Rise of the Tomb Raider a "standalone" story with much larger map

Rise of the Tomb Raider will be releasing this Holiday Season

Rise of the Tomb Raider developers, Crystal Dynamics, have now revealed that the games map will be much larger than in previous games. In their most recent podcast, the studio spoke more about the games development as well as the map.

Here is what Rise of the Tomb Raider’s game director, Brian Horton, had to say about the size of the map:

“Another topic is the scope and breadth of the game – we have often said that our map will be larger than its predecessor, but we really tried to do something bigger and we have said it will be three times larger. Not only bigger, but also more dense. We worked a lot more about the game systems, not only to make this map bigger, but to make it even more engaging and interactive. Every single system, every aspect of the game, we have built for the latter reason. So, yes, I can say that it is certainly the most ambitious game ever made.”

Creative director, Noah Hughes, also mentioned that the game was a standalone story, but it will touch upon the previous games, albeit briefly.

“We have always decided to create a story in itself, so that if you have not played the previous title, you can enjoy it without problems. But we also strive to meet the fans who have followed the adventures of Lara from first to last. So we strive to create a story in which those who played their predecessors may get something more. So the answer [to the question “Rise of the Tomb Raider is directly connected to the events of Yamatai?”] Is a bit ‘yes and a little’ no, it is absolutely a story in itself, but I encourage everyone to play the series and live the origins of Lara and his rise to become Tomb Raider as a history holistic.”

The team recently revealed that Siberia will not be the only location for players to explore, and yes, exploration is going to be a major part of the game.

Rise of the Tomb Raider will be out this Holiday season for the Xbox One and Xbox 360.