It's an island, it's a mystery... [spoiler warning!]

[Relight]

Or this thread could be called "It's a bird, it's a plane, it's an island with a mystery!"

So I couldn't find a thread that was really talking just about the island. If there is one somewhere, I'm sure a mod will merge it

===

So to start off with, a few things that just popped into my head by association:

- Lost. Obviously.

- And a bit more random, but the game Singularity. Has anyone played it? Seemed it didn't get as much buzz or popularity as I thought it should have, it was a great game on an island with WWII elements.

- Gilligan's Island

- The Island (2005 movie)

And you can probably name a whole ton of other games/movies/books/etc, to get us thinking about stories on islands and mysteries on islands and that type of thing.

===

So what could the mystery of this island be? Besides being a hidden island that no one can find, and if you find it, you'll be shipwrecked on it Or is that all there is to the main mystery? There must be more.

Some great quotes to get us going, taken from the FAQ.

KS: "One of the most important aspects for us when we started working on this game was to set up the island as a character. In order for us to accomplish this, you can’t just have a one-dimensional character; you have to have a multifaceted character. Therefore, you’re going to come across situations on the island where, yes, you’ll be in dark, dank tombs. But you’ve also seen the ships in the bright bay. Imagine traversing your way down to them. There will be places on the island that blow your mind. Beautiful vistas and more." [Transcribed from Crystal Habit Podcast #7 (February 2012)]

KS: “I don’t want to keep giving away spoilers. There is obviously an element of mystery to the island that you have to play to properly experience. I can say that there are plenty of people on the island, and lots of diversity in your encounters. I look forward to fans seeing the bow in action, and to hunting. That’s what you do on an island, right? Hunt.” [From official forum Q&A session #1 (January 2012)]

Karl Stewart: The island itself has loads of history, some of it slightly more modern that you might initially expect. As we’ve showcased through the shipwreck vista, vessels from air and sea have washed upon the beach for centuries. Scavengers, doing what they do best, have lifted fuel from these derelict crafts, and in some cases put them to use in generators. I don’t want to go into it much deeper than that, as we’re always conscious to avoid spoilers. But this again speaks to our promise of diversity in environments and experiences on the island. It’s much more than meets the eye.[From official forum Q&A session #3 (April 2012)]

Karl Stewart: There isn’t a new game + option, but once you finish Tomb Raider you can re-traverse through the island to find any relics you may have missed, or tombs left undiscovered. And yes, the island will still be populated with animals and natives.

And this comment:

Karl Stewart: "... gear gating allows us to add a level of replayability, a second mystery going on in the island.

A *second* mystery?

Anyone got some more good quotes about the island and the mystery of the island?

===

From the images of the map from the CE, is it looking like there are 8 hubs to explore?

- Shipwreck Coast
- Mountain Village
- Himeko's Castle
- Shrine Ruins
- WWII Communications Bunker
- Cliffside WWII B(unker?)
- (?) Gate
- (?)

And the top right one, Yamati Island, does not have a line that connects it to a point on the map, so that one I assume is just meant to show an image of the whole island.

Also for fun notice the inconsistent naming of the bunkers (or the WWII locations, if the second one isn't a bunker, maybe it's a base), one is a WWII Something Bunker, the other one is a Something WWII Bunker.

===

So many things to discuss! Ready, set.... go!

[larafan25]

Awesome thread yall! D:

Well. If you've watched the 1 hour demo, they say whilst Lara is exploring the WW2 Base that

the Japanese were actually investigating the island and something has clearly gone wrong.

Also, they also removed the part of the plot about the Lost Fleet, perhaps that is now a side mystery to Yamati?

[Driber]

Good thread, Brandon!

I myself do not recall a similar one. I think most of the discussions regarding the island and the secrets and its inhabitants have probably just been spread out over a whole bunch of other (non-dedicated) threads. But perhaps my memory is failing me and someone else does remember a dedicated thread on this.

Anyway, if this is the first one - it's about time we have one!

[Marluxia15]

From the images of the map from the CE, is it looking like there are 8 hubs to explore?

