Tomb Raider‘s influence on pop culture since its 1996 debut is undeniable. With its dozen mainline video games, multiple spin-offs, three major motion pictures, a long-running Top Cow comics series, and both tie-in and standalone novels, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t heard the name ‘Lara Croft.’
This week marks the original Tomb Raider’s 25th anniversary. How well have you followed the intrepid adventurer? Just as Lara’s adventures test her knowledge of ancient civilizations, it seems only right to celebrate the occasion with a test of your knowledge too…
Here are 25 trivia questions spanning the series’ history. Think you can answer them all correctly?
#TombRaider25 Trivia
- (1) How many polygons did the original Lara Croft model feature in the 1996 debut title Tomb Raider?
- A: 100
- B: 250
- C: 450
- D: 500
- (2) Which of these facts is not an official part of Core Design’s official bio for Lara Croft?
- A: Lara Croft’s favorite food is beans on toast.
- B: Lara has authored multiple books, including “A Tyrannosaurus is Jawing at my Head” and “Slaying Bigfoot.”
- C: Lara’s favorite mode of transport is a sports car from her family estate’s massive collection of automobiles.
- D: The only thing that Lara Croft is afraid of is her aunt’s corgi.
- (3) After the success of Tomb Raider (1996) Lara Croft became an international icon. In 1997 she was featured on the cover of the British fashion and culture magazine The Face. Which of these brands did Lara model inside the magazine?
- A: Alexander McQueen
- B: Louis Vuitton
- C: Chanel
- D: Prada
- (4) Tomb Raider II introduced vehicles to the franchise – which vehicle was NOT playable in the second game in the series?
- A: Speedboat
- B: Quadbike
- C: Skidoo
- (5) Tomb Raider II featured two bonus adventures in the GOLD expansion pack – which of these locations were included?
- A: Milan, Italy
- B: Las Vegas, U.S.A.
- C: Moscow, Russia
- D: Manila, Philippines
- (6) In the late 90s Lara Croft’s influence on pop-culture continued to explode. Which of these things were not part of her whirlwind rise to fame?
- A: She was featured in custom footage on stage at a U2 concert
- B: A Tomb Raider feature-film deal with Paramount was announced
- C: Lara Croft starred in a namesake animated series
- D: She had her own “Lara ©” clothing line
- (7) Tomb Raider III was the first game in the series to let players choose the order of locations they visited. After starting off in India, which of these places was not destination option for Lara?
- A: The South Pacific
- B: Area 51
- C: London
- D: Paris
- (8) In Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, Core Design traded Croft Manor as a training ground for a tutorial featuring teenage Lara in:
- A: Angkor Wat, Cambodia
- B: Tokyo, Japan
- C: Prague, Czech Republic
- D: Cape Town, South Africa
- (9) What real-world ancient game did fans get to play in Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation?
- A: Chess
- B: Mancala
- C: Knucklebones
- D: Senet
- (10) As Lara Croft was presumed dead at the end of Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation (spoiler alert!), how did Core Design creatively slot a new game (Tome Raider: Chronicles) between it and the already in-development sequel, Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness?
- A: Lara Croft traveled back in time
- B: Tomb Raider: Chronicles was non-canonical
- C: They told the story through flashbacks
- D: The game featured a different character
- (11) Young Lara Croft returned in Tomb Raider: Chronicles and faced off against a variety of ghastly foes in a haunting Irish tale. What monstrosity did she not go up against in the game?
- A: The demon Verdilet
- B: Labyrinth Monster
- C: Sea Hag
- D: Banshee
- (12) In Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness, what is unique about the Mona Lisa painting hung in the Louvre Galleries?
- A: It is in the wrong gallery
- B: It is facing the wrong way
- C: It features the wrong face
- D: It is missing
- (13) The Angel of Darkness introduced a variety of ways for Lara to manage her health. Which was NOT a way to heal?
- A: Chocolate Bar
- B: Health Pills
- C: Medipack/Health Pack
- D: Cuppa Tea
- (14) Which of these actresses portrayed Lara Croft in a television commercial for Visa corresponding with the launch of the second Tomb Raider film and Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness?
- A: Sofia Vergara
- B: Megan Fox
- C: Kate Beckinsale
- D: Gemma Arterton
- (15): In what game was Lara Croft’s iconic braid turned into a ponytail?
- A: Tomb Raider: III
- B: Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness
- C: Tomb Raider: Legend
- D: Tomb Raider (2013)
- (16) Toby Gard, the co-creator of Lara Croft, came back to work with Crystal Dynamics on the 2007 remake of the franchise debut. During development of Tomb Raider: Anniversary, what did he maintain about magic in the world of Tomb Raider?
- A: Magic doesn’t exist in Tomb Raider
- B: Lara Croft comes from a magic bloodline.
- C: Lara Croft learned magic as a child.
- (17) Which Tomb Raider game offered the first skill-based shooting in franchise history?
- A: Tomb Raider II
- B: Tomb Raider: Underworld
- C: Tomb Raider (2013)
- D: Tomb Raider: Anniversary
- (18) Lara’s model went from nearly 7,000 polygons in Tomb Raider: Legend to over ______ in Tomb Raider: Underworld.
- A: 10,000
- B: 17,000
- C: 32,000
- D: 40,000
- (19) Lara Croft and the ______ was the first game to introduce co-op play to the franchise.
- A: Temple of Osiris
- B: Nightmare Stone
- C: Curse of the Sword
- D: Guardian of Light
- (20) What was the internal name for the 2013 reboot before it was shortened to just Tomb Raider?
- A: Ascension
- B: Prophecy
- C: Downfall
- D: Reborn
- (21) Who is not a playable character in the 2015 title Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris?
