During a Twitter Q&A session with fans this weekend, Tomb Raider‘s global brand director Karl Stewart revealed some interesting new details about the upcoming title, including some potentially controversial changes to the series’ core gameplay mechanics.
Stewart confirmed that while “Lara can swim”, an activity that has been the basis of multiple Tomb Raider puzzles since the first title in the franchise, she won’t be able to “in this game”. Additionally, players will no longer need to seek out and hoard medkits in the reboot because Lara will have a regenerative health system.
While Lara’s automatic health regeneration is unlikely to upset too many fans (mainly because it has become a standard video game feature in recent years), the fact that she can no longer swim marks a huge change that is sure ruffle a few feathers.
The Q&A also revealed that Tomb Raider will run about “12 to 15 + [hours] depending on your play style”, and will feature several “hidden rooms and side stories”. Additionally, the main story will have several plot “twists” and possibly some Easter Eggs referencing the original PS1 title.
There was also a bit of bad news for anyone hoping to recreate a fun pastime from the second and third games in the series. Steward confirmed that Tomb Raider will not feature an island butler that can be locked up in your walk-in refrigerator. A massive disappointment to be sure, but perhaps this is something that could be included in the sequel.
Tomb Raider is currently set to launch on March 5, 2013 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. Let us know what you think about these changes in the comments below.