Tomb Raider IV - VI Remastered

Valentine’s Day has been and gone, and we gamers have been given the best romantic present that could be asked for. No, I’m not talking about touching grass here, but rather a brand-new Remaster from Aspyr and Saber Interactive. Yep, we got another dose of classic, Core Design Tomb Raider, the last three games they made before their sad demise in 2006. Tomb Raider I – III Remaster was a beautiful revival of the class trilogy, arguably, we have a gorgeous revival of the most controversial Tomb Raider games from the classic era. But with this remaster’s improvements and visual upgrade, be considered even better than the original trilogy?

… No, but they’re still pretty darn great…. Despite some anger felt from playing Angel of Darkness once again.


More riding, raiding, and misbehaving in 4K!

So, right out the gate, I’ll say it … The original trilogy is supreme, even with the 3rd game's worst levels, it still is stellar compared to two of the three games in this collection. But Tomb Raider Revelations, Chronicles, and even Angel of Darkness, all offer something worthy to the early days of the franchise.

Revelations was meant to be the bittersweet swansong for Lara, but then we got Chronicles, a collection of interesting historical snippets of Lara’s past, and unseen adventures, and overall, the game is fine. It suffers from overly simple lateral elements, clunky level design, and bugs. But introduced some neat ideas and varied gameplay elements. Then there’s Angel of Darkness … oh.

This game was hyped, and as a young Tomb Raider fan, waiting the 3 years between Chronicles this was murder. But it was meant to be worth the long wait, as the game had varied, compelling gameplay, lots of cool dynamics, features and moves for Lara, and all on the next-gen console at the time … and it was underwhelming to say the least, or more a flawed game which had so much potential.

Now we can play all of these games in a glorious, remastered package, with various fixes, graphical improvements and previously cut content restored. Honestly, at the end of the day, it’s amazing these games have been given a second chance, with a brand new visual lift, and in the case of AOD, previous cut content which while not fixing it outright, is a brilliant way to refine much of the context, and add in some nice surprises.

Visually speaking, Revelations, and Chronicles have the most noticeable upgrade, seeing as there is a 25-year gap between then and now. The overhaul is impressive, and generally for the most part, faithful, and stunning. Most of all, I loved the new additions added to bring more life and substance to the world-building. One of my favourites was in the Chronicle’s last Rome level, the Colosseum, where new wall décor has been added, with wall graves containing bones and other bits lining up as you make your way through. Revelations also get a staggering amount of redesign, with murals, and cravings standing out in an unbelievable comparison. And all the Indiana Jones references they added for a good laugh. Even in Chronicle’s opening level now has Lara’s blue dress hanging up after she escaped from the opera shootout. It’s so damn attentive and neat, I love it.  

You can switch back and forth between the old and new graphics, and it is quite frankly chalk and cheese, or night and day, or DOOM 2 to 3. The striking contrast shows how far we’ve come, and while it’s easy to dismiss the newer version just because it’s new, the recreation is incredibly faithful, adding in only what is needed, with massive textures, environmental effects, and much more.

I will acknowledge that the lighting in Revelations can be a little annoying, as a lot of areas can be overly dark, bathed in shadows, and deep, intense colours. Much of Revelations is set within damp, dark tombs so I guess that does make sense. But the main game which could’ve had more love in its visuals and sound department is AOD.

Now, don’t get me wrong. There are worthy additions and new character models which generally are nice. Lara looks better, Kurt looks better, and some other bits and people do too. But overall, AOD looks pretty much the same, and I swear some models have not been updated at all! It’s noticeable as some characters look so detailed and perfectly redesigned, and others look ultra smooth and squishy, and when switching back between graphics, they don’t change at all.

Some textures and effects weren’t as good as the original version of AOD, with again, some overcompensating with lighting and colour saturation. And honestly, this could have been a perfect chance to include some more of the original vision of the game. Early on Lara finds herself in a Paris ghetto, and it’s early morning. It looks fine but is ultra quiet and a little dull for scenery and atmosphere. Now you can find it online, but the ghetto was meant to be set late at night, be raining, and it looks and feels so much intense and better. It also makes logical sense why people aren’t about it and just feels more appropriate to the tone. But that also had a few issues too, and the released version was during the day.

So there’s no real fault there. But the missing sound effects, or lack of music in some areas is bad … now either these were never recovered, or never replaced during the remastering, or it never came to anyone to add some extra sounds in to bump up the ambience. AOD does suffer as both Revelations and Chronicles look and sound fantastic.  

And to be fair, AOD while lacking in the visual improvements, does include a lot of small, but meaningful cut content. Such as cut lines of dialogue, Lara is now able to dual-wield pistols, cover shooting, and even very small things such as eye movements, all adding up to an impressive amount of work and craft going into bringing AOD back for modern gen. Even having purchasable items makes a huge difference, and while the second half is still lacking any form of shop, meaning you’ll carry useless items and money around until the end, at least you can buy resources at some point.