- A: Horus
- B: Carter Bell
- C: Set
- D: Isis
- (22) A big goal in Rise of the Tomb Raider was to transition survival from a thematic wrapper to a systemic integration, and the developers at Crystal Dynamics introduced deeper crafting and upgrading elements. Rather than universal salvage Lara could collect up to 16 different resources, including all but which of these?
- A: Animal hides
- B: Mushrooms
- C: Leaves
- D: Frog legs
- (23) Shadow of the Tomb Raider’s composer, Brian D’Oliveira, specialized in the research and performance of Central & South American music. How many unique instruments did he integrate into the game’s soundtrack?
- A: 50
- B: 100
- C: 150
- D: 200
- (24) Which game was the first in franchise history to feature a built-in photo mode?
- A: Rise of the Tomb Raider
- B: Tomb Raider (2013)
- C: Shadow of the Tomb Raider
- D: Tomb Raider: Legend
- (25) What well-known British actress voiced Lara Croft in the 2007 series of animated shorts, Revisioned: Tomb Raider.
- A: Minnie Driver
- B: Kate Winslet
- C: Rachel Weisz
- D: Lena Headey
How many questions did you get right? Share this quiz and your score with us on Twitter using the hashtag #TombRaider25!
We’re celebrating the series’ 25th anniversary with exciting announcements all day long (and the rest of the year!) over on our Twitter: @TombRaider. Join our growing community and share with us your favorite Tomb Raider memories as we continue our celebration of both the series’ past and future.
If this trivia has you in the mood to raid some tombs, you can pick up many of the back catalogue of Tomb Raider games on sale with savings up to 85% off as part of the Tomb Raider 25th Anniversary Sale on the Xbox Store!
Answers
- B: 250. Did you know that Lara’s in-game braid ended up on the cutting-room floor due to the polygon limit at the time? It didn’t make an in-game debut until Tomb Raider II!
- C: According to her original biography, Lara’s actual favorite mode of transport is her Norton Streetfighter motorbike.
- A: In addition to Alexander McQueen, Lara modeled outfits from Gucci and Jean Colonna inside the June 1997 issue of The Face.
- B: Lara wouldn’t drive a quadbike until Tomb Raider III, in which she races it along the Ganges River, through Area 52, and a hedge maze at Croft Manor!
- B: The level called Nightmare in Vegas saw Lara Croft exploring Sin City in what could be described as a fever dream. Lara almost wore a garish leopard outfit in the level, but it was cut by the developers for being a bit too out of character.
- C: While this one wasn’t true in the late 90’s, it was recently announced that Lara Croft is getting her own anime series on Netflix, voiced by Hayley Atwell! How exciting!
- D: Lara has been to Paris a few times, but not in Tomb Raider III! She spends significant time in Paris running from the police in Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness, however.
- A: A teenage Lara Croft visited Angkor Wat with her mentor Werner Von Croy in Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation. In fact, this is the adventure during which she found her trademark backpack!
- D: Fans were treated to a game of Senet in the Tomb of Semerkhet, playing against an unseen opponent.
- C: The different adventures in Tomb Raider: Chronicles were each flashbacks prompted by friends attending Lara Croft’s memorial service after she was missing and presumed dead at the end of The Last Revelation.
- D: Lara faced off against many creatures from Irish lore, but the Banshee wasn’t one of them!
- C: If you look closely, you’ll notice that the Mona Lisa’s face has been swapped with that of game’s composer – Peter Connelly!
- D: There were several ways to regain health in Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness, but a cuppa wasn’t one of them. You could eat chocolate bars to regain health, however.
- A: Sofia Vergara stepped into Lara Croft’s boots for an extended commercial for the Visa “All it Takes” campaign. Fans agree she made a fantastic tomb raider.
- C: When the Tomb Raider franchise moved across the pond to Crystal Dynamics, one key element of Lara’s look was changed – her braid was swapped for a ponytail as a way to make her look a little different, but still be practical and fashionable.
- A: Toby Gard was adamant that there was no such thing as magic in the franchise, and that anything that looked like magic was technology from ancient civilizations that was later lost to the world.
- D: Tomb Raider: Anniversary released on multiple platforms, including the Nintendo Wii, which featured the first skill-based aiming (as opposed to lock-on targeting) in franchise history.
- C: The change was so drastic that Lara received a Guinness World Record for “Most Detailed Video Game Character” in 2010.
- D: Early prototypes of Guardian of Light used the concept of Lara clones (doppelgangers) as basis for co-op play and was internally called “Raiders.” Eventually the game evolved to include an entirely new second character, Totec, who had unique skills from Lara Croft.
- A: Originally codenamed Tomb Raider: Ascension, the first game in the reboot series was in development for nearly six years before being published simply as Tomb Raider.
- C: Set is the game’s antagonist but is not playable in Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris. With four-player co-op slotted in as an early and important feature in the game, creating puzzles for Temple of Osiris became the biggest challenge. Puzzle solutions scaled depending on how many players were attempting it. For every puzzle in the game, the team had to build four versions.
- D: Frog legs were not included in the collectible resources that allowed Lara Croft to craft unique arrow types, heal, make consumables like Molotov cocktails, and upgrade equipment.
- D: D’Oliveria used over 200 Central & South American instruments to bring to life the music for Shadow of the Tomb Raider, which is only a fraction of the 900 instruments he’s gathered during his travels to Mexico.
- C: The photo mode in Shadow of the Tomb Raider allowed fans to not only capture shots of the beautiful environments, but also use custom poses and expressions for Lara.
- A: Minnie Driver voiced Lara Croft in the 10-episode series of shorts released to celebrate Tomb Raider’s 10th anniversary.
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