her disproportionate figure and dual-wielding pistols. In 2013, the Tomb Raider series was

已成為最知名的電玩人物之一。2013 年，《古墓奇兵》系列

rebooted for a second time, introducing a darker theme and a grittier universe where

第二次重啟，將主題設定在更加黑暗、更加艱困

conspiracy and death lurk around every corner. As part of this change, Lara's signature

且陰謀與危機四伏的背景中。一部分改變是，蘿拉的招牌武器

weapon changes from pistols akimbo to a bow, and it is this image of Lara Croft that is

從腰掛雙槍變成手持弓箭，而這個版本的蘿拉．卡芙特

being used in the marketing of the current series. And it isn't just another ranged

成為本遊戲的行銷形象。弓箭在遊戲中並不只是

weapon. The bow is an integral part of the gameplay, being used as both a weapon and

一種武器。弓箭是遊戲的核心，既是武器

a utility tool. How does Lara go from gunslinging to arrow-flinging?

也是種多用途工具。蘿拉是怎麼從雙槍射手變為弓箭手的呢？

Lara ends up being stranded on the lost island kingdom of Yamatai with nothing but her wits.

蘿拉落難後擱淺在失落的小島：邪馬台，除了自身才智外一無所有

To survive, Lara finds a makeshift bow from a long-rotten corpse and immediately puts

為了生存，蘿拉從一具死亡已久的遺體上拿到一把臨時弓箭

it to use to hunt for food.

並用來獵食

While I normally leave the analysis for later, I do want to point out that an old branch

我通常在影片稍後才會提出分析，但這次我想直接說明

strung with an improvised string left in the jungle for hundreds of years is probably going

遺棄在森林數百年、用老舊樹枝及臨時弓弦製作的弓

to snap the moment you pull it back. Avoid ancient bows and lost kingdoms where possible.

可能在你拉弦的時候就斷裂了。在失落的帝國裡最好別用骨董弓箭

As the story progresses, Lara is able to obtain better equipment and upgrade her bow. The

隨故事進行，蘿拉會獲得更好的裝備，且能升級弓箭

makeshift bow is upgraded to a rather nice-looking recurve bow. Later, Lara receives a compound

臨時弓箭升級成外型更好看的反曲弓。之後，蘿拉獲得一把複合弓

bow, which is further upgraded into a competition bow.

最後升級到競賽級複合弓

With salvage parts, Lara is also able to improve the stats and functionality of her bows, including

使用殘料，蘿拉能夠升級弓的性能及功能，包括

strengthening the limbs for damage, using a key ring as an improvised release, and other

強化弓臂來增加殺傷力、使用鑰匙圈加快放弦速度

improvements to shooting speed and accuracy.

及其他增加射擊速率及準確度的升級項目

While Lara soon acquires a pistol, the bow never leaves her side. It is her weapon of

當蘿拉獲得手槍後，弓箭仍不離身。弓箭是

choice in cutscenes. Even in gameplay, the bow is used for a range of different purposes.

許多過場動畫中她所選用的武器。在遊戲中，弓也有許多用途

By combining the bow with a lighter, Lara can ignite her arrows, which can later be

弓綁上打火機後，蘿拉可以使用火焰箭，火焰箭之後

upgraded into a napalm arrow that spreads flames on impact. The bow can be used with

升級成箭頭受到衝擊後會散布火焰的汽油彈箭。弓也可用來

rope arrows to pull enemies from high ground, form ziplines across vantage points and solve

發射繩索、將敵人從高地往下拉，及製造溜索、通過另一個區域

puzzles. Lastly, the player has the option of crafting explosive arrows, coming in the

以及解謎。最後，玩家可以將榴彈綁在箭頭上

form of a grenade-tip arrow. I don't think those are competition-legal, though it might

製作出榴彈箭矢。這些箭矢在比賽中不合規定

make the Olympics a bit more interesting.

但如果可以使用的話，奧運可能會更有趣一點

While many games feature the bow as a long-range weapon, Tomb Raider keeps the combat within

許多遊戲中的弓箭為遠距離武器，而古墓奇兵的戰鬥場景則保持在短距離

close distances. Arrows have a limited effective range, and from the player's perspective

箭有有效射程限制，而在玩家視角

the arrow flies perfectly straight. This allows Lara to use the bow as an improvised single-shot

箭矢則飛得相當筆直。這讓蘿拉可以把弓箭當作

assault weapon, but with rapid reloading. In gameplay terms, the bow acts as a bolt-action rifle.

