PLATFORM: Sony PSP
DEVELOPER: Core Design
PUBLISHER: Eidos Interactive
DEVELOPER: Core Design
PUBLISHER: Eidos Interactive
Very little information is known about this cancelled game and from what we can find, the only mentions of it are seen in Meagan Marie's book.
INFORMATION TAKEN FROM MEAGAN MARIE'S '20 YEARS OF TOMB RAIDER' BOOK:
"Lara Croft is back, in her first original title on PSP", began a design doc by longtime Core Design staffer, Richard Morton. "This adventure takes Lara back to what she does best, raiding tombs. When Lara receives a strange package from an old friend of her father, she sets forth on an adventure to the Tsangpo Gorge in Tibet, fabled location of Shangri-La. What she learns will change her life forever and will reveal secrets about the Croft family that will rock her world."
Morton came up with the concept just prior to the 10th anniversary of Tomb Raider. "I'd been doing some research surrounding the Tsangpo Gorge in the Himalayas, at the time reported to be deepest dry exposed place on earth, not a cave in other words, and how this place had one of the most mysterious eco systems is hidden deep within the depths of the Gorge, wonders such as a huge rumoured bottomless waterfall, animals found nowhere else, a true off the grid location on earth. I was hooked on this idea and thought it would be perfect for a Tomb Raider concept."
This game promised to be a unique adventure with a variety of vehicles including a "Scrambler bike" and Jet Ski. After abseiling into the Gorge, a unique AI mechanic would be introduced, with enemies either attracted to or repelled from light sources, requiring Lara to use her flares with care. The journey would only become more wondrous after her initial descent, involving white-water rapids, a tropical oasis in a subterranean world, and eventually, a long-lost city.
Design Doc Snapshot: Synopsis
"The Tsangpo Gorge in Tibet, possibly the last unexplored place on earth due to its great depth, rumoured to be three times that of the Grand Canyon. It is arguably the deepest, dry point on the earth's surface, and has long been the fabled location of Shangri-La, everyone who has tried to reach the bottom has failed, thus keeping the legend alive.
Lara returns home after her latest adventure in Chile, in which she managed to retrieve part of a puzzle that is said to unlock the secrets of the ancients. On her arrival she is given a strange package that appears to be from an old friend of her father, Professor James. The package contains another part of the puzzle along with instructions to visit the Tsangpo region of Tibet where he has arranged a guide to help Lara find the fabled Shangri-La.
Lara checks Professor James' details on her laptop. Apparently he disappeared 50 years ago whilst exploring the Tsangpo Gorge, he was aged 64 at the time. It is said that Professor James did actually find the fabled place and stayed there for 50 years before returning to civilisation to tell his story, having not aged a single day. But the Professor became ill soon after. Those who cared for him say that he literally aged before their eyes. He died a year after his return.
Professor James writes a huge cavern hidden from the world by a waterfall that seems to reach all the way up to Heaven. The cavern is half full of water, which forms the largest underground lake in the world, a subterranean sea. Phosphorescent algae that grow on the cavern roof give the surroundings an eerie green glow. Near the edge of the sea sits a large volcanic island, with the ruins of the once great city Shangri-La perched atop; the island is connected to the cavern wall by a large natural stone bridge. On the sea floor, volcanic vents spew life-giving minerals into the water and give out a strange blue glow. Anyone who bathes regularly [in it] will have an unnaturally prolonged life.
The people of Shangri-La lived here for many reasons, mainly because the climate in Tibet was far warmer in the ancient past. As it became colder the people who lived near the Gorge moved into it for shelter against the elements. When the temperature dropped, the people descended farther into the Gorge. Eventually they found the cavern and the island; they had warmth and shelter, and Shangri-La was born.
They soon realised that others would come and try to take the newfound paradise so they destroyed or hid most of the paths and tunnels that led down the Gorge and into the great cavern, leaving only one way in. This was heavily guarded at all times and was strewn with traps to ward off a potential attack.
