Fear not, fans – it’s just Square Enix playing cute in a spoof trailer for their upcoming video game ‘Shadow of the Tomb Raider’. Insulting, hilarious, wtf? The jury’s out on this one!
With the latest edition of the perennially popular and long-running Tomb Raider series of games due to drop on September 14, the marketers put a fresh spin on things with a ‘Shadow of the Cute Raider’ parody promotion.
Whether you’re a skilled gamer or a ‘Who’s Lara Croft?’ type, you’ll find something to enjoy as the trailer throws the spotlight onto cats and dogs instead of humans. The campaign was created to mark #NationalDogDay.
Intrepid British archaeologist Lara is played by a lean, winsome and intelligent Australian Shepherd dog in this race against time, but it’s the hairless Sphynx as the High Priestess that really takes the eye.
Cat lovers (yes, there is a #NationalCatDay too) will be delighted to see laser pointers coming into play, with their usual devastatingly funny effect.
Is there a danger we’ll be clamouring for a full-length feature film with these engaging cat-and-dog performers?
Well, it’s a possibility.
The Tomb Raider games have been around for over 20 years, pioneering the action-adventure genre and selling more than 63 million copies worldwide. They continue to enthral a loyal following, and not everyone finds #CuteRaider that cute…
Our local London entertainment sales associate and keen Tomb Raider gamer turned his nose up when we asked about the trailer: “Yeah, I’ve seen it. It’s a bit insulting,” he acknowledged, “but so what? It doesn’t deter the real fans.
“I’ll show you in a minute,” he added, to a fellow-fan colleague who hadn’t seen the spoof. “Tomb Raider’s good ‘cos it’s real puzzles, you have to work things out, it’s satisfying when you find the tombs.”
Point taken guys. If only the real thing will do, here’s the actual ‘Shadow of the Tomb Raider’ trailer for you:
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[box]Tree Elven is a creative who thinks big, values simplicity, and just loves life. She’s the Founder of ADDS, an independent voting platform – it’s like TripAdvisor for advertising.[/box]
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