Introducing Unified Lara Croft! 

Soooo turns out like an hour after publishing my video, Crystal have confirmed that the new wallpaper is not the final model for the next game. I kind of expected this due to the backlash it received, but I do think the outfit will likely remain unchanged just due to the sheer amount of times we've seen it in so many different projects. We'll just have to wait and see!

Loved how you explained everything and went into detail while not bashing new Lara, hopefully no parent issues and has some sass along with flirtatiousness that we like

You made a really good point there. Lara's image has remained the same in peoples heads for 25+ years. If something is not broken then don't fix it in my opinion. Classic look Lara is intemporal still feels relatable to this day (thus the remasters being a huge success) and can still be empowering as it was back then. Crystal Dynamics should just bring new exciting stories and preserve Lara's classic personality/looks as best as possible. Even the movies did a better job with her personality than the current gen games ever could. :/

The outfit is great but if the society of raiders is the plot of the next game then its already doomed to piss off the fans

They just confirmed in an interview that this isn't unified Lara's final model and her in game model will be different, this was just a concept!

I love unified Lara! I think this is a great way to take the best parts of her original model and modernizing it. I completely agree with your points, I'm just happy to have another game coming but I'm enjoying the remasters! I've been wanting to watch your streams but I'm behind and want to enjoy my playthrough first😂

Great video! I honestly really like her design here, she looks equal parts confident and sassy, but also like someone serious about the physicality of her job (I love the muscles and more tactical gear). It’s a little sexy still, but also very practical for climbing. The only thing I hope for is that they use Survivor Lara’s face as the base and update it. I have been used to the new Lara and I don’t want to feel like this is a completely different person, for continuity’s sake. The magic the gathering art you showed in the video is using her face from Rise, but with a braid and on the new outfit/body, and that looks perfect! Still the Lara we’ve spent so much time with since 2013, but clearly older with a much more mature and intense confidence (something as simple as giving her the arched brows again does wonders).

Very excited for the future of tomb raider but wouldn’t mind if she had a friend. However I don’t like when a large part of the story revolves around finding them after they become lost or kidnapped. The parent storyline needs to go though, I personally loved the gameplay of LAU but the whole story focusing on her mother’s disappearance was slightly off-putting.

And just a couple days later, we have another pic of Lara in this outfit, in the TTRPG artwork :) And I think the outfit is perfectly okay, and her face in the wallpaper as well. But I also know how much artwork and promotional pics differ from the in-game models (pretty much in every TR, I think AoD Lara is the only exception), so I still take this as the general idea for how Lara might look rather than expecting it to be that exact face.

The image used in the Magic the Gathering crossover is the one I like best. I think they are just testing out reactions to a load of concept art right now, when they reveal the final model they'll let us know more clearly.

I’m not a fan of the face, to me she looks like Charlie D’amilio mixed with a dude cosplaying as Lara 😂 We’ll see 👀 BTW, love your pics of the remasters, do you know you can make Lara wear her red glasses (only in the new graphics) just pressing the walk and look buttons together during the loading screen?!

Girl I love that you're so positive ! And tbh the Unified Design is really growing on me. I love that we can see traces of every Era AND FINALLY TWIN PISTOLS ❤❤❤🎉 I also really love the Necklace and finally her awesome boots come back !

Great video Jay , well done 👏 very much looking forward to more updates on unified Lara!

great vid. fortnite and rainbow six also had a unified lara croft skin released. fortnite's was one of the most sold skins of the year it came out.

I love the sass the classic Lara has, the confidence and everything. And before I played the Survivor Trilogy, I had some Classic fans distort the narrative on the newer games. After I played them, I understood the journey. No one is a confident sassy boss since their birth, we need to go trough life to experience and mature. I hate people gatekeeping Lara and thinking just the classics are good. What Toby had in mind, was the perfection of the first game, the consecutive games we had was just milking profit, with not much to add (except Last Revelation, it was also milking, but with intent), our nostalgia make the old games good. I love and apreciate the whole franchise (except the in the 2 game, Venice can f off, but maria doria is my baby). In regards to the upcoming game, people didn't even had access to a gameplay, but they were ready to bitch about "manly face lara", "oohhh the woke agenda". That was a gut wrenching moment for me, seeing people beeing completely transphobic in some coments, accusing CD of going "woke" and pushing a agenda. Lara isn't a trans woman, but imagine if you are a trans person in the fandom, and you are seeing this shit unfold with tons of people mocking lara just because in their opnion lara looks manly??? I just hope they can offer us, fans, a game for us to explore new grounds with Lara, and for the good part of the fandom (who isn't bigots) to keep our area clean and respectful to anyone, new fans, old fans, everyone.

