Tankin’ ain’t easy
They simply do not make games like the original Tomb Raider anymore. I was a teenager when the first game launched and I spent an entire weekend with a friend navigating its grid-based mazes unable to put the controller down. With this new collection, revisiting these games has been an immense treat. The tank controls, the music cues, the sense of exploration and wonder are all highlights of a franchise that lost its way before being redeemed so many years later. These games are built differently. They do not hold your hand, they are unforgiving, and most of all take patience and dedication to get into them, but when you finally do, there is no feeling quite like it.
This collection packs the first three games into one neat package with a bunch of upgrades and bells and whistles. The original is by far the biggest nostalgia grab for me, but the second and third games definitely hold their own. Right off the bat the package spoke to me. The menus have been recreated just as they were complete with the music and sound effects. It was like putting on my favorite hoodie. Let’s kick off with all that has been added.
MSRP: $29.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, Switch, PC
Price I’d Pay: $29.99
The biggest change comes in the form of the graphics. All three games have been reworked to include high-res textures and new assets to flesh out the world. One thing I love in any game like this is that the developers have added the ability to swap back to the classic visuals with the press of a button. This is also included on the menus for full nostalgia overload. Now, these are not the exact visuals, I could tell some things have been altered, but even dropping it down to 30fps really drove home the changes they made. The worlds look and feel like I remember, but a quick press of a button and I could see how far they have come. I love this stuff.
The original tank controls are here and the game and world are designed with that in mind. They have also added what they call “modern” controls for those more used to games of today. These feel more akin to the first Crystal Dynamics games we got on Xbox 360. I actually had a hard time adapting to them as the world is designed where players have to line up every single jump with precision. The original Tomb Raider games were more about exploration and precision platforming than anything else. Lara rarely ran into enemies like the new games, and instead the challenge came from navigating these worlds. There are no markers, arrows, or yellow paint to tell you where to climb, it is all up to the player. The musical and audio cues also help lead the way, it is just such a fantastic experience.
The modern controls almost feel like they cause more problems than they solve. I was constantly having to wrestle the camera or run at jumps instead of lining them up. I highly suggest adapting to the tank controls, this is a game designed around them and they work so much better than the modern controls when it matters.
A couple of things that stuck out that bothered me. First up is that the saving function is tricky. You can save anywhere, but you have to call up a menu. Be careful though as the first option is to load your saved game and it does not ask if you are sure. The ONE time I would have preferred that it did, and I lost like 20 mins of progress. I wish there was a quick save option to avert this crisis. Also when swapping back to classic visuals, the 30fps has some horrendous frame pacing issues. This makes it feel choppier than it should. Not unplayable, but it still hinders the experience for those wanting those juicy pixel animations.
All three games running in the new mode are flawless though. I played through a decent chunk of each title and never saw a drop in frames. This game feels fantastic at 60fps. It also carries this to every single platform. Even the Switch version is locked at 60, which means big boy consoles are maxing out 4K 60fps and it is glorious. The game looks and feels fantastic.
Tomb Raider Remastered is a fantastic collection that checks all the right boxes. I adored these games and revisiting them has been a treat. I cannot recommend this collection enough if you are like me and have nostalgia for those original titles. They just don’t make them like this anymore. The sense of wonder and exploration mixed with the subtle music cues and adventure are truly unmatched. It was great revisiting these and I hope the next game in the series takes a few notes from the ones that started it all.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
