Few video-game characters are as timeless and popular as Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft. Lara first appeared in 1996, within Core Design’s initial Tomb Raider game. The character became iconic, and was one of the most popular titles to hit the Playstation console back in the day. Since then, the character appeared in countless games, two major Hollywood blockbusters (well, one major and one less popular) and even received its own comic book spin-offs. Today, we’ll be taking a closer look at how Lara Croft evolved visually over the years, and how, despite multiple changes, has remained true to its original core appearance.
We all associate Lara Croft with some extremely attractive curves, but that wasn’t the case back in 1996. The first appearance of Lara Croft was rather pointy, as the technology of the times didn’t allow the use of more rounded character models. Core Design probably never imagined how iconic and memorable the brown shorts, black gloves and teal top would become. To this day, Lara Croft is probably the most cosplayed character in video-game history. But how did the character evolve following the initial Tomb Raider?
The first 5 Tomb Raider games didn’t introduce any major changes in Lara’s outfits and appearance, and while the character model evolved a bit, the technology remained limited. Core Design was releasing a new Tomb Raider game every year, and didn’t bother to do major changes to the character’s appearance. The series was quickly losing popularity, and while a 5th Tomb Raider game was made (entitled Chronicles), Eidos quickly realized something had to change. Before any change could occur however, Lara Croft was transferred from the small gaming screens to the large film screens, with Angelina Jolie starring as the popular globe-trotter.
The first Tomb Raider movie was a success, and fans were mostly satisfied with Jolie’s interpretation of the character. The film’s outfit stayed mostly true to the original concept, but introduced some new colors and outfits as well. After all, video-game characters don’t have a need to shower or change clothes too often, but the same can’t be said for real-life people, and as the film tried to provide a realistic interpretation of Lara Croft, her outfits obviously were extended.
The sequel to the first film came in 2003, with Angelina Jolie reprising her role. The pony-tail remained, but Lara’s outfit changed considerably, with a white diving suit being the representative outfit for the second film. The reception of the sequel wasn’t great anymore, and plans of future films were cancelled. It seemed Lara Croft was losing appeal on all fronts.
Where the games are concerned, the first major change in Lara’s appearance came in 2003. Seeing that Angelina Jolie’s black outfit in the first film was popular among fans, Core Design decided to make some changes of their own. In Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness, Lara Croft was portrayed as a darker character, and hence, her outfit turned from teal to black. Lara also received a pair of black shades to go with her new look. The new look wasn’t as popular as Core Design would have hoped though. The graphical engine of the game improved drastically, but Lara’s model wasn’t extremely well-done. Angel of Darkness was received with mixed and bad reviews for the most part, and it seemed the Core Design era would be coming to a close.
In the meantime, Lara Croft appeared in several renditions of Tomb Raider for portable consoles, such as Tomb Raider: Curse of the Sword for the Gameboy Color. These versions were not officially developed by Core Design or Crystal Dynamics however, and were never considered canonical. Still, for the few pixels visible, Lara Croft retained her original 1996 outfit for the most part.
Lara Croft’s fate would turn for the better in 2006, the year Tomb Raider: Legend was released. Eidos realized that Core Design was no longer capable of producing quality Tomb Raider titles, and the production of the series was handed over to the Legacy of Kain veterans, Crystal Dynamics. Toby Gard, the creator of Lara Croft and the original Tomb Raider returned to production for the first time since the original game was released, and the difference was evident. Fans loved the return to the core elements that made Lara Croft popular, and her outfit also resembled the original. Of course, Lara became more pleasing for the viewing eye through the evolution of the graphical engines, and the teal top was replaced with a brown one. Still, Lara returned to the look that made her well-known.
A year later, Tomb Raider: Anniversary edition was released, with a Lara Croft returning to her original outfit, small-backpack and teal top and all. Her dark mood from Angel of Darkness had been eliminated, and players got to see a Lara Croft that loved tomb-crawling and exploring crypts. The last tile of the trilogy, Underworld, came out in 2008, completing the Legend/Anniversary/Underworld reboot that returned Lara to what fans always envisioned her to be.
Tomb Raider Legend took Lara to some colder areas, and as a consequence, she often had some level-specific outfits, such as this sweater version of her original model. We honestly doubt that was warm enough for the arctic environments she faced, but the colors remained true, and fans were never bothered with such changes.
2010’s Lara Croft was portrayed as a more serious character, with a more devastating arsenal, yet her clothing remained true. She appeared in Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, the first game in the series not to feature the Tomb Raider name. This was a sign that Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics were preparing for a complete reboot of the franchise, one that would come in 2013.
And indeed it came! The game was entitled simply Tomb Raider, as a sign of a complete restart of the franchise. Technology came a long way since 1996, and the changes were evident. Lara Croft was portrayed as a young and inexperienced girl, with clothing that resembled realism more than ever before. Her outfit was mostly dirt-covered, her body full of dried blood and fresh wounds. This was the appearance of a girl stranded on an island more than it was the appearance of the experienced and adventurous explorer of the past. This re-envisioning of Lara Croft was a drastic change, but was nevertheless extremely well-received among fans.
Unfortunately, fans didn’t get enough time to get used to Lara’s new facial features and look. Just one year later, in January 2014, Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics released the Definitive Edition of Tomb Raider, a version that upgraded the visuals of the game for the newer Playstation 4 and Xbox One consoles. The graphical upgrade came with a price, and Lara’s face once again saw some major changes. Most fans preferred the pre-upgrade version of Lara, and reacted negatively to the changes in bone structure and eye-color.
Lara Croft isn’t a character limited to video-games and movies though. Many well-known female models gave the costume a shot, and the most memorable renditions come from Jill de Jong’s Angel of Darkness cosplay, as well as Alison Caroll’s take on Lara Croft. Alison Caroll was actually rumored to play the role in a film of her own, but the project never came to fruition.
Lara Croft has also appeared in multiple comic-book adaptations, with varying outfits, attitudes and looks. Overall, no matter which Tomb Raider game you preferred or which Lara Croft outfit and appearance you liked most, the character lives on for over two decades, and shows no sign of stopping. Lara’s outfit has remained unchanged for the most part for 20 years, and while different variations appear, people always seem to fall back on the original look of the 1996 game.
We’re curious to see what the future (now confirmed) Tomb Raider movie will look like, and how the producers will represent our favorite heroine. Olivia Wilde was supposed to play the part, but she no longer has any involvement with the project. There are countless actresses considered for the part, and we hope whoever lands the role will do justice to Lara Croft’s legacy.