By the end of The Last Revelation, Croft was merely left for rubble and in Chronicles, just a slew of memories. Thus, Murti Schofield was hired by Core Design to rewrite the series. The result was Angel of Darkness, in which Schofield opted for a gothic renovation of Tomb Raider inspired by both noir and Blood Omen. At the start of AOD, Croft is the accused in Paris for a murder involving her mentor, Werner Von Croy. At this point in the franchise, AOD was deemed a commercial failure and Schofield burned most of his manuscript as a result. Once Crystal Dynamics took over the franchise they would not continue with Schofield's proposed sequel, The Lost Dominion. Instead, they hired Croft's original creator, Toby Gard to consult them in reimagining Croft for Underworld, in which both Gard and Eric Lindstrom were nominated for their writing.
Despite the craftsmanship that went into AOD, Crystal Dynamics diverted from what Schofield initiated in favor of bringing Gard back to the series. Some of his concepts would resurface again in Underworld such as burning down the Croft Manor at the start of the game. For Underworld, Crystal Dynamics used the Legacy of Kain technology to sway foliage in Coastal Thailand, whereas Core Design rendered a blizzard wrecking over Prague with their broken game engine. This did not contribute to Eidos Interactive's expectations at their attempt to tie-in AOD with The Cradle of Life. Likewise, both Gard and Lindstrom prevented another catastrophe by borrowing from the films. The first film had Croft invested in the research proceeded by her father, Richard Croft. This is carried over into Underworld, but this time Croft uses her fathers studies to investigate her mother who disappeared in the Norse underworld of Helheim. Moreover, Gard brings back several of his characters from his original including the wicked Atlantean Queen, Natla and her doppelgänger who now resembles the darker iteration of Croft in AOD instead of bacon.
Sneaking and posing as Solid Snake was a change of character in AOD. Additionally, maneuvering Croft was made even more awkward with broken mechanics that was rarely reminiscent of the original. Eventually, the player would discover the Tomb of Ancients beneath The Louvre. However, much of the game was spent conversing with characters in a Parisian Ghetto via dialogue trees straight out of The Longest Journey. Crystal Dynamics reverted Underworld back to Gard's original intention with traversal environments that made steering Croft more fluid, especially by reintroducing her sprinting ability and motorcycle last seen in The Last Revelation. The QTE's and on-rails vehicles in Legend resonated with the series origins on the Sega Saturn, yet Tomb Raider was never an arcade game and thankfully this ideology is restored for Underworld. In redemption, a tailoring system is implemented that allows increased difficulty and options to hide all the in-game prompts making for a more challenging experience.
The score in the original Tomb Raider consisted of choirs by Nathan McCree that would cue when a new puzzle or vista was discovered. This formula is replicated again for Underworld by the BAFTA winner, Troels B. Folmann in collaboration with the Emmy nominee, Colin O'Malley. Also, their score alludes to the orchestrated tone featured in AOD, which was composted by Peter Connelly, Martin Iveson, and performed by The London Symphony Orchestra. The classical throwbacks in Underworld sound phenomenal, especially the hymn that echoes just before Croft platforms across some ancient ruins in Coastal Thailand. Furthermore, Jonell Elliot's more brash portrayal of Croft in AOD is toned down in Underworld by the award winning actress, Keeley Hawes. Her performance resembles the characterization presented in the original game along with Angelina Jolie's portrayal in the films, thus making Hawes more in line with what Gard had envisioned.
Due to the commercial failure of AOD, Schofield literally burned the game's manuscript, which inevitably prompted Crystal Dynamics to reboot Tomb Raider with Gard as their consultant. To make up for Schofield's proposed sequel, Eidos shoehorned novel adaptions such as The Amulet of Power by Mike Resnick, but ultimately it was Gard's decision to start fresh with a reimagining of his character. However, some of Schofield's concepts did resurface in Underworld with Gard and Lindstrom using their depiction of a darker iteration for the series. They examined Croft's portrayal in AOD and applied this to Underworld's reimagined doppelgänger who now serves as Croft's alter-ego. It was a bold move for Crystal Dynamics to value Gard's industry experience having worked on Tomb Raider and Galleon with Paul Douglas. In retrospect, Underworld stands on its own by capturing the essence of the original Tomb Raider and bringing back the classic characters, even without a big-budget film to compensate for its success.
