GDC Talk - Lara Croft GO - Author: Antoine Routon (Square Enix)

SQUARE ENIX MONTREALANTOINE ROUTON

Programming

Design

Production

Marketing

BIG AAA

Franchise

TURN-BASED

PUZZLE Gameplay

ArchitecturE Model

& DIORAMA AESTHETICS

MOBILE

PLATFORM

BIG AAA

Franchise

TURN-BASED

PUZZLE Gameplay

ArchitecturE Model

& DIORAMA AESTHETICS

MOBILE

PLATFORM

SOMETHING

FEELS

WRONG

“[Hitman GO] feels like a real Hitman title

despite a complete change in format”- Engadget

DISTILLATION

INTERPRETATION

DISTILLATION

THE ESSENCE OF

ASSASSINATION

DISTILLATION

THE ESSENCE OF

ADVENTURE

INTERPRETATION

ADVENTURE

INTERPRETATION

INTERPRETATION

VISION

EPIC

ADVENTUR

E

DISTILLED

GAMEPLAY

DANGER

RISK

ACTIONMYSTERY

UNCERTAINTY

FAST PACE

CERTAINTY TRANSPARENCY

PRECISION

SYSTEMS

DETERMINISM

ORDER

1. ART DIRECTION

2. LARA

3. GAME MECHANICS

4. STORY

ARTDIRECTIO

N

?

? ?

?

??

MIDDLE GROUND

FOREGROUND

BACKGROUND

lara

MAKE IT SNAPPY

BEFORE After

MONO = ONE

TURN = TURN

MONOTURN

Gamemechanics

? ? ? ? ?

?????

DISTILLATION

FAST PACE & TIME PRESSURE

SENSE OF DANGER

STORY

Systemic

Implicit

SYMBOLIC

CONTRACTS ADVENTURE

LARA CROFT

&

The Something of Whatever

LARA CROFT

&

The Queen of Venom

ACT I

SETUP

ACT II

CONFRONTA

TION

ACT III

RESOLUTION

Fort

une

Lara finds the tomb

The Queen

chases Lara

THROUGH A

FIRST MAZE

Lara DODGES

The Queen

Lara

reveals

A second

maze

Lara Croft

VS.

The Queen of

VenomLARA WINS!

BUT THE TOMB

STARTS

TO CRUMBLE!

Lara narrowly

ESCAPES

THE ARTEFACT IS IN

SIGHT!

BUT The Queen knocks

Lara off the bridge

Lara falls into

a strange new

maze

Time

SETUP CONFRONTATION RESOLUTION

LARA

AWAKES

THE QUEEN

OF VENOM

Lara MAKES

HER WAY BACK

TO THE

SURFACE

Lara ELUDES

THE QUEEN

YOU ARE HERE

MAN SPIRITSNATURE

SO?

“Navigating Lara through these puzzles doesn't

feel like a simple puzzle game at all;

I feel like I'm playing a true Tomb Raider game”

- Gamespot

A LONG

JOURNEY

WE'RE HIRING!THANK YOU

ANTOINE ROUTON - @