I know a lot of people complained about her lack of makeup but if you look at the original games, she didn’t really wear any makeup at all so that complaint just feels unnecessary?

Its about time the real Lara came back honestly. That means hyper-confident, backflipping over velociraptors dual wielding pistols whilst making snarky quips and remarks and yes...skintight shirts, big breasts tiny waist lots of exposed skin. I know its 2024 but we need to grow up and accept Lara Croft is a badass sexy character. Not the bland whiney survivor series 'lara'.

I think the biggest thing about Lara that modern gaming, let alone Crystal Dynamics wouldn't embrace is that Lara IS a anti-hero in a sense, she has no problem leaving unarmed assailants to their death (like the traitorous guide from Last Revelations) neither killing people who are just doing their job (Guards in Area 51) and she only hunts for artifacts for sport and hoards them in her secret treasure room like some dragon on a pile of gold. She has to have a sharp tongue with sass and be ruthless at times, aside from that, she's pretty flat-chested, not saying she needs double-D's but she needs at least some booba on her AND I kinda wish the pistols were still modeled on the classic FN Brownings.

Im pretty sure the group of archeologists she leads is a reference to TR Legend flashabck. So Jonah Might replace Kent , We might see Anaya and Of course Amanda again. After all it takes place before TR / Anniversary which might come right after and there we can connect to the original adventures.

CD should just go back to their own Lara and carry on after Underworld. Trying to please everyone by merging them will only annoy everyone 😅

Ngl, when I first heard that they were unifying the timelines, I was dreading it 💀 Timeline of game events aside, it sounded like they were attempting to appease fans of all eras and I just knew it was going to be *_messy._* (Even Rhianna Pratchett was like "not sure how they'll manage that, but I'm glad to not be in charge of it." lmao) Also, I do feel that ever since Unified Lara began shaping up to appear more like her old-school self, there's been a revival of the Reboot Lara hate train and it's divided the fandom apart even further. But we're here now so let's see how it all goes 👀

She looks great! I can’t wait for NEW Tomb Raider. Sick of young Lara.

Very nice video, Jay😊 Thanks for including so much background info, I had missed out on those collabs. I really like the way she looks and how positive you are talking about her look.😊 You are my new favorite TR channel.😊

Hmmm 🧐 which guns are those and are they brand new? Also I am so curious what myths could lead to Turkey! What kind of temples are those? Only thing I want back is the pickaxe to do the climbing. Surprised we didn’t talk about the voice actress. Regardless. It’s a concept art. It still won’t depict the actual CG or In Game cutscenes. But if anything we ALL get more Lara Croft in the year 2024! We are getting some kind of news for TR this year.

From memory the holster in shadow are not the same from the statue ? I don't know the terms XD but it seems to be more close of the classic holster with a strap behind and on the front. Also thank you having someone who doesn't just spit on this model, looking forward where they are going too ^^ My only remarks would be the lips a bit too thin for Lara but I really like the rest, it's just a drawing let's see what the 3d model looks like ^^ Edit : by the way new subscriber love your mentality, a pleasure to watch your videos ^^

"No parents!" 🚨🚨🚨 😂 Couldn't agree more! I think it's such a conventional, unimaginative, boring and irritating trope to think that any sense of drama should come either from a love affair or parents drama. Hello! This woman has been the drama for almost 30 years just by entering a cave. Why not write the next story and actually use her extreme form of charisma? I mean who even plays games for a B movie experience

Lara Croft unified look pays homage to the classic Lara from the remastering works of Tomb Raider 1-3 by her wearing the classic outfit and retaining the facial structure has seen throughout her games This model of Lara Croft is not a reflection on any new Tomb Raider model as that is still to be determined.

Honestly, I hope they bring back Lara's original relationship to her parents. She was a self-made woman who rebelled against tradition and was cast out for it, and that meant her interest in archaeology, her smarts and her skill were all on her. Having a father who did basically the same stuff with Lara following in her dad's footsteps kind of... cheapens it a bit? Love the design itself though! Looks like a great blend of all eras.

