Tomb Raider Multiplayer Includes Team Deathmatch, Rescue Mode

The first information on Tomb Raider's multiplayer has been published by the Official Xbox Magazine. They confirmed three game modes as well as other features of online play.

The multiplayer pits Lara's shipmates against island scavengers. Players will choose from a large roster of characters with custom loadouts. Each character is armed with a primary weapon (firearm or bow), a sidearm, projectile (e.g. grenades), and a climbing axe. Over time players will earn XP that can be used to buy new characters or boost their stats.

It sounds like shooter fans will be right at home in TR's multiplayer. In Team Deathmatch mode, these two teams battle it out in a best-of-three competition. Rescue mode, meanwhile, tasks the shipmates with bringing a certain number of medical supplies to rotating locations on the map while scavengers rack up kills.

The developers are trying to make sure that the online experience feels like Tomb Raider. Maps will have traps to avoid, climbable walls and destructible environments. It seems as though platforming and awareness will be keys to success.

The wild card is the Cry for Help mode also mentioned in passing in the OXM article. Cry for Help is said to emphasize "discovery and collection," so it's not as combat-oriented as the other modes. From that limited description, it sounds like a treasure hunt. If so, it might be the most Tomb Raider of all the online modes.

Tomb Raider's multiplayer is being developed by Eidos Montreal, the studio responsible for Deus Ex: Human Revolution.