's not enough.
Since Tomb Raider games are also focused on magical elements and exploration, the upcoming title should learn from Forspoken's lack of focus. Storytelling should be dynamic, using the game's environment as a catalyst for change, growth, and destruction. Shadow of the Tomb Raider does this well, using the flood of Cozumel to push Lara as a character. Of course, this future character growth needs to feel earned - especially as the next game is rumored to feature an older, more mature Lara Croft. While Tomb Raider games have never been entirely open-world, it would be incredible to see a future game allow for that kind of fluid progression experience.
Forspoken's Clunky Combat and Traversal Mechanics Can Be Inspiration For The Next Tomb Raider Game
Among the various gameplay issues that plagued Forspoken, one of the most insidious was the oddly designed and executed combat mechanics. Frey fights Dragons, Athian soldiers, and more using a mix of offensive and defensive spells, similar to the magic system in Hogwarts Legacy. Unfortunately, combat never quite seems balanced, turning what could be an elegant magic system into a frustrating, button-mashing fiasco. Past Tomb Raider games have sometimes suffered from a lack of cohesive combat, focused more on errant gunfights and hack-and-slash combat over meaningful encounters. Instead, the future Tomb Raider game can integrate proper flow into Lara's fighting, using a game like Ghost of Tsushima as an example.
One of the more impactful aspects of Forspoken's gameplay was the use of Parkour-style traversal, giving players super-speed and magical climbing abilities. Although, Frey's movement often feels slow and heavy, like an unwieldy aircraft instead of the sleek, magical arrow the game wants her to be. The 2013 Tomb Raider game also suffered from similar issues. Forspoken also included traversal as an element of skill progression, causing players to have to "earn" efficient movement through the game. Hopefully, the next Tomb Raider installment will leave traversal out of the skill progression trees, allowing Lara to explore and move in a way that feels good to the player from the get-go.