- Shipwreck Coast
- Mountain Village
- Himeko's Castle
- Shrine Ruins
- WWII Communications Bunker
- Cliffside WWII B(unker?)
- (?) Gate
- (?)

And the top right one, Yamati Island, does not have a line that connects it to a point on the map, so that one I assume is just meant to show an image of the whole island.

Also for fun notice the inconsistent naming of the bunkers (or the WWII locations, if the second one isn't a bunker, maybe it's a base), one is a WWII Something Bunker, the other one is a Something WWII Bunker.

===

So many things to discuss! Ready, set.... go![/QUOTE]

Don't forget, it's a double-sided map!

Originally Posted by larafan25

Awesome thread yall! D:

Well. If you've watched the 1 hour demo, they say whilst Lara is exploring the WW2 Base that

the Japanese were actually investigating the island and something has clearly gone wrong.

Also, they also removed the part of the plot about the Lost Fleet, perhaps that is now a side mystery to Yamati?

I'm hoping that the Lost Fleet is still part of the mystery around the island and that they didn't do away with it completely. :/

[Relight]

Originally Posted by Marluxia15

Don't forget, it's a double-sided map!

Don't forget, it's a double-sided "Island Map and Poster" so I'm sure the second side is an image of Lara, and doesn't contain any additional map content.

[Jurre]

What I find odd is that this Island is constantly being harassed by storms and thunderbolts and somehow the castaways cannot contact the outside world. Yet during the second world war the Japanese could build an entire bunkercomplex and radiotower there without problems... They also didn't mention the ship graveyard (that includes friggin' Spanish galleons) and after the war they just forgot that Island was ever there...

Maybe I'm thinking about it too hard.

[larafan25]

Well apparently...I remember Karl saying people were stranded there since 40 years, so I don't know what happened to the stranded from before then.

[SeanCordernay]

I gotta admit, the island and its mystery is by far one of the most fascinating aspects about this game.

[just*raidin*tomb]

Originally Posted by Jurre

What I find odd is that this Island is constantly being harassed by storms and thunderbolts and somehow the castaways cannot contact the outside world. Yet during the second world war the Japanese could build an entire bunkercomplex and radiotower there without problems... They also didn't mention the ship graveyard (that includes friggin' Spanish galleons) and after the war they just forgot that Island was ever there...

Maybe I'm thinking about it too hard.

I think you are.

You have to remember that WWII bunkers/bases were created with the island's mystery in thought. Somehow the Japanese thought it would give them a tactical advantage, but they're clearly in ruins. Something went wrong. As for not being able to contact others, well it's very hard to. But apparently the top of the radio is one of the only places where that's possible, making it near impossible to contact the outside world.

At the same time, I don't really think you need much contact with the outside world in order to build war bunkers. You just need a shipment of supplies (which raises yet another question. oh my)

[Jurre]

It's still rather strange that the Japanese had clear access to the Island in the 40's and yet today it is totaly isolated from the busy world...

Not that it bothers me if it won't be explained; Star Trek First Contact has massive plotholes too...

[just*raidin*tomb]

Originally Posted by Jurre

It's still rather strange that the Japanese had clear access to the Island in the 40's and yet today it is totaly isolated from the busy world...

Not that it bothers me if it won't be explained; Star Trek First Contact has massive plotholes too...

Anyone still has total access to it though. People apparently end up there all the time, they just find it rather difficult to get off due to how hostile it is and how difficult it is to contact the outside world. And who's to say the Japanese had "clear" access? There are WWII shipwrecks afterall.

I don't really think it needs to be explained much if you make the right assumptions.

[Jurre]

Originally Posted by just*raidin*tomb

Anyone still has total access to it though. People apparently end up there all the time, they just find it rather difficult to get off due to how hostile it is and how difficult it is to contact the outside world. And who's to say the Japanese had "clear" access? There are WWII shipwrecks afterall.

Yes they arrive there, but as castaways. At least I assume the scavengers are the crews of ships and planes crashed there. The Japanese had clear access at least at some point because otherwise I don't see how they could build a complete bunker complex and radio station there. It takes quite a bit of manpower and materials to set that all up.

[larafan25]

K. We have an island.

It's been there for a long time, leik duh.

Ships have been crashing there for a long time, like....LONG, old wooden ships and poop like that.

