Tomb Raider from 2013 could have been a completely different game called Tomb Raider Ascension

Tomb Raider from 2013 was a complete reboot of the cult series. We got a semi-open type game, Lara was significantly more vulnerable and suffered more than ever before, etc. However, it is little known that this reboot was initially conceived as a game that would have moved even further away from previous Tomb Raiders.

The project was called Tomb Raider: Ascension and now the creators of Tomb Raider have shared juicy details and materials on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the series. It was supposed to be a game that would step into the realm of survival horror. It was located in a similar location, but it was significantly darker.

Here’s what else was researched in Tomb Raider: Ascension and didn’t end up in Tomb Raider in 2013:

• the game was supposed to have shares of horseback riding around the open world
• the opponents in Ascension were exclusively monsters
• Lara was supposed to have helpers in her game - from animals to monkeys, and from human girls to follow her
• Lara's model in that game was closer to the older models - she was still more scantily clad, and her breasts were more pronounced

Of course, Tomb Raider ultimately took a different path, and given the sales results, the developers can say they made a good decision. While it’s interesting to see that they considered elements of horror, in the end, it’s clear that they turned to action segments because such games are easier to sell. Fortunately, some things still took root, so Tomb Raider from 2013 still had a significantly more serious tone than the previous games.