Aside from the visual overhaul are some genuinely brilliant quality-of-life inclusions, such as of course, modern controls which make playing these ultra-better in some areas. Interestingly enough, some of Lara’s moves from AOD are in Revelations, which is cool and useful!

But the modern controls do make AOD a tat more bearable, especially in certain tricky areas (more on that later). The photo mode makes an awesome return, and even a new game-plus feature, making all the games even harder than before! And while I still yearn for a documentary bonus detailing all the games (like we had in the Tetris Forever collection), what we have provided is immensely excellent.

The modern controls are nice, and for large parts of all my playthroughs, I did use modern controls as they are better and refined from the previous remastered collection. The photo mode is a nice return, and the new increased difficulty via New Game Plus is an addition I didn’t know I wanted, but glad to have it!


Raider Reviewing

Okay, it’s time to review each game in a short, sweet summary, here we go!


Tomb Raider 4: The Last Revelation

Now Tomb Raider 4 was a massive deal back in 1999. I was hyped, my friends were hyped, and my friends who didn’t even like Tomb Raider were hyped. And hearing that Lara might die was shocking and unbelievable to my ten-year-old brain. My fondest Tomb Raider experience was with Revelations, as it was a game I played with my mum, she would read through the guides in PlayStation magazines, and I would play. I love this game, and while there are problems with it still, Revelations is a magnificent game.

Set in Egypt, Lara manages to bugger things royally by unleashing an evil Demi-God known as Sett from his slumbering prison. The end of days is nigh, and Lara has to right the wrongs she caused. This is not a globe-trotting adventure, but one which takes her through the most iconic locations in Egypt to save the day. We learn more about Lara’s past as an old friend reappears to take hold of the ultimate prize, before being possessed by Sett, we meet other allies of Lara, and there is a nice theme of tampering with the unknown for fame and glory, only to have it spit in your face and lead to the end of the world.

Story-wise, Tomb Raider 4 is the best with the most interesting backstory, pacing, and some great characters for the series showing up here. It’s a true epic that takes us through a rollercoaster of emotions, set-pieces, and an end which truly did leave us speechless back in the day.

Mechanically the game is very dead on similar to the previous 3, with some new moves, new animations allowing us to see characters' mouths move (trust me, it was a big deal back then), and much grander locations and set pieces to enjoy. Some of the best levels in the series are here, with one of my favourites being the Dessert Railroad, a train level which was breathtaking back in 1999 and still holds up incredibly well now. There’s a good variety of levels, locations, enemies, and lateral elements to keep you invested, and the driving sections are also downright awesome.

My main issues are quite frankly, the length of the game. It’s way too long, and the 3rd act drags on and does become quite tedious. I don’t like the redesigned menus, and the rope-swinging mechanic can feel utterly broken at times. I do wish there were more weapons too, as TR 2, and 3 were impressive with their arsenals, and lastly, while I liked the story, I still say that TR1 was just perfect, with the depiction of Lara, and Shelly Blonde as the voice. Jonell Elliott does a good job, but in 4, she sounds very young, and as young Lara her voice is fine, but as older Lara, it didn’t sound right to me as a child, and now. But in TR6, she sounds perfect.

Aside from those gripes, TR4 is brilliant, and a worthy sequel, which demands respect and a place in our hearts.


Right…. Now for the other ones.


Tomb Raider: Chronicles

Chronicles is not a bad Tomb Raider or even a bad game in general. Again, I have fond memories of this and playing it again with the various fixes and quality of life changes, it does hold up well.

Chronicles takes us to the aftermath of Revelations, looking back at some of Lara’s greatest, unsung adventures. We see Lara obtain the Philosopher's Stone in Rome (Not Harry Potter related…), the Spear of Destiny from a sunken U-Boat, and the Iris from Revelations, which is in a high-security lab owned by Van Croy … and some random venture in Ireland where demons are stalking Lara. Yeah, Chronicles gets wild!

 So instead of a singular globetrotting adventure, is an anthology of adventures, which on paper sound amazing, but in execution is quite rough. Mechanically speaking, Chronicles is very familiar and doesn’t add much new stuff from Revelations. There are a variety of level designs and objectives. Rome is a typical Tomb Raider joyride, be it quite a simplified one. The quest for the Spear of Destiny takes Lara to Siberia, a submarine, and even venturing out onto the sea-bed in a diving suit, mixing up action, platforming, stealth and an intense set-piece where Lara has to escape a sinking submarine. Making this the most interesting chapter for me.

But then we get a younger Lara going to Ireland, and it’s trippy as b***s, as Lara encounters demons, ghosts, and a vibe that is straight up from a horror game. Thematically it’s amazing, but is limited elsewhere with combat, and platforming. In the remaster, it fairs better, but I feel that there was a great deal of potential missed here. But the vibes and visuals are amazing, and the remastered demons look insanely good. The last chapter focuses a lot on stealth, and platforming, and features cyborgs and a daring escape from a skyscraper under siege. This is again thematically brilliant, back in the day ruined by some notorious bugs. Thankfully these have been resolved and the level is much better, if not still a little annoying when it comes to fighting the cyborgs and some stealth sections. But the platforming and puzzles are enjoyable.

