Shadow of the Tomb Raider’s art book has plenty of benefits for fans
Shadow of the Tomb Raider’s art book might not immediately seem like it’s necessary, but fans can really enjoy some of the details within.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider dropped on Sept. 14, and Shadow on the Tomb Raider: The Official Art Book followed on Sept. 18. Titan Books sent Culturess a copy to rifle through, and suffice it to say, this trend, for both movies and video games alike, of releasing art books or behind-the-scenes titles is a pretty great one.
Not only does it mean that fans have something else to dive into, there are three particular features of this art book that will be a particular treat for those who love the Tomb Raider series.
Since this series is about archaeology — or at least a heavily fictionalized version of it — it only makes sense that there’s some research that now goes into it. This art book notes that both Incan and Mayan influences were brought in for the design, including using Mayan writing in puzzle design, but also admitting when things are merged together. But beyond that, the book shows that there are other influences, too, including the Voyager 1 craft, of all things.
Aside from that, though, the book also goes through different parts of the game, not just focusing on the best locations. Indeed, most of the game’s plot is discussed and how the plot impacted that design. There’s plenty of text here to further explain what’s going on, and that’s honestly quite helpful.
However, at the same time, some of the best art is reproduced over two pages. The book itself is quite large — coffee table book size, minimum — and the printing has been done with quite a lot of care. Concept art always has plenty of detail, and when it’s on this scale, you can really see it, both for cities like Paititi as well as challenge tombs and more.
Next. Lara Croft can smile in Shadow of the Tomb Raider's photo mode. dark
All in all, once you’ve finished Shadow of the Tomb Raider, you’ll want to go through the art book, although not before. Why? Well, all of those spoilers, of course. There aren’t solutions to puzzles or anything like that, but it’ll be easier to appreciate everything when you’ve played the game through.