單發但是能夠快速填充的武器。在遊戲中，弓箭就像是栓動式步槍一般

Holding the fire button "charges" the bow, with Lara drawing it further back for

按住攻擊鍵可以將弓「蓄力」，蘿拉會把弓弦往後拉

increased damage. This is largely unnecessary, as headshots are instant-kills regardless

增加殺傷力。這非常不必要，因為暴頭不管弓箭有沒有蓄力都是一擊必殺

of power, and you're probably better off shooting quick shots against enemies instead

你比較可能選擇用弓箭快速射擊敵人而非

of slow power shots. The enemies do react to being hit by arrows, so doing follow-up

蓄力攻擊。敵人被箭矢擊中後，行動會受到影響，使接下來的幾次

shots is smooth and instinctive.

攻擊順暢且直覺

At some points, the bow can be used as a stealth weapon. However, enemies who are killed will

某些情形中，弓箭可以當作潛行武器。然而，被擊殺的敵人

alert nearby foes. Lara can sense the threat with her survival instinct and the player

會被周遭敵人察覺。蘿拉可以開啟生存本能來察覺威脅，讓玩家

can pick off isolated enemies. Doing so in some sections avoids firefights against numerically

可以找出落單的敵人。暗殺能夠避免和有人數優勢的敵人正面對決

superior groups, though there's never really a sense of Lara being a stealth assassin that

雖然蘿拉並不是一位單靠弓箭這種遠距離武器

can win the game solely through long-range shooting. The game's cover-shooter mechanics

就能破關的潛行刺客。遊戲裡其他戰鬥傾向於掩護射擊

and weaponry lean towards the action sequences. The stealth advantage is negated by the optional

並使用其他武器。弓箭的無聲暗殺優勢會被

silencer upgrades for the pistol and rifle, making the bow mostly redundant in combat.

手槍及步槍的消音器升級取代，使弓箭有些多餘

Despite the availability of better weapons, the bow still retains a place in combat if

儘管手槍和步槍有消音器這項升級，如果玩家選擇升級弓箭的話

the player opts to upgrade it, with the most useful upgrade being armour piercing arrows.

它仍能在戰鬥中保有一席之地，其中最實用的升級項目是破甲箭

This allows the player to bypass enemy body armour and restore the one-hit headshots against helmeted foes.

這讓玩家能夠用弓箭射穿敵人盔甲，並蓄力暴頭穿戴頭盔的敵人

Lastly, Lara makes extensive use of arrows as melee weapons. She is able to put a premature

最後，蘿拉還能用箭矢當作近距離武器，能用箭矢刺進敵人的膝蓋

end to the ambitions of would-be adventurers by stabbing them in the knee. Unlocking bow

阻止意圖近戰的敵人。解鎖

mastery, Lara can execute finishing blows using viscous stabs through the throat.

弓箭專精技能，蘿拉能使用箭矢穿刺敵人喉嚨、處決敵人

Lara isn't the only one who is proficient in combat archery either. Most of the inhabitants

蘿拉並不是遊戲中唯一擅長弓箭戰鬥的人。大多數

of the island are also armed with bows. The AI tends to be pitch these as slow-shooting

島民也配備弓箭。遊戲中的敵人的 AI 系統攻擊速度緩慢

grunts, but getting hit by an arrow can take a chunk out of your health.

但如果被敵方箭矢擊中，蘿拉會損失大量生命值

Now comes the part that many of you look forward to: how much of it is real?

現在來到觀眾最期待的部分：遊戲中有多少是真的？

While playing through Tomb Raider, nothing really bothered me. It was a fun experience

當我遊玩《古墓奇兵》時，一切都安好，遊戲很好玩

and the bow was incorporated into gameplay without looking like something wholly fantastical.

把弓箭結合在遊戲中看起來一點都不違和

However, as Tomb Raider never featured a bow, many players come out of the game with an

然而，因為先前的《古墓奇兵》遊戲從未出現過弓箭，許多玩家

assumption that the things Lara does are plausible. In fact, nearly everything about archery in

猜想蘿拉在遊戲中做的事也許是真的。事實上，《古墓奇兵》中的幾乎任何箭術

Tomb Raider is just outside the realm of possibility.

其實都超乎了現實

The way Lara carries the bow on her back is not very practical. While it is possible with

蘿拉把弓箭背在背後不太實際。如果要把弓背上身上的話

a recurve bow, this would definitely not be possible with a compound bow. Compound bows

那應該會是反曲弓，但絕對不會是複合弓。

have more complex cable systems that you wouldn't stick your head through, not to mention that

複合弓的弓弦線路比反曲弓更複雜、弓弦不能穿過頭頂，更別提

the pressure of the string and the blocky riser squeezing your torso would be highly uncomfortable.

弓弦及堅實弓身壓在你身上的壓力，這會非常不舒服

The straight, fast flight of the arrow is not possible from the bows in the game. It

遊戲中筆直、飛行快速的箭矢用遊戲裡的那些弓不可能辦到

may be possible for modern compound bows, but arrows do drop even at short distance.

現代的複合弓也許可以，但箭矢即使在短距離也會下墜

Pulling back further on the bow does indeed increase the power, though a real bow doesn't

將弓弦往後拉的確會將加威力，但是真正的弓

require a charge-up time to get full power.

並不需要蓄力時間來達到最大威力

The stealth-kill ability is impossible to pull off. The string phases through the enemy's

用弓近距離暗殺是不可能的，而體型和力量較小的蘿拉

head, and somehow a smaller, weaker Lara can use a bow to snap the neck of a large male gunman.

可以將弓弦穿過敵人頭部，並將比她更大隻的男性槍手的脖子扭斷？

You can't hold a lighter in your bow hand to shoot fire arrows. Arrow points don't

現實中，你不能把打火機拿在你握弓的手上、射出火焰箭，而且箭頭

burn like that. If you have to know, you would need a special arrow head that contains a

也不會像遊戲那樣燃燒，你要特製一個包有

flammable material, and there's a high chance of the flame being extinguished in flight.

可燃物質的箭頭，火焰箭也非常可能在飛行中就已經熄滅了

Grenade-tip arrows wouldn't work. They would be too front-heavy to fly far and would probably

榴彈箭頭根本不可能，因為箭頭太重飛不遠，而且可能

drop around ten metres in front of you.

會在你前方 10 幾公尺就墜落了

Even rope arrows wouldn't work. Arrows are extremely light, so having the weight of rope

就連繩索箭也行不通，箭矢非常地輕，繩索

on the back would simply pull it out of the air. In real life, a similar function is used

綁在箭矢後頭的重量會讓箭矢在空中墜落。現實生活中，類似的功能

in bowfishing, but you couldn't launch an arrow across a chasm to form a zipline.

用在捕魚，但繩索箭不可能飛越裂縫，做出一條溜索

Most of the upgrades are nonsensical. Having a plaited string or adding a stabiliser would

大部分的升級項目都不太合理。將弦升級成編織弦或加上穩定器

not increase damage in any way.

根本就不會增加殺傷力

And if Lara shot a compound bow like that in real life, she'd probably derail the

而且，在現實生活中，如果蘿拉真的這樣用複合弓的話，可能會讓弦脫軌

string, rendering the bow useless. Generally speaking, recurve bows are more practical

讓弓失去功用。大致來說，反曲弓在野外比較實用

in the field, as a compound bow cannot be repaired without specialised equipment. The

因為複合弓需要特殊工具才能維修

advantage of a compound bow is that it can launch an arrow with higher velocity at a given draw weight.

複合弓的優點是能在同樣拉弦重量下，能提供更快的射速

Everything you see in the game is a typical action movie trope. And frankly, I didn't

你在遊戲中看到的任何事物都是典型動作電影橋段。老實說，我並不在意這些

mind. It was easy for me to distinguish the liberties taken to make the bow an integral part of the game.

我能輕易看出遊戲將自由度放到弓箭上，使弓成為遊戲中不可或缺的一部分

The Tomb Raider reboot has cast a new light on Lara's character, and in doing so has

《古墓奇兵》重啟重新塑造了蘿拉的人格，同時

made the bow the new signature weapon of a gaming icon. While many sections of the game

也把弓成為本遊戲新的招牌武器。遊戲的許多部份

are better served by other weapon options, it is perfectly viable to complete the entire

使用其他武器較為合適，但這遊戲絕對能只用弓

game with the bow. It can be challenging, but also offers some advantages. Being able

全破關。只用弓箭很有挑戰性，但弓也提供了許多優勢

to use the bow to navigate across the map and access more areas makes it something that

使用弓箭探索遊戲地圖、進入不同區域會是

you never forget about, and to the testament of the designers, it never really feels out

難忘的體驗，也證明了遊戲設計者，這樣的設定毫無違和感

of place. Tomb Raider therefore stands out as a fan favourite for its inclusion of archery.

因此，《古墓奇兵》因為加入了箭術而脫穎而出、成為粉絲喜愛的作品

As usual, shoot straight, and aim for your best.

一如往常，行事果斷，全力以赴