'Tomb Raider' Originally Had Darker Ending But Changed At Last Minute

The writer for the "Tomb Raider" and "Rise of the Tomb Raider" games, Rhianna Pratchett, talked about the storytelling process for both games. She revealed that the original ending for the first game was darker.

According to gaming website VG247, earlier this month, Pratchett announced she was leaving behind the "Tomb Raider" franchise. In an interview, she discussed the first game's ending and how she wanted Lara's first kill to happen. She shared how the story of the games came together, revealing that 2013 could have had a much darker tone.

Gaming website Game Rant reported that the script of the game emphasized sacrifice but as more deaths entered the story, feedback from players changed the focus. Pratchett said that originally, the first game had a darker, more downbeat ending that would hammer home the theme of sacrifice versus loss. Player feedback suggested that too many characters had already died so near the end, it was pretty depressing.

The first draft of the script she wrote didn't have much death in it. More deaths gradually entered the story and it changed the feel of the narrative. It was understandable how the players felt after experiencing the many various deaths. Playtesters expressed that the game had become too downbeat so last minute changes were made to the game.

Pratchett felt she and her team could've made the game better. She expressed regret that if they had identified the problem earlier, they could've made the changes more subtle.

They also weren't able to deliver the type of narrative they wanted to even though they fixed the problem. Some of the narrative themes they did not deliver in the first game, they were able to fit them in Rise of the Tomb Raider.

She also talked about Lara's first kill, saying that she would've preferred a more elegant solution for the first kill and what happened after it. She said she preferred that Lara used stealth and not use the gun after that point, instead of relying on her bow before requiring her to pick up a gun once more.