They got it right the first time. That’s the headline here. I was going to start this review with a load of waffle about remakes and remasters and rose-tinted glasses and all that. But playing Tomb Raider, the thing that kept coming back to me was that simple phrase. The most important thing that this collection reinforces: they got it right the first time.
The first Tomb Raider is the best entry in the franchise, and every entry afterward fails to capture its magic to a larger or lesser extent. That’s incredible to think about. Tomb Raider was made by six people in 18 months. Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the last Tomb Raider game that was made by over 1,200 people, has amazing graphics and action set-pieces but is sleep-inducingly dull.
Tomb Raider was a sensation when it was released in 1996 and from the first seconds of this remaster, it’s easy to see why. Right from the first introductory movie, everything is there. Lara and her glasses, the way she talks, the way the presentation feels so cinematic. Core Design nailed Lara’s character from the off. She was perfectly of her time. Sexy, cool, and flippant.
Of course, age has crept in. The tank controls are notoriously bad. The remaster allows you to switch the controls to a modern set-up. Unfortunately, those are somehow worse. Stick with the tank controls. They take a lot of getting used to, and even hours in we were doing a backward roll instead of hitting the action button, but the entire game is built around mastering them.
It can be frustrating. I failed some jumps dozens of times and ended up using a guide for some parts, just to check it was a jump I was supposed to be able to perform. It’s a blessing that this remaster is based on the PC version of the game, where you can save anywhere and load from anywhere. It removes a lot of the frustration. I’d have liked to see a rewind feature though.
The combat also feels dated. Lara has pistols and can find a variety of other weapons. They auto-lock onto targets, which is nice, but the shooting always felt like it was there because the developers felt it should be there. It never felt like the shooting meant anything. There are boss fights because games have boss fights, but I always felt like they interrupted the fun rather than enhanced it.
The joy lies in the exploration. Being in a tomb all on your own, and navigating using every tool in Lara’s arsenal to climb, swim, and jump around all whilst a minimal soundtrack and reverb-heavy sound effects reinforce the notion of isolation.
That isolation really is one of the things that makes the first game sing. Because you’re alone in more ways than one. As a player, not are there not many other characters to interact with, but the game doesn’t act as a companion, secretly intervening and smoothing things along like most modern games do. Lara doesn’t cling to edges unless you make her. She doesn’t climb up unless there’s a button push, the game doesn’t signpost where to go next. You need patience, but when it comes off it feels so good.
I don’t want to be an old man yelling at a cloud, but they don’t make them like they used to. We’re so used to what a third-person action game should look like, and how it should feel, that these types of games have become about story and moments of momentary coolness. Tomb Raider is about the act of moving the character itself within a 3D space. Most modern games treat this as a solved problem, and quite frankly, coming back to a game that doesn’t is revelatory.
This package doesn’t just contain the original release. Also here are Tomb Raider 2, 3, and all the PC expansion packs: Unfinished Business, Golden Mask, and The Lost Artifact. Plus, everything has been enhanced visually. It’s an old trick by now, but instantaneous switching between the enhanced and original graphics with a push of a button still feels magical to me. Clearly a lot of work put into the enhancements, and they look great, but I ended up using the original graphics most of the time, as they’re brighter and more readable.
Tomb Raider 2 focuses more on combat and has some rough vehicle sections. It starts the transition of Lara from an Indiana Jones clone to a James Bond clone (I guess she becomes Jason Bourne in the 360 era.) Tomb Raider 3 pulls things back a bit and is a good time, but nothing hits like that first adventure. Still, it’s great to see all three games brushed up and in one package. If you want bang for your buck, there’s easily 40+ hours of playtime to be had, the occasional frustration notwithstanding.
Tomb Raider surprised me. I came into this remaster expecting to say the usual; that games have moved on, and that playing these old games now reveals that some things are better left in the past. Playing through this trio made me think the opposite; that perhaps something has been lost along the way. Maybe there’s a lot to learn from some of these early 3D games. And maybe, just maybe, we took a wrong turn somewhere.
Aspyr/Crystal Dynamics’ Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft is out now digitally on all formats.