Tomb Raider (PlayStation) Review

While it's no wonder that many were focused on Lara Croft's physique, and especially her - then - enormous pyramid tatas the real star of Tomb Raider has always been the engrossing feeling of isolation, the excitement of exploring uncharted territory, and of course, the challenge of doing so. Sure, the disc’s cover was an invitation to hormone-frenzied teens but blame the marketing department of Eidos for that. Yes, the original Lady Croft was quite the main lead. Controversial? Yes, for… some reason, but she was a perfect specimen of good ol' old-old-school greatness; cool, striking, and iconic instead of mundane and "realistic," and deprived of any expository backstory. Contrary to media-fuelled popular belief, Lara was loved by the vast majority of girls back then, as she looked great, was smart, but most importantly was a total badass rather than a damsel in distress. The first iteration of Lara was and forever will be, one of the greatest heroines in the world of gaming.

At its heart, this was nothing more than a fascinating archaeology adventure, just like the original team of developers intended. So, if in search for something action-packed this isn’t it. Whether against a pack of wolves, a dinosaur, or a freaking mutant, mummified zombie (what you’ve read), all gunfights make it crystal clear that this isn’t really a shooter. Thankfully, this isn’t the main thing here. Tomb Raider is at its best when you make that jump, find that key, open that big door, and find yourself gazing upon a gargantuan underground lake, with the base of the two titanic statues that are in the water being lost in the darkness below.

Yes, this is very, very old. Everything is blocky, the textures are ultra low-res, the PlayStation can barely handle what it has to render and as such must hide much of it behind a black veil… and yet this might probably be the best-looking game in the franchise (again, what you’ve read), because, at the end of the day, it matters not how many polygons a scene is made out of, but what said scene makes you feel; whether it engrosses you into its world or not. Sure, the most recent entry in the series probably has hyper-realistic weather effects, 4K textures, and Lara’s hair alone needs more CPU juice than the entirety of the original game… but does it have the flawless atmosphere of this 1996 relic?

The plot revolves around the hunt for a bunch of ancient artefacts, which seem to be connected to the fabled land of Atlantis. It is a nice and simple treasure hunt, without much complexity or deep lore behind it, despite some nice surprises near the end - and it works like a dream as it doesn’t waste too much of the player’s time. The pre-rendered cut-scenes are archaic, yet have a unique charm of their own, and are basically small rewards given to you after the end of a chapter. In the few in-game cut-scenes one can enjoy Lara at her best, with her quick wit, sarcasm, fearless spirit, and adventurous demeanour making her look like a female James Bond - without the constant flirting, that is.

Other than that Tomb Raider revolves around exploration, platforming, puzzle-solving, and a little bit of action. At its core it is a 3D version of 1989’s Prince of Persia, with Lara having to carefully plan her acrobatics, since levels are built around a grid, which in turn means that one can precisely calculate from where (and how) to jump in order to reach a distant platform. Note that since this uses tank controls, moving around needs some getting used to. Are the controls awful as many think they are? No, it's just that patience is the name of the game here… after all, this was never supposed to be a run-and-jump platformer the likes of, say, Crash Bandicoot.

Yes, this can be quite the difficult ordeal, but it’s mostly about examining the world, and deciding where and when to do what. After looking around and taking enough mental notes, Lara just needs to carefully jump over "here," pull a lever that opens a path "there," push a block in order to reach a key "up there," and kill a bunch of wild animals while repeating the whole thing for 15 levels. Is being a daredevil that shoots wolves in her spare time all there is to do here? No, because this is an adventure; and adventure means puzzles.

Puzzle-solving is something that helps quite a lot with offering the experience that Tomb Raider wants to offer. Unlike most entries in the series that focus more on gunplay, this leans towards the mysterious side of braving an ancient dungeon, and as such, you feel as an actual explorer, instead of just another action hero. Now, the puzzles aren’t that tough, as even the most cryptic ones need a little bit of thinking out of the box to solve, but it’s nice that jumping around isn’t all there is to do. If there is a flaw here it is actually how there aren’t enough puzzles, with the game overusing the “find X number of key items to progress” video game trope. Sadly, there are bigger problems than this…

Most puzzles, as well as some very challenging jumps, will require a bit of experimentation… but experimentation in a title that demands being extremely cautious not to make a wrong step and die is not exactly a good idea - which leads to the reason behind Tomb Raider's high difficulty: the save system. Sure, the camera, as well as the tank controls, can be a pain every now and then, but the main issue here is that you aren’t allowed to save whenever you want, like in the PC port, or the sequel. Progress can only be recorded on certain crystals that behave as checkpoints. On one hand it’s good that there are no infinite saves at the player’s hand, as this would kind of ruin the tension. The problem is that maps can take up to 30-40 minutes, are filled with dangers of all kinds, and these saving crystals aren't exactly abundant.

This restrictive progress recording system leads to a constant feeling of anxiety. Players are under the pressure of having to choose between saving the moment such a crystal is found or wasting a few more minutes searching around before doing so, with the risk of losing a lot of progress. This can also discourage some from searching for secrets, as these frequently require going off the beaten path and making some dangerous acrobatics. In the first, oh, eight or so levels that isn’t that big of a deal, yet the last stretch can be quite painful, with the last three maps leaning more towards aggravation rather than challenge.

In conclusion, no, this isn't quite the masterpiece that many thought it was back then… but it's still enjoyable, and, despite its many flaws, hasn't aged that bad, and that because of the things that always mattered the most in the franchise: boobi… err, level design. Apart from the maps having a nice balance between semi-open regions and claustrophobic, trap-filled corridors, the learning curve is better, whereas the two next entries demand veteran-level skill from the very first chapter. The levels available also feel more… well, Tomb Raider, if that makes any sense. Far away from civilization, without much interference from other humans. Is everything perfect? No. Level length is somewhat inconsistent, with some overstaying their welcome. Generally, the campaign would be better with two or three less maps.

In the end, whether it's Silent Hill, Resident Evil, or Uncharted, gameplay in action-adventures is only half of the equation, with immersion being the other half. Tomb Raider does a fine job at that, looking beautiful in all its pixelated glory while at it, with a variety of levels ranging from caves, dungeons, and temples, to even more bizarre locales, and while the - magnificent - music rarely makes an appearance, it's great and manages to enhance the atmosphere by tenfold when that happens. Generally, while not a flawless gem, this title remains a classic, and deserves a couple of looks, even after all these years. Do yourself a favour and try it out.