Square Enix doesn’t mind killing kids

I was able to see a lot of features during my demo with Shadow of the Tomb Raider. I was able to see some of the gunplay, stealth combat, and Mexican culture within the game. And right before the end of the demo, I watched a kid die.

At the very end of the hands-on demo for Shadow of the Tomb Raider, a giant flash flood tears through the city where Lara Croft is attempting to escape. Trinity is hot on her heels and she is dashing to escape their grasp while wading through treacherous waters. This is where I encountered a portion of the demo featuring a child hanging on for dear life. He is clinging to the ledge of a building while Lara calls out to him. After crying out for his mother, he falls to his death in the swift current.

I was a caught off guard with this inclusion in the hands-on demo. While I feel that you can portray a child’s death in a video game with better context, having him fall to his death in a short demo was a bit jarring.  I’m unsure as to why the demo concluded with that, or why it was even necessary in the first place. But, it’s there and I saw it, tearing off my headphones and looking around to see if anyone else was in as much shock as I was.