'Rise of the Tomb Raider' ps4, pc review, release date & trailer: Camilla Luddington talks Lara Croft's character development within the game

Lara Croft has come a long way from debuting in the late 1990s video games on the Sega Saturn, PlayStation, and PC, to having multiple film adaptations, and today, continuing its success in the video game world with Rise of the Tomb Raider, which was released last week for XBox One and Xbox 360.

"Rise of the Tomb Raider" is Crystal Dynamics' sequel to the 2013 game Tomb Raider, which is the second reboot of the series. In Tomb Raider, gamers found a different Lara Croft, one that was younger and inexperienced, and a far contrast to the Lara Croft viewers have come to know on the big screen and in the video game. No longer was she the sultry superhero, but the strong young woman whose origins were yet to be uncovered.

Entertainment Weekly gets the exclusive on actress Camilla Luddington, who brought to life Lara Croft in "Rise of the Tomb Raider", as she talks about how the young heroine came to be following her adventure in the Yamatai island, where she was shipwrecked in Tomb Raider.

"In the first game, Lara entered Yamatai as a kind of inexperienced if not naive young woman," the 31-year-old British actress explained. "At this point...we see a much more bolder Lara who is now on a quest to answer questions that she was left with after the island."

Luddington shared that in "Rise of the Tomb Raider", gamers will get to see more of her relationship with her father and how it drives her character. Speaking of strength, Luddington admitted that her character's ability to stand the test of time and continue to inspire despite so many other characters in the film and gaming world is attributed to how Lara Croft has evolved as an individual.

"Especially with this reboot, I meet a lot of girls that say that they really relate to Lara and they feel like her strength is something that is inspirational," Luddington, who also appears in "Grey's Anatomy" as Dr. Josephine Wilson, said.

"There’s a movement right now and there’s a push for more female characters in games and leads. Tomb Raider hopefully is part of that.," she commented.

Based on sales along, that demand for female-driven games is real, as Screenrant reports that 2013's "Tomb Raider" sold more than 8.5 million units, the most among all "Tomb Raider" titles so far.

The Independent positively reviews Rise of the Tomb Raider, calling it "acrobatic, rounded and increasingly difficult" and commends its "Indiana Jones"-like animation.

"Rise of the Tomb Raider is a journey of identity that sees Lara Croft take what she learned in her first adventure and begin to understand how that will define her role in the world," creative director Noah Hughes told the Examiner. "This is an exciting story that takes Lara to the edges of the earth and the boundaries of mankind's knowledge. It is both perilous and emotional, but ultimately is fulfilling in the sense that we get to see Lara begin to truly fulfill her destiny."

To purchase "Rise of the Tomb Raider", log on to xbox.com.