Back at GamesCom a few weeks ago, Microsoft showed off some extended gameplay footage from Rise of the Tomb Raider that showed Lara Croft working her way through an enemy camp, killing enemies one-by-one. It ended with a few big explosions that took out whatever remaining few bad guys there were.
It was a terrific video, giving gamers a taste of what Lara can do in her first next-generation adventure, and the hotly anticipated follow-up to 2013's Tomb Raider. That game saw developer Crystal Dynamics give Lara a complete makeover, with a younger, inexperienced and far more realistic character swept up in events that shaped her into a warrior. It played out like a roller coaster ride of a movie with non-stop thrills and spills, redefining Lara into a more believable, relatable character.
After watching the violent playthrough from GamesCom, Crystal Dynamics says that they got several inquiries from fans about whether it was possible to play this tense, enemy-filled level using nothing but stealth. In other words: Could a player conceivably advance through the entire area without killing anyone, or even alerting them to her presence?
As an answer, the developer has posted a new video online. Revealing that the footage is from a level called "Advancing Storm," the video shows a player taking full advantage of nearby objects and the environment itself to carefully get Lara through the area without shedding a single drop of blood.
To really appreciate the inventiveness and difficulty of completing the level without fighting anyone, you really need to watch the GamesCom video, too.
Here's the new stealth version.
One thing we noticed is that playing in stealth mode seems to have bypassed a few cutscenes. But otherwise, it worked beautifully. Of course, the person playing had the advantage of intimate knowledge of the level, including enemy positions, which no doubt made it easier and faster to complete.
Rise of the Tomb Raider debuts November 13, 2015 with a timed-exclusive on Xbox One and Xbox 360. PC will get the game in early 2016, while PlayStation owners will have to wait a full year before they'll be able to play it.
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