Tomb Raider's multiplayer mode being developed by Eidos Montreal

The multiplayer component of Crystal Dynamic's Tomb Raider reboot is being developed by the same studio that brought us Deus Ex: Human Revolution and is working on Thief 4—Eidos Montreal. Community Manager MeaganMarie stated on the Eidos forums, "Tomb Raider will include a multiplayer offering thanks to the hard work of our sister-studio, the hugely talented Eidos Montreal. The team at Eidos Montreal has been working away at the multiplayer while we focused everything on the single-player offering."

Multiplayer developed by the guys behind Deus Ex: Human Revolution

The Official Xbox Magazine last week tweeted that Tomb Raider, which was earlier thought to be a strictly single player game, would also feature a multiplayer mode. More information about the multiplayer component of the game will be revealed in the February 2013 issue, which is set to hit stands on January 8 and will feature hands-on impressions.

There are hints that the multiplayer will be more focused on teamwork than on being competitive, as according to All Games Beta, UK retailer GAME recently listed the game and mentioned multiplayer in the features. "Survive as a Team: Play a variety of multiplayer modes as Lara's Shipmates or Yamatai's Scavengers," the text is said to have stated.

Crystal Dynamics released a new trailer for Tomb Raider earlier last month. The trailer is the first in a series of trailers that show off some of the game’s features. Episode 1 of the trailer series, called Guide to Survival, shows the start of the game's story and explains how Lara Croft is a smart and resourceful character.

A big new feature of the game is the Base Camp, where Lara rests between missions. The base camp has many options, including fast travelling and levelling trees. The base camp also lets you upgrade weapons and skills, experience for which is earned by doing missions, exploring or fighting.

One big example of the upgrade system is shown with the climbing axe, which is acquired early in the game. At first, it is used simply to open doors or crates. Later on, the climbing axe isn't strong enough to open some boxes, which is when Lara has to find and salvage parts to upgrade it. Among all these utilities, the climbing axe lets you zip along ziplines, and can also be used as a makeshift weapon in case of an emergency.

Salvage is usually found all over the island, with some being harder to acquire than others. A lot of times, salvage piles are booby trapped, which brings in a major risk-to-reward factor.

The game also boasts of many puzzles and challenges where you have to harness the power of the primal elements—fire, water and wind.

The next episode is going to talk about the exploration aspect of the game, and how Lara moves from being a victim of the island to conquering it.

The game will be released on the PlayStation 3, the Xbox 360 and the PC on March 5, 2013.