Rise of the Tomb Raider puzzles "will take you longer to solve", Crystal Dynamics promises
"We've heard the feedback."
Xbox One and Xbox 360 timed-exclusive Rise of the Tomb Raider will feature a greater emphasis on puzzles than its predecessor, developer Crystal Dynamics has pledged.
Fans criticised Crystal's 2013 Tomb Raider reboot for a lack of the series' trademark puzzle-based platforming.
Indeed, many of the puzzle sections that were present were entirely skippable - relegated to so-called "optional tombs".
But in a new interview with Game Informer, creative director Noah Hughes explained that his team had "heard the feedback".
"Puzzles are an important part of the Tomb formula, so we're excited to have more tombs in the game, featuring more puzzles," he explained.
"You'll still see a spectrum of difficulty for puzzles, so some of the secret tombs are larger and in some cases might have more difficult puzzles, but we're trying to put them in the game in a ramped kind of way."
Puzzles will retain the physics-based nature seen in the Tomb Raider reboot, but be centred in more ancient-themed spaces.
Outside of the reboot's optional tombs, the main storyline featured puzzles involving more modern areas, such as the cranes and lift sections set within the Endurance ship, and in facilities on the island.
"Our intent is to challenge the player but we don't want average players getting into stalemates," Hughes continued. "So one of the things we're doing to push the level of accomplishment with these tombs is something we call nested puzzles, which were actually common in classic Tomb Raider games.
"It's where you have multiple sides to a room or multiple things you have to do to solve the main puzzle. And this really allows you to actively tinker with these different elements rather than just standing there, face-to-face [with a puzzle] and scratching your head.
"These tombs will take you longer to solve but it's still an interesting combination of physics and cause-and-effect systems that add up to that grand finale of getting through that door at the end of the room."
Crystal will push the difficulty in Rise of the Tomb Raider's secret (read: likely optional) tombs, but also up the rewards found inside to entice more players to take on the challenges.
