The original Tomb Raider games were pretty wild - and here's why

It’s only a couple of weeks now until the Tomb Raider I – III Remaster is out for Xbox, PC, and PlayStation, and we can’t wait. In the meantime we’ve wanted to give an insight into all three classic games, and what newcomers and potential new fans can expect. As an old man who played all the Tomb Raider games back in the day (the glorious 1990s), and having replayed them again recently, I must admit, these are some insanely wild games!

Tomb Raider I – III are indeed fantastic globetrotting adventure games with a beautiful and kick-ass hero, who ventures to Egypt, China, Italy, and even the bottom of the ocean to look for treasure. But each of these games haad some crazy moments, story beats and aesthetic choices that do make them vastly more remarkable. From cosmic horror, fighting pre-historic monsters, touches of the macabre and fighting a kid who wields submachine guns while rolling around on a skateboard …. The 90s were a ridiculous time.

Now I would say to new fans that it’s best to go in blind as much as possible, but as these games have been out for nearly 30 years, you may know or have heard of this stuff already. Or those who want to know a bit more of the bats**t stuff, then read on.

From here on, there are minor spoilers on story beats, locations, and some inner gameplay details.


Tomb Raider I is a good old adventure …. Until the cosmic horror stuff kicks in




The first Tomb Raider from the outset is a classic globetrotting adventure, akin to Indiana Jones… until the flesh temple appears.

We’re introduced to our hero Lara Croft, who has been tasked with finding a relic known as the Scion by a rather sinister seeming Jacqueline Natla. Lara agrees to find the relic and ventures off to Peru, Egypt, Greece, and the famous lost city of Atlantis which looks less like an ancient Greek city, and more like something from Clive Barker’s nightmares.

Not to go too far into spoilers, but Atlantis is set up to be far from the romanticised telling of scholars and more of a depraved, corrupted nest of evil which does tie into the main story, and a gnarly late-game revelation. The walls, floors and everything in between are made from flesh, bone and other organic materials, which also house hundreds of mutated creatures ripped straight from the cosmos.

This is a fascinating stylistic choice, that truly makes this version of Atlantis very memorable whether you love or hate it. Especially compared to the remake which strips away the weird aesthetics for something much safer.

Tomb Raider’s interpretation of Atlantis is rather unsettling, but utterly gripping and harrowing at every step of the venture. This plays into the idea that not every forgotten or lost kingdom is idyllic, or golden, but instead, be something far more disturbing and otherworldly.  

Oh, and there is indeed some cheesy old 90’s fluff/naff with one boss being a thug on a skateboard …. Pure 90’s edge!


Tomb Raider II has some darkly thrilling set pieces and supernatural twists




Tomb Raider II decided to step back from the cosmic horror (just a tad) and bring us a more grounded adventure for Lara. Which also featured a dragon and some otherworldly elements for good measure.

Much of Lara’s second grand adventure takes her to plenty of grounded, yet compelling locations, and only to present the wilder side for the endgame. Including a phenomenal-looking level which features floating islands made of jade, that are home to brutish warriors who float in mid-air.

But what makes Tomb Raider 2 so unnervingly intimidating are moments such as the home invasion, where Lara must fend off a group of crazed cultists in her expansive manor home. It’s rather unsettling as a home invasion is something we can all relate to, and seeing it happen to Lara Croft at her massive home in the middle of the night is utterly chilling. Lara can fend for herself, but traversing the manor in the dead of night, with armed goons everywhere still scares me, but is also a thrilling set piece to end the game on.

Then there are also those underwater sections which often put Lara on the brink of death, with very little light and hope. Again, being trapped in the ocean is a rather terrifying idea, so imagine being at the bottom of it, exploring a shipwreck where hundreds of people died. Again, unsettling.

And I can’t forget the screaming yetis and their blood-red eyes, who linger within the Ice Palace and The Catacombs of the Talion, lurking in the dark and awaiting Lara to approach for a devastating and violent ambush.

Tomb Raider II definitely earns its spooky points and wears them proudly, and while not as weird as Tomb Raider I’s temple of flesh, it still manages to create a highly memorable adventure unlike no other.

And then there’s Tomb Raider III ….


Did John Carpenter direct Tomb Raider III?




Tomb Raider III set the bar high for the series, with improved visuals, some cool dynamics, brilliant level design and some of the darkest moments in the entire franchise. Only to be outdone by the Tomb Raider reboot in 2013.

