The first details on Square Enix’s upcoming Tomb Raider reboot — announced earlier today — have made their way out of the latest issue of Game Informer. The game, still yet to be dated, stars a shipwrecked 21 year-old Lara Croft.

Tomb Raider is a reboot of the franchise, yes, but it’s also a reboot of the brand, the magazine reveals. It offers players a choice of path; Crystal Dynamics studio head Darrell Gallagher told the magazine: “You can literally go any direction that you see and carve your own way to the finish line instead of being guided.”

Lara will become a “hardened survivor,” says director Noah Hughes. She’ll pick up various talents, tools, and supplies as the player progresses through the game, opening new paths previously inaccessible due to Lara’s lack of skill or equipment.

And Lara sounds like she’s getting some skill system, too. The game will feature base camps where the player can combine and create items or upgrade Lara’s skill-set. These camps can also be used for fast travel, saving the player precious time and effort.

Survival isn’t all easy, though. Lara will have to stock up on food and water in order to survive. She’ll have to defend her life in other ways, too. I’m talking about firearms. Crystal Dynamics wouldn’t say much on what types of weapons we’ll see, but a piece of concept art in the magazine clearly reveals a pistol, shotgun, and bow. Lara will utilize weapons like these in the game’s new free-aim system, whereas the old games had a lock-on system. Crystal Dynamics says it can now compete with its competitors.

Failure to properly defend Lara results in brutal deaths. One death described in the preview sees a deranged man stabbing Lara in the chest, then closes her eyes as she lays dead. Another has a boulder crushing Lara’s leg and — trapped — is followed by another boulder crushing her head. Ouch!

Sounds interesting so far. I seem to be feeling more of a dark tone from this reboot. What are your thoughts?

Thanks, NeoGAF.