Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris Review (PC)

The Tomb Raider franchise may have turned its protagonist, Lara Croft, into a household name, but the actual titles have delivered rocky performances over the years, ranging from stellar and inspiring to lackluster and disappointing.

Before the impressive Tomb Raider reboot launched back in 2012, developer Crystal Dynamics tried its hand at a different kind of experience in the series, in the form of Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, which delivered an isometric, cooperative-focused experience.

The title became a cult hit and now the studio is back with Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, which promises even more impressive adventures starring the famous tomb raider, not to mention a few other characters to enable the four-player co-op mode.

Can this new title live up to the legacy or should the temple be abandoned? Let's find out.

Story

Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, as its name suggests, has an Egyptian theme, as it focuses on the adventures of Lara Croft and one of her rivals, Carter, as they race to find a mythical object once owned by the god Osiris. Unfortunately, while interacting with it, they manage to resurrect quite a few other gods, starting with Osiris' wife, Isis, and his son, Horus, not to mention his brother and rival, Set.

As you can imagine, Set wants to escape from the underworld and uses his minions to stop Lara, Carter, Isis, and Horus from reassembling a statue of Osiris, the only god that can make sure Set is stopped from completing his dastardly plan.

The actual adventure is pretty good and features a few tongue-in-cheek moments that keep everything lighthearted, even if the fate of the world actually depends on the actions of the players. However, don't expect a rather satisfying conclusion, and similarly don't expect to spend that much time focusing on the story campaign, as it ends in about four to five hours, depending on whether or not you tackle optional challenge tombs.

Complete puzzles

Gameplay

Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris doesn't stray away from the mechanics employed by Guardian of Light, as it once again delivers a twin-stick shooter experience seen from an isometric view in which players must not only shoot enemies but also solve puzzles and complete challenges.

Lara, Carter, Isis, and Horus are the playable characters and the game adjusts on the fly depending on how many people there are in the actual session. This time around, there's a slightly more fleshed out customization system, as players can hold several weapons and even a powerful ancient staff, not to mention two rings, an amulet, and a set of clothing.

As you progress through the game, you need to collect gems, which can be spent on opening chests scattered across the tombs and the game's hub-like center. The more a chest costs to unlock, the more chances you have at receiving better gear. At first, some of the objects come with advantages or disadvantages, but as you unlock rarer things, you start getting more and more perks.

While the actual shooting and exploring doesn't sway from the recipe of the previous title, they still feel a bit awkward, depending on what control input you use. If you use the mouse and keyboard, you'll certainly grow frustrated with the imprecise movement system, while using a controller makes you notice the shoddy aiming and firing of your guns.

The puzzles are well designed and require plenty of different efforts, from jumping on things to sitting on buttons, lighting torches and rolling giant balls around, and more. As you progress, you also get to use the beam of your ancient scepter to nullify Set's remnants in the tombs by bouncing it around using mirrors and other things.

While in the regular tombs, the puzzles are of an average difficulty, and in the optional challenge ones they are a bit tougher but also provide better rewards, such as new weapons, powerups, and more. These challenge tombs are also trickier to reach and will sometimes require different weather effects, which are employed by Set during the campaign or turned on by you after you complete the story.

Enemies are pretty varied, ranging from skeletons and undead to bipedal crocodiles or explosive scarabs. There are also quite a few boss fights that require clever thinking, great reflexes, and cooperation, if you're playing with someone else.

Multiplayer

Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris is pretty fun alone, as you get to wield all the different gadgets and weapons, but it's certainly much more fun with others. Once more people join the match, the game modifies the puzzles and requires a bit more cooperation from players.

The title can be played by up to four players both locally and online, or even a combination of both. Bear in mind that your friendship might be tested in some intense situations, such as boss fights, which require a lot of patience and cooperation.

Also remember that there are some glitches when playing with others online, such as items that don't pop up or lag that causes some actions to disjoint and result in failure.

Visuals and Sound

The game looks pretty good, but it won't exactly blow you away. The camera has a habit of zooming out a lot during certain sequences and this causes you to lose track or barely follow what's going on in the actual level. The character models are decent, but some textures are a bit lackluster. The textures and animations are also nice, but you might encounter a few issues of clipping through objects.

The soundtrack is alright and the voice acting is pretty well done, although some interactions between the two explorers and the two Egyptian gods sound forced, to say the least, or don't match in tone.

The Good

The Bad

Conclusion

Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris is a fun experience that shines when played alone but also with a few friends. Bear in mind that cooperation is key and you might need some time before you get accustomed to the problematic controls.

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