It’s possible to play Tomb Raider with a non-lethal approach

Because what about the NPC's tiny virtual souls?

Morally conflicted about killing virtual characters? Afraid they have tiny digital souls? Suck at aiming a bow? Suck at aiming a gun? Well, Rise of the Tomb Raider is promising you won’t have to worry about this. 

In previous interviews via their ambassador program, the team over at Crystal Dynamics has offered glimpses at how Rise of the Tomb Raider is seeking to blend the new mechanics and tone of the franchise reboot with the classic tomb exploration and challenge puzzles of Lady Croft’s original adventures. 

The previous run of the series had a much heavier on focus on actual exploration and shied away from combat on the whole, and when it did appear, it was mostly against ridiculous surprise bears and crocodiles buried in forgotten ruins who didn’t require sunlight or heat to, you know, be reptiles, a course that was radically altered in the reboot.

At Gamescom, Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics debuted Advancing Storm, an area in the game that takes you through an enemy heavy zone. The screening they offered the other week showcased Lara going ham on her opponents, but today the team offered a glimpse of the same level utilizing a non lethal approach. While combat still appears, it’s a much smaller aspect of the level and utilizes Lara’s stealth and aggression skills to create a broad range of strategies.  

Rise of the Tomb Raider arrives on Xbox One November 10th and PC and PS4 to follow in 2016.