New details on the title have appeared in the latest issue of Official PlayStation Magazine UK, which explains how an Underworld level based in the ruins of a Mayan city is "jammed with detail and lashed with rain."

"Every crack in the architecture's running with shiny hid-def H20, and it'll actually affect Lara's progress - the water makes surfaces slippery, meaning she'll occasionally need to address her grip or risk falling off."

A major focus for Underworld is "elegant movement," project lead Rob Pavey says, and to this end we're told how Lara can do cartwheels across beams and wall-kick her way up medium-sized ledges.

But, adds Pavey, "The big theme this year is that Lara will be able to do anything that you'd expect her to be able to do."

Anything, huh?

The magazine follows this up with an example of how Lara Croft can pick up a staff from the environment and use it in hand-to-hand combat and as a javelin, or duel-wield it with a gun. On top of that, she can even jam the staff into holes in walls and then swing on them gymnast-style to reach what you may have thought to be unreachable ledges.

In Underworld, Lara can shoot from pretty much anywhere and the weapon lock-on system has been improved, Pavey piping up that "Most enemies are non-human, because Lara's going places she's never been before."

And unlike the standalone vehicle levels in Legend, Lara can jump on her motorbike whenever she likes and drive it pretty much anywhere in Underworld.

Exactly where (beyond Mexico) Underworld will take Croft, Eidos isn't telling; but they will say that the game takes place across "several continents, in places no-one has seen for centuries." Mysterious...

Courtesy of CVG.

Jan 17, 2008