Tomb Raider will star a more confident Lara Croft in latter-half of the game

Tomb Raider will become less bleak as the game wears on as compared to the rather violent beginning, according to developer Crystal Dynamics.

Speaking with Eurogamer at gamescom, brand manager Karl Stewart said a more confident Lara will emerge in the game once she overcomes the initial shock of being shipwrecked and the subject of murderous antagonists.

"You'll see a side to Lara that everyone's been waiting for," said Stewart. "As she comes out the other side she's stronger for it. It's not purposefully going out of the way to break her down mentally - she'd never become the person we want her to.

"Every single twist or turn makes you feel like we're setting up motivation for her to become the character we want."

Stewart said the team is "trying to bring a specific emotion," to the forefront at the start, where it's "kill or be killed," which will eventually set things in motion for future iterations in the franchise.

"She will be set up for the future," Stewart said, "but she still won't be like the Lara at beginning of Lara Croft 1."

Tomb Raider is due on PS3 and Xbox 360 in early 2013.