Lara croft go

Lara Croft GO is a turn-based video game. Its main gameplay and control scheme are similar to its predecessor Hitman GO. Levels consist of interconnected nodes and lines. The player controls the main character, Lara Croft. The player and the environment alternate one after another, in which one rests and the other moves ^[1] . During the turn, the player clicks on the touch screen to move Croft one block between the connected nodes in this direction ^[2] . While Croft stands still, enemies and obstacles simultaneously make a move. While the levels in Hitman GO were a board game, Lara Croft GO is a full-fledged 3D game ^{[2] [3]} .

As the player advances, the puzzles of the game become more complex. Successive levels represent new game mechanics and enemies. Enemies take the form of deadly creatures such as snakes, lizards and giant spiders ^[4] . Each enemy has a specific model of movement. Disposable items, such as spears, can be collected at levels and then used to kill opponents from a distance. Other mechanics include obstacles such as boulders, saw blades and traps ^[2] . The player can activate levers that open tracks through the level. Lara Croft GO also offers additional in-app purchases that provide puzzle tips and costumes for Croft ^[2] .

The game was developed by Square Enix Montreal, known for creating the Hitman series of games, but then moving on to developing games for mobile devices. The reorganization of the studio led to the fact that almost the entire composition of the developers left it, except for the technical director Antoine Ruton and the game director Daniel Lutz. After a month of reflection, they decided to start developing the turn-based mobile game Hitman Go in the form of a “board game”, which as a result became successful and brought large revenues ^[5] .

Against the backdrop of success, the development team decided to create a new turn-based game based on Tomb Rider . The development involved seven people ^[6] who themselves were familiar with the games of the Tomb Rider series and in the process of creating the game, worked closely, similar to the developers of indie games . Although the new game was created in the likeness of Hitman Go , it was decided to pay more attention to the environment and animation than killing enemies and the aesthetics of a board game. Working on the game world, the developers took the classic series as a basis, and not restarts. The team recreated the game world from memory, and not from the design documents of classic games. Despite the fact that the game is a turn-based puzzle, the developers sought to recreate in the game moments of pursuit of the heroine by giant creatures and boulders ^[5] . Since the creation of time limits in a turn-based game is not possible, the developers have added other methods of restriction, such as collapsing floors, which can be walked only once, or the restriction in several moves, if some mechanisms are activated or if animals pursue them ^[7] .

The team also wanted to avoid unnecessary synopsis in the development of the game and give the player the opportunity to explore new locations himself and look for ways to solve certain problems and dangers. For this, the player has the opportunity to see all the puzzles on the screen entirely without unnecessary detail and scrolling with the cursor ^[5] . The game was created on the Unity game engine so that it can be released simultaneously on several mobile platforms ^{[6] [7]} . The Square Enix Monreal team itself has partnered with Crystal Dynamics to develop the Tomb Rider ' ^[7] ' series of games .

The game was announced in June 2015 at the Square Enix E3 2015 press conference. The game was released on August 27, 2015 for the Android, iOS, Windows and Windows Phone mobile operating systems ^[8] .

The game received favorable reviews from gaming critics. According to the version of the Metacritic aggregator site , the average score of the game was 84 points out of 100 possible ^[9] . Lara Craft Go was recognized as the best game for the iPhone of 2015 for “its beauty and best design” ^[13] , and also received the The Game Awards as the best mobile game of the year ^[14] . Later, in 2016, Apple awarded the game Apple Design Awards ^[15] . Critics praised Lara Craft Go for her artistic style ^{[11] [12] [16]} , puzzle design ^{[10] [12] [16],} and her loyalty to the Tomb Rider franchise, ^[12] , but criticized the game for its quick progress ^{[10] [16] [17]} . Regarding the complexity of the levels, the opinion of critics was divided, some considered the passage too simple ^{[10] [12]} , or too complicated ^{[11] [16]} .

Chloe Red from IGN called the game spectacular , endowed with theatrical spirit and praised the game for its attention to small details ^[12] . Andrew Reiner from Game Informer also praised the game for the dynamism of the surrounding world and the flexibility of animation, and named its graphics the best for a mobile game ^[11] . Red, however, noted that the puzzles in the game are not complex enough and can be quickly completed ^[12] . At the same time, according to Rainer, the final levels (with the participation of the snake) are disproportionately complex ^[11] .

Electronic Cars Gaming Monthly wreck Rack Carsill criticized the game’s art style for moving away from the board game style of Hitman Go and called Lara Craft Go “a cheap fake franchise.” Although some puzzles were worthy according to Rack, the game was generally not complicated and the critic does not recommend the game to those who are not fans of the original franchise ^[10] . Matt Packham of Wired was further outraged by the collectibles of the game, which in his opinion were too secretive and the player often would not notice their presence as they progress through the levels ^[17] . Although Eurogamer’s Jazz Signal also noticed the game progressing too fast, but due to the good graphics and well-developed surrounding space, Lara Croft Go, in the opinion of the reviewer, is a perfectly balanced and ideal game for iOS, which, according to Signell, was created under the influence of another game - Monument Valley ^{[ 16]} .

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