In the early days of Tomb Raider development, a radical redesign almost altered one of gaming’s most enduring characters. Scans from Saturn Fan magazine reveal sketches and a 3D render that suggest Lara Croft was nearly given a more anime-inspired look to appeal to Japanese audiences in the mid-1990s.
These images, resurfacing decades later, show a character with exaggerated eyes and proportions—more akin to characters from Street Fighter or Final Fantasy 7 than the adventurous archaeologist she became. The sketches, attributed to Hiromasa Ohta, a designer linked to Victor, the Japanese publisher at the time, were considered late in development but ultimately not implemented.
The final decision to stick with the original design was driven by co-creator Toby Gard’s insistence on preserving Lara’s identity. While the sketches themselves are striking, the accompanying 3D render appears rough and uncanny, lacking the charm of the conceptual art. This contrast underscores the technical limitations of the era and the creative compromises made to balance artistic vision with technological constraints.
Despite the rejection, traces of the proposed redesign remain in the Japanese Saturn manual, where Ohta’s name appears among the credits. The manual also hints at the broader cultural considerations that shaped Tomb Raider’s reception, including localized guides and manuals tailored to different markets without altering the core game experience.
