The new Lara Croft game, entitled “Tomb Raider,” was released on March 5 to much critical acclaim and has breathed new life into the Tomb Raider franchise.

There have been many Lara Croft games over the years, most of which are well-liked to this day. However, in recent years, the Tomb Raider franchise has seen a lull in which only one Lara Croft game was made, and it was not a major blockbuster- it was released only for digital purchase on Xbox Live and Playstation Network, as opposed to being released on the disc media most major games use. Some were starting to consider the franchise to be dead- until this week, which has seen the triumphant return of Lara Croft, though in a completely reimagined form.

“Tomb Raider” is the beginning of a new Lara Croft franchise, one that is centered on emotion and deep storytelling. The game follows an innocent, fresh-out-of-college Lara Croft as she embarks on a journey to her first archaeological dig. En route, however, the ship is caught in a massive storm and rent apart, and the crew, including Lara, is scattered across a dangerous, uncharted island. If she and her friends are to survive, Lara must overcome her fears and become the survivor she was born to be.

Critics have praised Tomb Raider for its incredibly emotional, well-written story and impressive acting, as well as for its gameplay.  The game is a complete departure from the franchise, but a departure was needed, as interest in the game series has been steadily waning until now.  This is a necessity to the survival of any franchise; J.J. Abrams’ 2009 Star Trek reboot is a prime example of this. To get more fans, sometimes a franchise must be scrapped and reimagined from square one. This is always a risky thing to do, but it has been successful, as Tomb Raider has already sold over 1 million copies in less than a week.

By bringing Lara back to her origins, Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix have relaunched the Lara Croft franchise and expanded the Tomb Raider fanbase to include literally tens of thousands of gamers who previously were not fans of the game series.  Tomb Raider is a game that will be hailed and remembered as a classic, one that has ensured the survival and evolution of the Lara Croft franchise.