Fuck Yeah, Lara Croft!

Crystal Dynamics' Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light contains many firsts: It will be the first outing for the iconic adventurer that lacks the Tomb Raider moniker; it's also the studio's first console digital download release, and its first project since Square Enix acquired it last year.

Studio GM Darrell Gallagher explained to Gamasutra the reasoning behind the title shift, and said that Crystal Dynamics isn't re-branding Lara with this game so much as branching the franchise -- while remaining, so far, within a consistent universe for the heroine.

By Leigh Alexander, Gamasutra

Guardian of Light, as a downloadable game, is an ideal way to fill fans in on the franchise while they await the next major episode in the Tomb Raider series, following the conclusion of what the team sees as a trilogy with the acclaimed Tomb Raider: Underworld.

And Gallagher tells us that the strategy of developing smaller, lighter downloadable adventures in between major console installments is not just one that Crystal Dynamics intends to continue pursuing -- implying that Guardian of Light will be not just a stand-alone, but its own mini-series -- but one he expects to see many major publishers adopt.

Digital content is an excellent way for publishers to bolster their franchises and provide welcoming points for new audiences, as well as sustenance for existing ones, as opposed to the normal two to three-year minimum gap that commonly occurs between full-length installments in popular franchises, he says.

He may be right; though major console editions of Sonic the Hedgehog have struggled somewhat to find their footing in the current generation, Sega recently revealed it's returning to the franchise's roots with a downloadable, episodic Sonic 4 intended to more closely resemble earlier incarnations, as a 2D sidescroller with updated 3D graphics.

Similarly, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, which Gamasutra got a chance to see behind closed doors at GDC earlier this month, has a little more of a modern-retro look and feel, as a top-down game in isometric 3D with simple controls.

It focuses on co-op play, as Lara's joined by Mayan warrior Toltec, and its emphasis is on environmental puzzle-solving more than action. Players will use the two characters' different abilities to solve puzzles that often have more than one possible solution. Notably, it hinges on co-op play either locally or online, although it can be played by a single person as well.

Some critics and fans have expressed concern at the Tomb Raider franchise's shift toward action elements at the expense of puzzle-solving elements, so the puzzle challenges of Guardian of Light appear aimed at addressing those fans.

The Crystal Dynamics team tells Gamasutra that despite its significantly different view angle and gameplay, Guardian of Light is built using the same engine used for Underworld, and some elements, like Lara's physicality or the lush in-game foliage, are immediately recognizable to the eye.

Following talks of a second project in the works at Redwood HQ, Karl Stewart, global brand director at Crystal D has confirmed that the team is working on the "pillar release" of the Tomb Raider franchise.

In an interview with Giant Bomb, Stewart (pictured below, popped-collar-savvy) -- who has been the community's trusty GDC correspondent -- says that Tomb Raider is "part of our [Crystal Dynamics] DNA" and that they "eat, sleep and breathe" the IP series.

"We've been doing Tomb Raider now for four and a half years," Karl shares. "When we finished Underworld, we felt we had the opportunity to take a step back, a breath of fresh air -- 'Where are we going to take this franchise?' We needed to experiment and try new things."

"[So] we broke off into sort of two teams. Of course we have our pillar release. When we're ready we'll let you guys in and talk to you."

Until then, FYLC will be sure to bring you all the latest and hottest on the Lara Croft arcade title -- with a wee bit less enthusiasm; that is, compared to the inevitable reveal of Tomb Raider IX.

Of course, by game, we mean Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. Details have spilled from the GDC showing of the spin-off and we've got all the release must-knows for you.

When's the game coming out? In summer, and that's as much as we have now. The game will be available for download on Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network and PC. How much? Just $15.

Fresh details from GDC: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light won't feature traditional cutscenes as seen in canon series. The spin-off will be opting for a more stylish exposition.

The folks at Game Informer has put up a debut look at Lara Croft's co-op outing, and they've spilled details not only on the story behind this year's artifact the Mirror of Smoke, but how it's going to be told.

The seeds of the story are planted two thousand years ago, when a battle waged between armies of good and evil over a powerful artifact known as the Mirror of Smoke. Totec, the leader of the Army of Light, triumphed over his evil counterpart, Xolotl, and took control of the mirror, banishing Xolotl from the world and becoming the Guardian of Light. Totec entombed himself in the mirror within the Temple of Light to keep it from falling into the wrong hands.

Millennia later, enter Lara Croft. The mirror caught the eye of Lady Lara Croft, who finally discovered the temple that houses the artifact deep within the jungles of Central America. However, in a less-than-courteous exchange, the mirror is snatched away from her by a mercenary group that has been tracking her every move. With the mirror removed from the Temple of Light, Xolotl returns to power, kills the mercenaries, and vanishes. Totec also reanimates, blaming Lara for her carelessness, but realizing that they must work together to get back the Mirror of Smoke and avoid an eternal darkness blanketing the world.

Simple enough story, sure, but Crystal D seems more than up to give a skillful exposition of the 2010 adventure. According to GI, the game's cinematics will come in the form of "hand-drawn, motion-comic inspired cutscenes." (Image above not actual representation of the cinematics.)

"The music, sound effects and voice acting will also be iconic Lara," but there's no word as of yet who'll be playing Lara Croft for the spin-off. We'll be sure to keep you posted on that.