No one really knows what happened to the people of Shangri-La, they may still be down there living their hidden lives away from the rest of the civilised world. Lara must find out what happened in the Gorge, if the Professor's story is true, and what kept him there for fifty years. Maybe the mystery of Shangri-La is about to be solved."
INFORMATION TAKEN FROM MEAGAN MARIE'S '20 YEARS OF TOMB RAIDER' BOOK:
"Lara Croft is back, in her first original title on PSP", began a design doc by longtime Core Design staffer, Richard Morton. "This adventure takes Lara back to what she does best, raiding tombs. When Lara receives a strange package from an old friend of her father, she sets forth on an adventure to the Tsangpo Gorge in Tibet, fabled location of Shangri-La. What she learns will change her life forever and will reveal secrets about the Croft family that will rock her world."
Morton came up with the concept just prior to the 10th anniversary of Tomb Raider. "I'd been doing some research surrounding the Tsangpo Gorge in the Himalayas, at the time reported to be deepest dry exposed place on earth, not a cave in other words, and how this place had one of the most mysterious eco systems is hidden deep within the depths of the Gorge, wonders such as a huge rumoured bottomless waterfall, animals found nowhere else, a true off the grid location on earth. I was hooked on this idea and thought it would be perfect for a Tomb Raider concept."
This game promised to be a unique adventure with a variety of vehicles including a "Scrambler bike" and Jet Ski. After abseiling into the Gorge, a unique AI mechanic would be introduced, with enemies either attracted to or repelled from light sources, requiring Lara to use her flares with care. The journey would only become more wondrous after her initial descent, involving white-water rapids, a tropical oasis in a subterranean world, and eventually, a long-lost city.
Design Doc Snapshot: Synopsis
"The Tsangpo Gorge in Tibet, possibly the last unexplored place on earth due to its great depth, rumoured to be three times that of the Grand Canyon. It is arguably the deepest, dry point on the earth's surface, and has long been the fabled location of Shangri-La, everyone who has tried to reach the bottom has failed, thus keeping the legend alive.
Lara returns home after her latest adventure in Chile, in which she managed to retrieve part of a puzzle that is said to unlock the secrets of the ancients. On her arrival she is given a strange package that appears to be from an old friend of her father, Professor James. The package contains another part of the puzzle along with instructions to visit the Tsangpo region of Tibet where he has arranged a guide to help Lara find the fabled Shangri-La.
Lara checks Professor James' details on her laptop. Apparently he disappeared 50 years ago whilst exploring the Tsangpo Gorge, he was aged 64 at the time. It is said that Professor James did actually find the fabled place and stayed there for 50 years before returning to civilisation to tell his story, having not aged a single day. But the Professor became ill soon after. Those who cared for him say that he literally aged before their eyes. He died a year after his return.
Professor James writes a huge cavern hidden from the world by a waterfall that seems to reach all the way up to Heaven. The cavern is half full of water, which forms the largest underground lake in the world, a subterranean sea. Phosphorescent algae that grow on the cavern roof give the surroundings an eerie green glow. Near the edge of the sea sits a large volcanic island, with the ruins of the once great city Shangri-La perched atop; the island is connected to the cavern wall by a large natural stone bridge. On the sea floor, volcanic vents spew life-giving minerals into the water and give out a strange blue glow. Anyone who bathes regularly [in it] will have an unnaturally prolonged life.
The people of Shangri-La lived here for many reasons, mainly because the climate in Tibet was far warmer in the ancient past. As it became colder the people who lived near the Gorge moved into it for shelter against the elements. When the temperature dropped, the people descended farther into the Gorge. Eventually they found the cavern and the island; they had warmth and shelter, and Shangri-La was born.
They soon realised that others would come and try to take the newfound paradise so they destroyed or hid most of the paths and tunnels that led down the Gorge and into the great cavern, leaving only one way in. This was heavily guarded at all times and was strewn with traps to ward off a potential attack.
No one really knows what happened to the people of Shangri-La, they may still be down there living their hidden lives away from the rest of the civilised world. Lara must find out what happened in the Gorge, if the Professor's story is true, and what kept him there for fifty years. Maybe the mystery of Shangri-La is about to be solved."