Are the ocean levels really open? Can Lara swim to Thailand?
Eric Lindstrom: The game gives players a sense of unbound freedom but the gameplay is more about experimenting. We don’t want the player to get lost and not have fun. Even though you can’t really swim all the way to Thailand, the feeling of being in what appears to be an open ocean and not surrounded by walls of stone is thrilling. Controls in open water are often frustrating, how have you addressed this? Eric Lindstrom: It’s hard to explain but easy to play. We spent a lot of time and effort on this and by unifying the controls of the various ways Lara interacts with the world — with consistency being a top priority — we found a way to steer Lara in 3D that is much more intuitive than in the past. What’s in the ocean that’s of interest other than the actual tomb? Eric Lindstrom: Exploration-based puzzles take on a whole new dimension in the ocean. There are also treasures to be found throughout, in places you wouldn’t find them if you could only reach them by climbing. Oh, and did I m