Those stranded on the island, supposedly must have died back then. If not have begun forming the weird island community already.

During WW2 ships are going missing, but the Japanese Government is also housed on the island, investigating whatever for whatever reason and stuff.

Something goes wrong (the castaways? Are they even enough to stop the Japanese military?) and the place is left decrepit.

BUT A LOONG time ago, the island was also

Yamatai.

I'm confused-ish.

I thought the reason people were stuck on the island was because of the gravitational pull or something. Perhaps that's what made it a great top secret base for the Japanese military. But, it then became difficult to leave, like...as in nearly impossible. So they were stuck there, and there were dangers, like the

Salarii scavenger people.

[Wh1t3Kn1te]

if i had to wager, i would bet on it being the pacific's version of the bermuda triangle. in fact i wouldnt be surprised if they work in a skeleton of amelia earhart and her plane, just for something interesting to find.

[Marluxia15]

Originally Posted by just*raidin*tomb

Anyone still has total access to it though. People apparently end up there all the time, they just find it rather difficult to get off due to how hostile it is and how difficult it is to contact the outside world. And who's to say the Japanese had "clear" access? There are WWII shipwrecks afterall.

I don't really think it needs to be explained much if you make the right assumptions.

Maybe the supernatural person in charge of the island let the Japanese set up shop on the island. 1) Maybe they had a treaty that went bad. 2) Maybe the people on the island needed help finding something lost on the island years before. IDK I definitely want an answer now, though!

Originally Posted by SeanCordernay

I gotta admit, the island and its mystery is by far one of the most fascinating aspects about this game.

Definitely! I can't wait to get all the collectibles and read up on the island.

Originally Posted by Relight

Don't forget, it's a double-sided "Island Map and Poster" so I'm sure the second side is an image of Lara, and doesn't contain any additional map content.

Poop. You're probably right. haha

Originally Posted by Wh1t3Kn1te

if i had to wager, i would bet on it being the pacific's version of the bermuda triangle. in fact i wouldnt be surprised if they work in a skeleton of amelia earhart and her plane, just for something interesting to find.

There are a few things I'm certain of about this island. 1) We will, at some point, encounter a volcano. 2) Amelia Earhart. It just makes sense. This is an origin story about a woman who becomes independent. Amelia Earhart makes the perfect role model for Lara... plus, she went missing in the area of the Dragon's Triangle... coincidentally...

[XylophoneDealers]

I thought that the "map" would be an actual map. Am I wrong?

[Tecstar70]

Originally Posted by Marluxia15

Amelia Earhart makes the perfect role model for Lara... plus, she went missing in the area of the Dragon's Triangle... coincidentally...

...or not????

[Relight]

Originally Posted by XylophoneDealers

I thought that the "map" would be an actual map. Am I wrong?

From the image in the CE/SE images (which is probably fairly close to what the final will look like), it doesn't look like it's very detailed like a real map, more like an illustration of the island with the "photos" pointing out the location of various areas.

[Wh1t3Kn1te]

to add to my thought on the bermuda triangle fitting into the mystery, any plane/boat that goes into the bermuda triangle comes out at the dragon's triangle. they are connected to each other like a wormhole, which would explain why so many ships/planes are crashed on the island. no one would expect land from out of nowhere.

[larafan25]

The Dragon's Triangle is just the same phenomenon as the Bermuda Triangle, but more Eastern (I think) and less known about.

I doubt we'll be

holy poop.

HOLY POO.

wait. I thought you're idea was crazy but now

Some guy mentioned Lara being

stranded on another island, what if there is a teleport thingy, and we end up on an island in the Bermuda Triangle?

[Wh1t3Kn1te]

cool huh?

[larafan25]

Yes. I wonder though, is the island they land on the same island they were looking for?

[pidipidi39]

This thread is so hyping me

[The Hylden]

Lara just needs to remember, no woman is an Island

Maybe it will be Crisis and we'll find aliens have caused all of this craziness. They traded the supernatural for extra terrestrial, like Indiana Jones 4. (Big fat kidding here, folks )

[JapaneseIsland]

Wat.
Wat the.
Wat is going on.