I’ve got a crush on a girl. It’s happened before, but we spent too much time together or got caught in a boring routine or something. The spark sputtered and went out. But… something’s different. We are. I’m older. She’s… younger? Yup, this is Lara Croft as I’ve never seen her (or the Tomb Raider video game franchise) before. She’s young. She’s vulnerable. She’s no longer cartoonishly top-heavy. (She even hates tombs!) The game follows her as she grows, hardens, and finds the mental focus that will allow her to be become the world’s most famous female artifact hunter.

The recent video game Far Cry 3 and this iteration of Tomb Raider have a good deal in common, including the island setting, the utility of the hero’s bow, and allusions to WWII-era Japan. Both games excel at creating an immersive on-screen world. Sneaking around in the tropics surrounded by hordes of armed opponents has never been so much fun!

But I doubt I’ll ever return to the world of Far Cry 3. That narrative for that game forces the player down a deeply unpleasant path (well, unless you happen to enjoy torturing family members) and at its conclusion provides players with a single choice with no gameplay ramifications: do you embrace being a bad guy or not?

How many people out there are going to choose the ‘I’m a bad guy’ option?

Thirty hours in, Tomb Raider has not hesitated to slop on the gore, but I haven’t been asked to use any enhanced interrogation techniques on my loved ones. I’ve watched as my character has faced challenges and in the aftermath evolved (in happy ways and otherwise.) Lara weeps, groans, and moans, but she perserveres.

Abigail Moore approves.