Overall …Chronicles is fine and aged well enough. Comparing it to all the other main games it is much weaker, but still has plenty of variety, charm, and cool ideas. I didn’t like the random fixed cameras, clunky switching between weapons, and overly simplified lateral elements in Rome though. But Chronicles is decent enough.


Okay … hold on to your butts!


Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness

Right, what to say about AOD? The hype was immense for this game, and as soon as it came out, that hype and hope died, especially for me, getting this for my birthday … it was not great when I finally played it. But even then, I could the potential and had hoped that one day, AOD would get some treatment to utilise the full vision.

And 22 years later, AOD is fine.

We see Lara after the events of Revelations, and she’s been framed for the murder of Von Croy. And now all of the Paris is hunting her down, as she tries to piece together Von Croy’s mad ramblings before his death, which takes her across Paris, to breaking into the Lauve, then heading to Prague to uncover an ancient mystery involving a hybrid species of Angels and Humans. Story-wise, AOD is fantastic, and while there are some massive gaps due to cut content, the plot and pacing are still engaging and a lot of fun. Lara and the supporting cast are so memorable and likeable in their ways and the fact Lara ventures to more urban landscapes is a nice change of pace.

Now for controls and gameplay, again it’s varied but not everything pays off. Controls were the biggest issue back in 2003, and modern controls do help out a lot here. Some sections are still a massive pain even with them on, like The Hall of Seasons, but generally the platforming fairs better … but can still be massively frustrating.

The gunplay is clunky, and a little tedious, but there are some amazing set-pieces including the siege on the Lauve, and where Lara has to face a hitman (not 47), in Von Croy’s apartment. I like the open sections in Prague and Paris, with Paris having the major highlights for the dialogue exchanges with NPCs, multiple choices during certain missions, and treasure hunting is a lot of fun.

The biggest issue I had was that the tomb stuff was not all that good … As Core Design worked on a grid-based system for the level design, going more three-dimensional and removing the grid was overwhelming for them when it came to the tomb sections. The urban areas, the chases, and the exploration are fantastic, with one level I wished was expanded upon, being a mansion filled with trick doors and secrets. But the actual tombs are quite dire at the worst of times.

Oh, and the strength mechanic is just utter nonsense. Having to become stronger to open a door, or push a box, by opening another door, or pushing another kind of box is just silly, silly, silly nonsense. And the stamina meter just restricted and ruined the platforming overall aside from two moments where it was quite tense and enthralling. But otherwise, these were poor concepts.

AOD still suffers from plot holes, a fair bit of jank, and other issues from the original version where your inventory will be piled up with useless tat you don’t need … but again, AOD is much better now, and with some restored cut content, it’s nice for a fan like me to revisit it. However, I do feel AOD should have been completely remade, as it’s still clunky, and even with the remaster doesn’t amount to the full potential. But I’m glad it was given another chance, and it’s a good revival nonetheless. AOD is vastly different from previous games and I admire that, I love the urban exploration, the interaction with characters and the imperfect story, but much else is left to be desired for, in 2003, and 2025.


Overall?

Outright, these are the lower end of the classic Tomb Raider chart, with Revelations being the main exception, as I think this stands high with the first game. But, these are still worthy games for any Tomb Raider fan to enjoy and own. The remasters are again masterful, with a lot of love and craft being put into the restoration of these classics for the new age. I feel AOD should have been fully remade, but the inclusion of cut content makes up for the lack of visual upgrades. The quality-of-life inclusions and small touches make a big impact, making these games more accessible, flexible and approachable for young and old fans.

While not the best of the bunch, I feel that these games were and are still far more approachable than the original trilogy, with lots of interesting ideas, that may not work all the time but playing them all again my respect was revitalised. And I can confirm that Revelations is just a brilliant game if not a little overly long.

As for the next bunch of remasters, for Legend to Underworld … there is no need. You can play these games via a good deal of platforms, including the Xbox backwards compatibility way.

What would be amazing is either a remake of AOD or bringing us the lost version of the 10th game in the series, which then became the reboot.

As for these remaster collections, they are well worth obtaining, and I look forward to seeing other classics get the same treatment soon.

+++ Beautifully remastered, and given new life and depth with cool inclusions and visual upgrades
++ New quality-of-life inclusions make all three games approachable and flexible
+ While not the best of the bunch (aside from 4), these are vastly more interesting, varied, and still compelling Tomb Raider games
+ A lot (not all) of cut content has been added to AOD which makes it better than before

-- AOD visual upgrade is lacking, and the game should have just been remade
- Lack of behind-the-scenes stuff which would have been nice
- Some small changes in the upgrades are objectively lacking


The Tomb Raider 4 – 6 Remastered collection was kindly provided by the publisher for this review.