The most appropriate adjective for the new Tomb Raider game thus far seems to be bloody. The popular media franchise has been totally revamped with Crystal Dynamics’ new adaptation, and it’s certainly looking a lot more mature.

Lara Croft is a young English archaeologist who makes a habit of getting herself stuck in some pretty awful situations. She was recently crowned the “Most Successful Human Virtual Game Heroine,” and it’s no surprise – she’s witty, she’s tough, she’s smart and she’s certainly easy on the eyes.

The new Tomb Raider, like the older games, is focused around Lara’s endeavours in archaeology, searching through tombs riddled with traps and puzzles. Unfortunately for our lively protagonist, she’s never the first one there. Regardless of parallels between the old games and the new one, the 2013 game is said to entirely re-start Lara Croft as a character. Her history is being rewritten and all previous games are being made irrelevant to the new storyline.

This year’s E3 has highlighted the new ‘dark’ theme and shown eager fans of the franchise some exciting new combat. Lara, wielding a bow and arrow, is up against several butch, angry looking men with guns. You’d think she doesn’t stand a chance, right? Wrong – with the new cover system and reliance on stealth, Lara takes down the bad guys with an array of well-placed shots. There seems to be a nearly unlimited amount of creative ways to attack enemies, and the melee combat is looking incredibly swift and agile too.

The graphics are a huge step-up from previous Tomb Raider games and the cut-scenes are totally packed full of exciting action. Lara herself is looking particularly beat up – she’s bruised, covered in blood, and constantly being cut up or battered. It’s lucky Lara is alive, and the creepy, dynamic exploration will certainly want to keep you hanging on.

The new Tomb Raider, scheduled for March 5 2013, is an action-adventure game being published on all available platforms. It will be the first in a whole new trilogy that action-adventure lovers won’t want to miss out on.