Paul Douglas, co-creator of the original Tomb Raider from 1996, recently talked about an unusual bit of the series’ development history. Tomb Raider’s iconic protagonist Lara Croft could have looked a lot different in Japan, had Douglas and Toby Gard (who created the original concept and designs for Tomb Raider) not opposed requests for her design to be altered to cater to local tastes.
The Japanese version of Tomb Raider released in 1997 for the Sega Saturn and PS1, published by Victor Interactive Software. But prior to the local launch, as Douglas wrote on BlueSky on January 19, the publisher requested changes to Lara Croft’s in-game design that would supposedly make her more appealing to the Japanese audience. This included large eyes and head-to-body proportions reminiscent of anime characters.
According to Douglas, Victor faxed the proposed characters designs over to the development team really late into the process, which were promptly rejected by Toby Gard. As a compromise, the localized designs were used in Tomb Raider’s Japanese manuals and guide. Looking at magazine scans shared by Douglas in 2021, Lara Croft’s Japanese version looks younger, with large eyes and small lips typical of Japanese manga of the times. A redesigned version of Jacqueline Natla can also be seen.
Douglas speculated that with 3D art still being a young art at the time, Victor Interactive Software probably assumed that changing the in-game models and all cutscenes would be an easy job, thus the last-minute request. However, while Core Design’s management was willing to consider the proposal, Douglas and Gard personally rejected it. “It started out as a request to change all the in-game and cutscene models. Then just in-game. Then just Lara. Then just Lara’s head…,” he recalled.
Curiously, magazine scans showcasing not only illustrations of the localized Lara Croft design, but apparent 3D renders have also cropped up. Asked about these by fans, Douglas says he isn’t sure who created them, but it’s safe to say it wasn’t his own team. As an aside, one bit of localization that did make it into the game was Lara Croft’s new name – in the Japanese version, she’s renamed to Leila Croft.
