The Tomb Raider Plot Rhianna Pratchett Regrets Writing
Having been through a few different iterations over the several decades of its existence, the "Tomb Raider" series received a huge shot in the arm upon the release of 2013's "Tomb Raider," a reboot of the original video game franchise. This new interpretation of Lara Croft's journey was so well-received, that it earned its very own trilogy and even inspired a live-action film adaptation.
While the first game of the reboot trilogy follows a rather inexperienced and untested Croft as she progressively finds her bearings in her new unpleasant environment, further installments — especially that of "Rise of the Tomb Raider" — focused on Lara's backstory, especially her relationship to her father who in this world is a famous archaeologist. While "Rise of the Tomb Raider" also received praise from critics and fans upon its release, it seems that some have retroactively expressed their distaste with certain aspects of the story that was told. Among this crowd is "Rise of the Tomb Raider" writer Rhianna Pratchett, who has expressed regret in writing a storyline involving Lara's father.
Rhianna Pratchett says that nobody is interested in Lara Croft's dad
The main plot in "Rise of the Tomb Raider" centers on Lara's coming to terms with the events and trauma of the first game. In an attempt rationalize the supernatural occurrences she experienced on Yamatai, she turns to her father's research on the mysterious island of Kitezh. Lord Richard Croft's research that became so intense, it allegedly drove him to suicide. Though this subplot is established to humanize and give motivation to this interpretation of Lara, it seems that not everyone was a fan of the plot — including the game's writer Rhianna Pratchett.
In response to a tweet from comic author Gail Simone that criticized "Rise of the Tomb Raider" for focusing too much on Croft's dad, Pratchett weighed in with her own opinion, saying that the decision to focus on Richard Croft was the studio's choice. "Speaking as someone that often gets defined by her dad, I've spoken in interviews about not being a fan of the dad plot line in Rise," Pratchett said of the storyline. "[B]ut it was dictated from above & I had to make peace with it to do my job. It's a big reason why the comics I worked on were very non-dad focused." Rhianna herself is the daughter of the late Terry Pratchett, a fantasy novelist popular for creating the "Discworld" series, so its safe to say that such a criticism hit home for her.