Aside from the immense physical darkness in the game that adds a thick layer of tension and dread on most levels, the atmosphere, and thematic elements in Tomb Raider III are often downright horror-focused and creepy.

Tomb Raider III wastes no one’s time by introducing us to a creepy jungle, filled with dark pits, king cobras and murderous statues that come to life.

But things only get much more surreal from there as Lara visits Area 51, seeing the remains of alien life forms and other government experiments which are terrifying. Then Lara’s visit to London reveals a strange conspiracy that has created a gathering of undead homeless people, victims of experimentation for everlasting beauty by the villainess Sophia Leigh.

But wait! THERE’S MORE!

Throw in a tribe of cannibals in the South Pacific, a valley of dinosaurs that want nothing more than to nom, nom, nom Lara Croft, and there are also the mutants and cosmic horror vibes returning once again.

Lara’s venture into the dark and sinister side of Antarctica resembles something akin to John Carpenter’s The Thing and these levels are immensely scary, with acid-spitting mutants, guys with flamethrowers, and a few jump scares in darkness-engulfed caves that will surely leave you with spoiled pants...

Tomb Raider III is a mad ride, infusing plenty of horror elements, and thematic tidings of the macabre, and oozes with cosmic goodness that we can’t help but love it. While it is also insanely difficult and crushing at times, the visual presentation and spooky factors are worth the hardship. As this all produces some of the best levels, puzzles, and action set-pieces out of all three games.


All I want for Christmas is my very own T-Rex!




Oh man, I do miss not being able to shoot dinosaurs in the recent incarnations of Tomb Raider. I get these moments are pretty much jumping the megalodon shark, but encountering a T-Rex or two were always massive highlights, and some of the best moments in the entire franchise! The 90s were a prime time for dinosaurs, with the popularity of Jurassic Park hyping up the pre-historic beasts for kids and adults alike.

These encounters are intense, frightening and for a second game, a well-hidden surprise that catches you off guard. I love the fact that Lara can face off against gigantic pre-historic beasts and do it in bada** style.

I find it disheartening that the recent games never include these dino moments, so seeing them again in the remaster will surely be an excellent long-awaited treat. But these are something that feels very 90s and is wild compared to the recent games.



These games want you dead ….




For those who may have not played the original games before, but have played the recent reboot and Crystal Dynamics titles, you are in for a treat …. As the old games just want you dead.

Compared to the recent games, the original trilogy is hardcore and lacks any hand-holding, guidance and some of the quality-of-life features we take for granted nowadays.

There are so many traps, tricks, deadly drops, and complex level designs, that one wrong step can end you within seconds. All games, especially the third, have many moments of trial and error, visual trickery and plain death traps that come from nowhere. Core design managed to the fine line, and for the most part, all their sucker punches and tricks are amusing, and after time, you will learn to prepare for them. These were also games that let you figure the solution out for yourself, only giving you a quick glimpse of an item or point of interest, and the rest was up to you.

While I appreciate the lack of hand-holding, there are modern features which if included in the original games, would have made them much better and user-friendly. Tomb Raider’s tank controls aren’t for everyone, and even for a lot of gaming veterans, they’re clunky and a pain in the butt during the more hectic moments.

But I feel the most important change to come with the remaster would be a save system which you can use at any time, and not have a manual save system. This will ease in new players to the many, many sucker punch moments, and more difficult combat encounters and platforming sections. And the numerous climbable surfaces which aren’t distinctive that they’re climbable.

These are games which want you dead, more so than any Dark Souls title.


We can’t wait to replay them all again in the remaster


Overall, these are the reasons (among many others) why we’re so darn excited to replay all three classic Tomb Raider titles in a beautifully remastered state. But above all, the remaster will allow everyone else, including those who’ve never played the original three Tomb Raider games before, in the best way possible. We love these games dearly and are absolute classics which stand proud among other masterpieces such as Resident Evil 2, Soul Reaver, Spyro the Dragon, and Final Fantasy 9.

We're excited about the upcoming Tomb Raider I - III remaster, as we want to relive all these classic games in the best way possible. Tomb Raider I - III Remaster is now available to pre-order for Playstation, Xbox and PC for a respectable £22.49 / $26.99, considering we're getting 3 great games fully remastered. The remaster will be launching for Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on February 14th.