Croft Manor Goes Full 'Downton Abbey' in 'Blood Ties' DLC
Apparently Croft Manor from 'Tomb Raider' is huge.
It looks like Croft Manor might have a touch of Downton in its DNA, because it’s massive, complete with a library, hidden rooms, and a very “upstairs/downstairs” vibe.
The new Rise of the Tomb Raider “Blood Ties” DLC will expand upon what we’ve already seen of Croft Manor, taking us deeper into the estate where Lara grew up. In short, it’ll offer a new perspective on the central origin story theme of the new Tomb Raider games.
In a new video preview from Crystal Dynamics, we get a sense of the size of Croft Manor, and one of the most compelling aspects of the preview is the promise of Lara’s father’s vault — a place that’s presumably hidden and full of all kinds of juicy archaeological secrets. But another big part of Blood Ties is going to come in the form of flashbacks from Lara’s childhood, which provide a new kind of deep-dive into Lara’s past. Flashbacks have long played a part of the Tomb Raider games, but they’re not often triggered by specific places given that the bulk of the in-game narratives take place in far-off locales. Returning to the place that built Lara has the power to be a very interesting wrinkle.
The preview also offers up a little more information about the zombies — yes, zombies — coming as part of Lara’s nightmare. Described as Lara’s battle with her inner demons, it’s a good bet that the zombie portion is going to reveal some key elements of Lara’s origin story. Because sure, why not.
Might we find something that sets up more of the Tomb Raider world going forward? Is Lara going to find out things she’d rather not know? Will we uncover things that make us question what we thought we knew about Lara’s past? We can’t wait to find out.
Rise of the Tomb Raider’s Blood Ties DLC is scheduled to release on October 11 on Xbox One, PC, and PS4 — in concert with the PS4 release of the full game.
