As a man who wakes up with a bad back most mornings and is fast finding taking the stairs something of an ordeal, it's a mite hard for me to accept that a large bulk of the people reading these words right now will actually be younger than the ever-sprightly Lara Croft.
Yes, on this very day exactly two decades ago, Lara's debut adventure - the very first Tomb Raider - rolled out on PlayStation, Sega Saturn (bonus points if you owned one) and PC. To cut a long story short, she quickly went on to conquer the world.
Why? Firstly, Lara had the honour of being a lead who both championed feminism (she arguably remains the most popular female character to ever lead a video game) and undermined it, sporting the kind of top heavy, 'hourglass' figure we thought we'd left behind in the 1950s. Arguably, that's why the Lara Croft you currently see splashing across PS4 and Xbox One looks very, very different to the one who first rolled out 20 years ago.
Indeed, it's that look - the grubby T-shirt, the flowing hair, the pistols in hand - that's stuck with gamers over the years, proving to be as iconic as Mario's red dungarees and Sonic's blue spiky locks. Little wonder, then, that when it comes to cosplay - the art of dressing up as game characters, if you're unaware - Lara has proved rather popular.
What better way to celebrate her 20th birthday than looking at some of the best, then? Well, it's either that or we down a few Lambrinis with her while sat outside the back of Kwik Save. Your choice.
Amandine as Lara Croft from Tomb Raider 2013
Credit: Amandine
Advert
Accurately depicting Lara Croft requires more than whacking on a tight T-shirt and holding a gun up to your face James Bond style: in 2016, you need to get a bit muddy.
A quick squizz of the premier Lara Croft cosplay website suggests that a lady named Amandine has this down. Of all the models on show on the site (of both genders, it should be noted), Amandine is the only committed enough to cake herself in a bit of mud for a touch of authenticity. Seriously, that stuff is all over her face. That's attention to detail.
Credit: Amandine
Advert
Unknown as the original Lara Croft
Credit: Unknown
Okay, this one may have slipped in because it made me spit out my coffee when I saw it, but come on, it's worth it. Here we have an unknown cosplayer taking the idea of modelilng themselves on Lara to a new level, dropping on a mask that mimics the good lady Croft in her original, somewhat more blocky form.
Well, either that, or it's the long lost daughter of Kryton from Red Dwarf, right?
Jess Healy as Lara Croft from Tomb Raider 2013
Credit: Jess Healy/Instagram
Jess Healy is a model. Jess Healy is an actor. Jess Healy is a writer. Oh, and Jess Healy is also a prolific cosplayer, dressing up as everyone from Poison Ivy to Scarlet Witch from Civil War. Needless to say, she's also taken on the role of Lara Croft as she's seen in more recent Tomb Raider outings, complete with bow and arrow.
As anyone who has played any recent Tomb Raiders will attest, this somewhat grittier take is in keeping with Lara's new direction. I'm just hoping those trousers aren't dry clean only - you seen the splashes of blood all over her keks there?
Kate Sykes as Lara Croft from Rise of the Tomb Raider
Credit: Kate Sykes
Advert
Our current favourite, however, has to be Kate Sykes, who was one of hundreds of cosplayers who made the trek to Birmingham last month for Eurogamer's annual expo, EGX. "I've been cosplaying for nine years now," Sykes told us when we caught up with her. "I think I've done it about 29 times now but when I was little, I often wore a Lara-like outfit pretending to go on adventures."
Dressed as Lara in her latest form, EGX proved to be a welcome audience. "We had so many people asking for photos," she continues, "though you'd be surprised how many times the new version of Lara is mistaken for Katniss Everdeen [from the Hunger Games]... but I think the gigantic 'Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration' wall behind us sorted out any doubts."
Interestingly, Kate says it's not unusual for Lara cosplays to mix it up with folks dressed to resemble characters from completely different franchises. Can you guess who with? "There are certainly lots of crossovers, mostly with Nathan Drake from the Uncharted games. It's such an obvious pairing, whether they're allies or rivals. I've actually written a fan film with that crossover which is currently in the pipeline."
Credit: Kate Sykes
Advert
So, if we're looking back at the last 20 years of Tomb Raider, who better to help clarify once and for all just which of Lara's adventures is the best. For Kate, it's the one that's on the shop shelves right now. "Definitely Rise of the Tomb Raider, for me," she concludes. "I think it's the best story the franchise has ever had. It has introduced equally strong characters other than Lara. Also Lara has a soul now, she's more like a real human being and you relate to her a lot more. At the end of the day though, to me, Lara is Lara and I take her however she comes." That's that sorted, then.
Featured Image Credit: