Kraken

Kraken

Occurrence	Tomb Raider Underworld
Enemy Type	"Boss"
Classification	Mythical Creature
Distinctiveness	The Kraken can not be killed by conventional means (bullets).
Weapons	tentacles
Weakness	weak eyesight, can only attack at some spots

The Kraken is a special type of enemy appearing in Tomb Raider Underworld. Lara encounters it in the Mediterranean level Niflheim. In this level it serves as a blockaid, having its tentacles wrapping around the door blocking Lara's path towards the inner sanctum where she expects one of Thor's Gauntlets to be.

The creature is trapped in this underworld due to its large size and so is forced to remain here.

Appearance

The Kraken is a massive creature almost too large for its surroundings. It has its tentacles stretched out through the passages of the temple. Lara encounters its first tentacle shortly after passing the round portal into the inner caverns. Others are wrapped around the pillars of the central chamber, the main door and the cogwheel mechanisms. Lara assumes that the creature must be almost blind from the look of its eyes.

Strategy

The creature is invincible using conventional methods. To kill it Lara must activate the various cog mechanisms around the room to release the spiked chandelier-like structure she above the creature. It is revealed by Lara that the Kraken is blind and can only hurt her when she steps on certain spots around the chamber, in which case it attacks with its tentacles. Otherwise the Kraken is harmless and serves more of a puzzle than a boss in its self.

Mythology

Lara's journal has the following to say on this mythical creature:

Kraken are monstrously large creatures in mythology. Thought to be based on sightings of giant quid, not to be confused with the sea serpents in Nordic tradition, though both were blamed for the disappearance of ships of all sizes. This beast clearly is a recent addition to this ruin and subsequently grew too large to leave again. ^[1]