U explain everything in detail about Lara and first time watching your vid i love it Lara Croft too me is important Classic or Modern i love all types versions of Lara Croft and Im a Tomb Raider fan 4Life ☺️

In the survivor series I rlly enjoyed the stealth sections fighting enemies and would like to see that in the new game but we need more exploration puzzles, tombs and parkour like the old games. I don’t mind if she has a pony tail or a braid I think either is fine but she defo needs the dual pistols in the game as her main weapons. I’m still annoyed how they had us shoot dual pistols at the end of the first survivor game but then only use one pistol after that in the next two. I just hope in the new game we get a confident woman who is smart and witty like the old games. Maybe have her swear a bit like in the survivor if they plan to “merge” and unify Lara.

I always thought that the 1996 Lara Croft wore a turquoise *swimsuit* and shorts. Now it is emphasized that she has a blue top with a white t-shirt (or white bra?) underneath.

Lara is rumored to be added in the horror game dead by daylight. Do we think that she will look like the new unified version? Similar to the call of duty and magic the gathering colabs?

Surprised your subs are so low when your content is so well made. Subscriber earned

Out of all of the newer arts featuring a unified Lara, I think the Magic The Gathering promotional art is my favorite look of her. Lara's facial features here match up very close to the reboot series yet she has a physique that is this cross between all three (or four, depending on who you ask) iterations of the character. It all looks fairly practical, and I enjoy the fact that they compromised on the shorts department because they could have very easily gone with pants... Though, I admit I would want an option between the two in a future game. The wallpaper shown in the video featuring a unified Lara honestly looks great in my opinion. It's not perfect, I was expecting the MTG type art to some degree. I've seen some pretty reasonable criticism of it and just uhh... A lot of insults being levied which I won't repeat here. To be vague about it, some were saying she looked like a man, her femininity was taken from her, etc. It was a very similar discourse to the example in the video featuring Alloy. Kind of made me a little disheartened to read feedback like that, lol. With how *far* graphics have advanced since the 90s, it is very difficult to mold a character's facial structure to fit in exactly how they looked nearly 3 decades ago... Especially when you consider that now, graphics are leaning more into the realistic side of things as opposed to stylized. Core Design Lara and LAU Lara were pretty stylized to say the least. That all said though, I don't have a preference or bias towards any iteration of Lara, I think all 3-4 (again, depending on who you ask) have respective qualities that I've always admired through the years. Tomb Raider was basically my first video game series to get into, so... Kind of wouldn't feel right to prefer one over the other. I liked how you went into detail about everything regarding the design as well as your views on the art while also remaining open-minded and explaining that you didn't want to say, "Well I think she should like x y zed." in case they used a face model for the character. From the angle I'm seeing, I still see the reboot trilogy Lara's facial structure there but I also see LAU and Core Design Lara in there, too. Oof, kinda got on a tangent here. I apologize. All in all, the new art was a welcome surprise. I'm glad that Crystal is embracing every era of Lara and that they were receptive to fan feedback regarding the face. Which like you, I can't really comment on just in case it's someone's face that was scanned in there. I just love all the TR goodness that's been coming out as of late, from the collabs, the remastered trilogy of the first three games, the TTRPG, and to them ramping up a potential announcement of a new game.

Love this❤

Can’t wait for new game. I actually enjoyed the new trio of games better then the original because it seemed realistic.

Great video, I know CD have said this isn't final, but I personally love this look, she looks like a much more mature version of the 2013 Lara, which I love, (and also an even older version of OG Lara somehow), whilst also tying in the Original aesthetic and physique of someone whose a globe trotting, somersaulting, dual pistol wielding, no bullshit taking bad-ass

I just wish she looked like classic Lara they can do whatever they want to do with the gameplay

I feel that she looks great and it’s not an in game render. The push back from others saying she looks “manly” or other inappropriate comments just seems odd to me. Regardless this is exciting news to see the first glimpse of what Lara will look like and what kind of adventure she will go on. I’m loving the remasters as I did not get to play the games besides the remake of tomb raider 1. I’m very eager to see gameplay already!

I don't really think this concept art was actually made from a real person. The perfect Lara should me inspired by Angelina Jolie... but in general, it's all right!

