Shadow of the Tomb Raider teases brutal stealth kills, deadly tombs, cave-swinging

Phil's look inside Eidos Montreal's darker, deadlier and stealthier Shadow of the Tomb Raider suggests its combat will combine stealth and assault closer than before. Its latest trailer talks tactics in the process of doing so.

The gruesome takedowns depicted there look cool, but I'm most taken by Lara Croft hugging bushes and donning mud camouflage—and I like the idea of planning each assault ahead of the event, no matter how gruesome each one winds up. I'm sure the poor chap above had it coming.

Launched earlier this week, another short shows off the huge, intricate tombs Lara will explore. I suspect these are brimming with levers and spike pits and pressure plates.

Beyond the caves, here's a glimpse at the pre-Mayan apocalypse backdrop you're tasked with steering Lara around:

And here's some of the, let's say, less than orthodox ways you'll do so. The whip-leveraging moves shown around the 28-second mark below are particularly impressive:

That sure trumps my once-a-month 20 minutes on the treadmill. Rather her, than me.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is due September 14, 2018. Till then, read Tom's impressions of an early build.