A Manga Makeover for Lara?
Recently, Paul Douglas, co-creator of the original Tomb Raider game, revealed a behind-the-scenes anecdote sure to fascinate both gaming historians and anyone who’s ever raided a crypt (virtually, at least). Towards the end of development, the Japanese publisher Victor Interactive tried to persuade the team to give Lara a major aesthetic overhaul. Their pitch? Transform her into a character with a distinct manga or anime vibe: rounder head, massive eyes, the whole nine yards. According to Victor Interactive, this “cute” look would better suit Japanese gamers’ tastes and help capture the local market.
Victor wanted us to change in-game Lara to appeal more to a Japanese audience. Huge eyes/head etc. They faxed through examples really late in dev. Toby Gard really didn’t want to alter Lara. As a compromise all that was changed was the manuals & guide. Not sure who did that render or illustrations.
High Stakes and Creative Standoffs
The pitch wasn’t just theoretical: Victor Interactive actually faxed over stylized sketches and even a 3D model of this anime-inspired Lara Croft to the development team—an utterly 1990s way to spark a design debate! Faced with this sudden pressure, Toby Gard, the other co-creator of gaming’s most famous heroine, dug in his heels. For Gard, sacrificing Lara’s core visual identity for a marketing opportunity wasn’t worth it, no matter how catchy the tune sounded in Tokyo.
As a result, a compromise was struck. The developers agreed to use these manga-style visuals, but only on the Japanese printed materials—think manuals and guides—while preserving Lara’s original model in the actual game. So if you’ve ever stumbled on a vintage Japanese Tomb Raider manual and wondered who that big-eyed explorer was, now you know!
More Than Just a Matter of Taste
Of course, the decision not to give Lara a cartoon makeover wasn’t just about loyalty to her original design DNA. With Victor Interactive’s request rolling in so late in the game, re-doing all of Lara’s 3D character models was next to impossible. And let’s not forget the technical limits of the PlayStation 1—let’s just say “expressive anime 3D” wasn’t exactly its specialty in the late ’90s.
A What-If for the Ages
To be fair, those manga-inspired visuals sent by Victor Interactive were actually pretty well executed, and they’ve definitely sparked plenty of chatter online since they first surfaced. While most fans agree that Lara Croft is at her best just the way she’s been since the 1990s, there are some who’d be curious to see what a full game with that look might be like today. Even if it’s not likely to happen in a future Tomb Raider title, you can always hope for a throwback anime adaptation that captures that vintage ’90s vibe.
