14 DAY TRIAL // 
The original Tomb Raider is one of the few videogames that truly became larger than life, Lara Croft inspiring comics, cartoons, movies, merchandising and a whole generation of gamers. In a world that was not constrained by being politically correct, the hero of the game was the perfect mix of a female archeologist, a sex symbol and a modern-day grave robber, with a dash of elegance sprinkled on top.
But after the success of the first three games, the franchise saw a decline, had its fair share of controversies and after a long winding journey landed in the inventory of Square Enix. The Japanese publisher tried to reimagine and remodel Lara into a new kind of hero, a young lady built on modern day expectations. The result was a trilogy, with highs and lows that served as yet another proof that the publisher did not really understand what fans expected from the western made IP’s that it acquired.
As a result, the legendary franchise ended up along with other heavy hitters such as Deus Ex at Embracer Group, who now owns Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal. The takeover brought mixed results, news pouring in about layoffs, a cancelled Deus Ex game and strange plans for the future of Lara, including a tabletop RPG. But coming back to the present, Aspyr Media got a chance to work on a dream project.
No, not a new game that builds on the legacy of the original vision for Lady Croft, but a remaster of the first three Tomb Raider games. Many longtime fans will admit that although this new collection tickles their nostalgia, it is not the true object of their desire. Still, in a much better situation than Adam Jensen, Lara returned with a much more modern graphical presentation and a new control scheme meant to replace the old tank controls.
Despite the spit shine treatment, the big question that arises if a an almost 28 years old game and its two sequels are still relevant today? The answer unfortunately is no. There was already an attempt to restore the glory of the first game through the Anniversary edition, that was not a surgical intervention, but a true attempt to fully modernize the first episode. Although it had its merits and it received critical praise for being a step up compared to Tomb Raider Legend, it still remains among the worst-selling games of the franchise.
So, what chance does a simple remaster have compared to a remake that had plenty of effort, care and resources invested in it? As proven time and time again, it doesn’t matter for the publishers that try to use the nostalgia factor as a shortcut in our wallets. And although I have hoped that this cash grab attempt will bring some positive results, I have to admit that despite the visual upgrades and a modern control scheme, this remaster feels archaic in 2024.
This is due to the fact that the developers changed nothing else in the recipe of the game, except the graphics and the control. The game design, the level design, the animations, the pace, the cutscenes are all the same. There are no features to make your life easier like autosave or an easier to use UI, the camera is still all over the place, and the new graphical upgrades make collision detection a bad joke. If we are to compare the new Tomb Raider I to the Anniversary released 17 years ago, the whole experience is a lot chunkier and much less refined.
It is clear that the developers wanted to be as close to the source material as possible, but that means that instead of offering a modern approach and a satisfying experience they got swamped in the old ways of the game. For example, there is a huge difference between the original tank controls and the new modern control scheme. While the old one seems almost impossible for modern players to handle, it has its own fluidity and a precision that the updated control scheme lacks.
In part, this is due to the fact that the physics system suffered no change and was not adapted to the changes of the remaster. As a result, the collision detection system is on the fritz, small spiders for example walking through the floor like they have no clipping cheat codes activated. Similarly, the lack of sync with the modern control scheme becomes painfully obvious when it comes to the various jumps Lara needs to execute. Not all of them require a running start, some need much more finesse, which seems to have eluded the developers.
What works commendably in Tomb Raider I-III Remastered is the graphical touch up. The developers managed to preserve the retro feeling of the games, while making Lara more curvy and less pointy. We have new light maps, more detailed textures and many other details that bring the levels to life. Now the game looks exactly as the fans remember it, and not how it actually looked. You can check the proof of this phenomena with a simple push of a button, allowing you to switch between the modern visuals and the original PS1 style.
The audio part of the game was remastered as well, the dialogues becoming easier to understand, while the sound effects are sharper. The soundtrack is completely unchanged. Including the odd mixing choices when a musical score stops as abruptly as it started. Also, the cutscenes, both acoustically and visually, are akin to the wrinkles on the face of an old lady and show the real age of these three games.
The Good
- New graphics that keep the original atmosphere
- Remastered audio
- Modern control scheme
The Bad
- Archaic overall feeling
- Camera control issues
- Unchanged animations and physics
Conclusion
But after playing through the remastered trilogy, I have to admit that my memories about the game were romanticized compared to reality. The gameplay and level design that worked over two decades ago, today feel dated and clunky. Tomb Raider I-III Remastered is hard to recommend for anyone but the hardcore fans of the series.
Review key provided by the publisher.
