Tomb Raider - The Final Hours Digital Book

A fascinating and engaging in-depth look into the development of the Tomb Raider game that redefined the franchise. It's dirt cheap and has some exclusive information that you can't find anywhere else so it's well worth your time and money, especially if you're crazy about Tomb Raider and want to know everything about it there is to know! The only downside is that it hasn't been updated since release and as a result some interactive elements (most notably polls) no longer work.

Lara with a pet monkey ....yeah. We dodged a bullet, lads! It's kinda funny how much themed garbage devs had at their workspace.

This is a digital, interactive book documenting the development of the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot. It’s a good read, but some of the interactive elements no longer work. Still, it’s a cool addition to your library if you can get it on sale.

The Final Hours of Tomb Raider, developed and published by Geoff Keighley, is an interactive digital book that takes readers deep behind the scenes of Crystal Dynamics’ ambitious 2013 reboot of the iconic Tomb Raider franchise. It is part documentary, part written feature, and part multimedia exploration—a hybrid experience that merges text, photography, video, and interactivity to document how one of gaming’s most beloved heroines was reinvented for a new generation. Rather than being a simple collection of interviews or concept art, it acts as an immersive chronicle of the creative process, examining how a modern development team revived a classic property while facing both creative and technical obstacles. The project benefits greatly from Keighley’s experience as a veteran games journalist and storyteller, delivering a polished, cohesive narrative that captures the highs and lows of game production with genuine insight. From the outset, The Final Hours of Tomb Raider distinguishes itself through presentation. The experience unfolds like a digital magazine—readers navigate through sections filled with richly illustrated concept art, embedded video interviews, and panoramic imag…

This tells story of the Tomb Raider games, mostly focused on taking Lara from Underworld through to the reboot, from one era to another, basically saving Lara Croft, and a lot of people's livelihoods! Although honestly this read can be pretty boring, it doesn't have the best interface and some of the videos don't work anymore, if you love this franchise there's some really interesting and cool information in places here. My biggest takeaway; we take the games we love for granted. There're some seriously hard decisions, a lot of starting from scratch, wacky concepts, incredible talent and imagination as well as some humbling introspection about the quality of your own ideas that goes into game development, it seems, and a not insignificant amount of pure, dumb luck. Worth reading overall, and it makes you appreciate what people have to go through to make a successful and meaningful game! I'm so glad this trilogy turned out the way it did. I just hope we see this Lara back again, exploring other facets of the human experience through the eyes of our favourite unhinged archaeologist!

I can understand why Geoff Keighley is the person who is now, and his coverage of the development is really good and well balanced. I can recommend this if you are interested in Game Development, Tomb Raider and/or a good writting.