Back to the basics hopefully

Hope it takes place after shadow

My opinion is getting divided between Melonie Mac's and the others' who actually have hope for the next tomb raider games... I don't know on which side i'd like to be :D

old series was just that fan service new gamews where more character driven they tried to fleshen out the character . combined together will make some great games in the future if they unify the stories

Thanks for this

I don't think it will unify the fan base as Crystal are responsible to fracturing the fan base far more than the simple reboots have. Yes, whenever there are reboots you are going to get a fracturing of a fan base as it's something that has the potential of being 100% completely different to what they originally became a fan of. What didn't help this in Tomb Raider's case was how Crystal have trashed and made digs at the Classic Core Lara and Tomb Raider ever since they gain control over the franchise. If Crystal had just remained silent on their hatred for the original Tomb Raider games and made a clear attempt to make it appear that they liked the originals while stating they are going in another direction for the franchise with their initial reboot, they may have avoided the fan base fracturing as bad as it has.

I think CD confirmed this is not reboot Lara after you posted the video 😅This new image is hand painted, it's not a 3D model. I honestly think CD have no clue what they're doing for the next game...and everyone loving Konrads version is making them question everything.

Look, I understand you don't want to criticize, because there might be a real person behind those pics. I agree that a lot of people are going too far with that. Still, to me the problem is in the posture, facial expressions, attitude, tone, personality etc. All of those were stylistic choices on the part of whoever drew those pictures in line with Crystal Dynamics' new vision of Lara - and all those new pics just strike me like more of the same, just repackaged into a new skin. It's like those fans who just install a high detail classic Lara mod on the Chloe Frazer from Uncharted games and call it a day - job done. Or like the Star Wars fans who think Star Wars is anything as long as you have lightsabers and AT&Ts and droids in it. Ugh... these people are fans on a very superficial level and don't seem to understand what they are fans of beyond the most superficial things. To me it was never just the dual pistols, French braid and her shorts that make Lara the Tomb Raider we all love. It was her personality, her playfulness, with a healthy pinch of humor and flirty femininity - all of which is lacking from those pictures. Now, just imagine if instead of that serious, angry, fierce posture we got a picture where Lara is casually posing in front of some ancient ruin with a wink on her face, showing us that she is here to have fun again - not just be all serious goody two shoes with a burden of the world on her shoulders.

I mean the outfit and model are fine, it would look better without the white undershirt. I don‘t understand why they gave her a new face with the hooded eyes which she never had before.

It’d be nice if she could also be a bit older which links to no parents mentions or ‘students’ 🤣 similar age to TR4 because it links nicely to the strong independent woman from the early games. The reboots felt like she was just sooooo childish at times that they piss me off when playing 😂 I know they are her origins but they get annoying. The remastered versions are proving people enjoy the strong side of her character, slaying through the games like the queen she is.

I wish the model would have more of the OG Lara. The tan skin, big Angelina lips, brown lipstic, and arched bad ass eyebrows! She looks too average :S

There’s not one person who looked at the new model and was wowed … everybody is lying and being fake positive, and you have the same reaction (myeeeah, i don’t mind it) if you look at a picture of Lara Croft and you say you don’t mind it 🤣🤣 you failed at making TR games 🤣🤣 and are they going to make another TR 1 remake? No. We have Tomb Raider Anniversary & the remasters … oh, but we didn’t have the poorly written social commentary 🤣

Crystal Dynamics needs to understand that Lara is for the girls, the gays, and the theys

Crystal Dynamics are speed running losing the IP.

I don’t think it’s possible to reunite fans under the unification, if you right then this is classic Lara. And there’s no reboot aspect attached to it unless the necklace. With that said, they are rebooting classic Lara therefore another reboot. So all you said about time line unification is simply not the case. About the design is just boring, there’s no passion this is simply not Lara, is just a normal girl wearing Lara’s gear. About the game, it will be woke, it will have her radioing her friends girlfriend and Jonah all the time. It will be focused on story rather than gameplay and Unreal Engine will give that look every game has, realistic boring failure in gameplay and… yeah if you liked shadow then you fine but with aspects of a classic Winnie Lara. Thank you for the vídeo very nice!

Gotta see her in motion first So far looks like the most generic Lara in the series.