A lot of people, including myself, have fond memories of Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider series. Whilst I haven’t played them all, I particularly remember having an absolute blast with Tomb Raider 2 back when it released.
Back then though was a different time and, as is to be expected, many early 3D titles are starting to show their age somewhat. I revisited the first game on the Sega Saturn about 8 years ago and found it to be a mix of fun and frustration – particularly as the console versions have very limited save functionality.
As such, when Aspyr announced that they were doing remasters of the original trilogy, I was very excited. Not only would I get to revisit the second game, but hopefully I’d be able to experience it with fancy visuals and more tolerable controls.
Many thanks to the publisher for the review code.
IT BELONGS IN A MUSEUM
Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft features the three original titles, complete with their expansions. The front end is pretty limited, simply switching between the three games at the press of a button, but it’s also functional and brings back quite a fair bit of nostalgic too. The options menu has been adjusted to reflect the modern changes, most notably the addition of a modern control scheme that not only allows you to move Lara in relation to the stick, but also maps the buttons to something akin to a more-modern action adventure game. Those preferring the classic setup are able to freely choose so, and I’d say that some manoeuvres are perhaps a little easier with the original controls, but I stuck with the modern ones for the first part and found that they mostly did the job pretty well.
The other notable change with the remaster is vastly improved visuals, and they do look great for the most part. Lara is extremely well modelled and looks exactly how you’d picture her, and the locations have so much extra detail that they feel almost brand new. Animals don’t fare quite as well, with some creatures looking hilariously bad at times – particularly in the first game, but I’d still say that Asypr did a good job at making it look like an improved version of the classics. Pressing the start button will switch between modern and original visuals, allowing you to see the difference – something that you may end up doing pretty frequently too, as the lighting in the modern version can make keys and passageways more difficult to see – especially when playing in portable mode.
The main focus though is, of course, the gameplay and this is where it is going to be divisive with many people. Largely it’s very similar throughout the three titles, as you’ll be exploring each level finding keys and pulling switches as you platform around the environment.
What makes the Tomb Raider games stand out from the others is that the platforming is almost like a puzzle in itself; whereas other games have you simply running and jumping, Tomb Raider has so much depth to with its climbing system. Standing jumps are the safest, but often you’ll need to do a running jump that requires careful calculation as to when you actually have to jump. Do it too soon and you’ll miss the platform entirely. Do it too late and the jump won’t even register, leaving you to fall to your death. Lara can also hold her arms out in order to grab an edge and pull herself up, which can sometimes be essential for reaching faraway places. It’s a very punishing system, but the first game helps you gradually get used to it by giving you easier jumps with minor consequences for failure. As the game progresses, you’ll need to be more careful as failure often results in death. Some of this tech can be tricky with the modern controls, especially when you’re required to backflip or jump off a platform at an angle, but it’s still manageable at least – especially as you can save at any point.
Unlike the older console versions, this ability to save at will makes the challenging platforming all the more tolerable – but that doesn’t mean it’s without its issues. Most noticeably, it’s a little bit poorly implemented as the save/load book defaults to loading and fails to prompt whether or not you really want to do so. On numerous occasions I accidentally loaded a file and lost a sizeable chunk of progress, thus forcing me to redo large chunks again. It’s better than using a save crystal, but it still could have been far better.
The other side of the trilogy with is the combat, and this is where the games start to show their age a little more – even with the modern control system. Using her pistols, or an assortment of additional weaponry, Lara can take aim and shoot the local wildlife. Newly found dinosaurs? Prepare to be extinct once more! Some slightly aggressive Dobermans? Take a bullet to the brain! Handful of spiders? Blammo! Lara is an archeologist, and it’s clear that she keen on making all living things ancient history.
Unfortunately the combat just doesn’t work very well, mainly because moving around and aiming can be a real pain in the ass at the best of times. Even though she is able to lock onto creatures to take them out, maintaining a lock whilst avoiding being hit can be near impossible at times. You are able to perform an awkward side and back flip, which helps a great deal, but doing so with the modern control scheme is pretty tough – especially under pressure. Combat is slightly easier with the default controls, but then tank movement will no doubt be a bad payoff for people who aren’t used to them.
Regardless of these issues, the remasters still do a pretty good job at bringing the original trilogy to modern platforms. There are issues, whether it be the controls or the dreadful camera, but fans will no doubt still have a lot of fun revisiting the classics. It may not be a massive overhaul, like Tomb Raider Anniversary, but it still feels good enough to feel like a faithful update.
VERDICT
Fans of the classic Tomb Raider titles should be happy with how these remasters have turned out. The visuals are mostly well done, with only some minor grievances, and the controls are also reasonably functional too. Not everything may be perfect, and certain elements haven’t aged all that well, but I think Aspyr have still done a great job overall. Hopefully we end up seeing more remasters further down the line for both Tomb Raider and other beloved franchises.
Recent Comments