Despite the craftsmanship that went into AOD, Crystal Dynamics diverted from what Schofield initiated in favor of bringing Gard back to the series. Some of his concepts would resurface again in Underworld such as burning down the Croft Manor at the start of the game. For Underworld, Crystal Dynamics used the Legacy of Kain technology to sway foliage in Coastal Thailand, whereas Core Design rendered a blizzard wrecking over Prague with their broken game engine. This did not contribute to Eidos Interactive's expectations at their attempt to tie-in AOD with The Cradle of Life. Likewise, both Gard and Lindstrom prevented another catastrophe by borrowing from the films. The first film had Croft invested in the research proceeded by her father, Richard Croft. This is carried over into Underworld, but this time Croft uses her fathers studies to investigate her mother who disappeared in the Norse underworld of Helheim. Moreover, Gard brings back several of his characters from his original including the wicked Atlantean Queen, Natla and her doppelgänger who now resembles the darker iteration of Croft in AOD instead of bacon.
Sneaking and posing as Solid Snake was a change of character in AOD. Additionally, maneuvering Croft was made even more awkward with broken mechanics that was rarely reminiscent of the original. Eventually, the player would discover the Tomb of Ancients beneath The Louvre. However, much of the game was spent conversing with characters in a Parisian Ghetto via dialogue trees straight out of The Longest Journey. Crystal Dynamics reverted Underworld back to Gard's original intention with traversal environments that made steering Croft more fluid, especially by reintroducing her sprinting ability and motorcycle last seen in The Last Revelation. The QTE's and on-rails vehicles in Legend resonated with the series origins on the Sega Saturn, yet Tomb Raider was never an arcade game and thankfully this ideology is restored for Underworld. In redemption, a tailoring system is implemented that allows increased difficulty and options to hide all the in-game prompts making for a more challenging experience.
The score in the original Tomb Raider consisted of choirs by Nathan McCree that would cue when a new puzzle or vista was discovered. This formula is replicated again for Underworld by the BAFTA winner, Troels B. Folmann in collaboration with the Emmy nominee, Colin O'Malley. Also, their score alludes to the orchestrated tone featured in AOD, which was composted by Peter Connelly, Martin Iveson, and performed by The London Symphony Orchestra. The classical throwbacks in Underworld sound phenomenal, especially the hymn that echoes just before Croft platforms across some ancient ruins in Coastal Thailand. Furthermore, Jonell Elliot's more brash portrayal of Croft in AOD is toned down in Underworld by the award winning actress, Keeley Hawes. Her performance resembles the characterization presented in the original game along with Angelina Jolie's portrayal in the films, thus making Hawes more in line with what Gard had envisioned.
Due to the commercial failure of AOD, Schofield literally burned the game's manuscript, which inevitably prompted Crystal Dynamics to reboot Tomb Raider with Gard as their consultant. To make up for Schofield's proposed sequel, Eidos shoehorned novel adaptions such as The Amulet of Power by Mike Resnick, but ultimately it was Gard's decision to start fresh with a reimagining of his character. However, some of Schofield's concepts did resurface in Underworld with Gard and Lindstrom using their depiction of a darker iteration for the series. They examined Croft's portrayal in AOD and applied this to Underworld's reimagined doppelgänger who now serves as Croft's alter-ego. It was a bold move for Crystal Dynamics to value Gard's industry experience having worked on Tomb Raider and Galleon with Paul Douglas. In retrospect, Underworld stands on its own by capturing the essence of the original Tomb Raider and bringing back the classic characters, even without a big-budget film to compensate for its success.