National Dog Day – a day I never knew existed until now. Well, apparently Square Enix is well aware of its existence, because the company has created a new Tomb Raider trailer to celebrate it. Shadow of the Cute Raider is a rather strange spin on the world of Lara Croft that we so desperately needed to see, and I am sure you do too.

The video is an official remake of the most recent Shadow of the Tomb Raider ‘End of the Beginning’ trailer – the only difference is that it now features animals. Yes, that is correct. It features doggos and kitty cats, and even more doggos, and oh my heart cannot take it!

The video starts off ominously enough, with a byline that reads: “from the creators of Shadow of the Tomb Raider”, then quickly spirals into a super cute highlight reel of what viewers can expect in the video; before it displays the title: Shadows of the Cute Raider. I am not making this up!

The Shadow of the Cute Raider trailer is such a cute little homage to all of the furbabies in the world, and I have to say that I adore Square Enix for it. It adequately showcases how the main doggo, whom I shall name Lassie (thanks nostalgia) “becomes the jungle”. She sneaks her way past evil feline soldiers, distracts them with a ball of yarn and a laser pointer, and makes her way to the big bad cat’s lair who lies in wait… with a razor (oh no)! His hostage is none other than Lassie’s companion and pup!

Fortunately, Lassie Croft has a plan. She pulls out an automated vacuum cleaner called the Toomba, and activates it. The evil villain cannot stand the temptation! He lunges after the Toomba and runs out of sight! Lassie takes advantage of this opportunity and saves her little one, an adorable puppy. The evil cat, on the other hand, has met his match as the Toomba carries on floating about around the lair.

At the end of the day, Lassie and the little one stare out over the South American jungle, where the setting sun frames them in a beautiful golden hue. Cue the title…and… scene!

The Shadow of the Cute Raider is an incredible little video by Square Enix. What makes it even better, however, is the fact that it inspired Square to partner with Microsoft in order to bring an exclusive, once-off Tomb Raider Xbox One X to the surface. The Xbox One X is draped in replica vines and a worn Aztec temple aesthetic, while the controller looks like a long-lost tool used to open the console.

The exclusive Xbox One X, along with “several autographed hardware bundles” are being auctioned off on behalf of the Save Them All initiative started by the Best Friends Animal Society. The Save Them All initiative is a beautiful nationwide campaign that takes place in the United States of America and has found countless of forever homes for thousands of displaced furbabies.

If you cannot get your hands on the wildly expensive (but oh so worth it) exclusive Xbox One X, you can go to the Best Friends Animal Society website and donate any amount of your choosing instead. It is a great cause!

[Sources: Best Friends (official site), Comic Book, Hardcore Gamer, Windows Central, YouTube]

Junior Editor at Vamers. From Superman to Ironman; Bill Rizer to Sam Fisher and everything in-between, Edward loves it all. He is a Bachelor of Arts student and English Major specialising in Language and Literature. He is an avid writer and casual social networker with a flare for all things tech related.