Thanks to Aspyr, Crystal Dynamics, and 28 years of history, Lara Croft, our favourite adventurer, has been brought back with a remastered definitive edition, or, as the title suggests, Tomb Raider I-III Remastered. The remastered collection is the original three games that many grew up with, though unfortunately, the first one was released a year before I was born. The collection contains Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider II, and Tomb Raider III, but it doesn’t stop with that. All three titles include their respective standalone expansions, making it incredible value for fans of the Tomb Raider franchise. 

Launching the game, you are offered two options: You can explore Lara’s house, which might be exciting on your first visit, or you can jump head first into the original game, Tomb Raider. You might be wondering why the only option is Tomb Raider, and why you can’t dive into Tomb Raider II or III. You’re expected to play them in order, so you won’t unlock them until you’ve completed the previous game.

Remaining true to the originals, new locations in each section are hidden away, and objects to collect are scattered around the map. You’ll need to spend a bit of time looking through it all. If you’re the kind who enjoys speed runs, well, the option for that is here as well. 

Although it didn’t matter how many times I died or how many times I needed to restart because I forgot to chuck a cheeky save in, I was keen to keep playing and excited to find out what I’d encounter next, but it’s also meant that I’ve set a personal record for how quickly I have changed the control scheme. 

When you first launch the game, the default is what was known as “Tank” controls; the standard scheme for games throughout the 90s. With how obsolete these are, younger gamers might find them harder to learn. Even those of us who experience it will possibly struggle, such as those of us who play a lot of FPS. Needless to say, I changed to the modern scheme which is so much nicer, and movement-wise, made me much happier.

Whatever option you do pick, controls are really forgiving, and even with the more modern scheme, it still retains the “aim in the rough direction of your target and the bullets will go on a little adventure to land where you need them to.” For the young’ens out there, back in the day, you didn’t aim or turn with the mouse, so you didn’t need to bother aiming, you just needed to be facing the target.

The only thing I found a little hard to get used to was backing up on a cliff or ledge. All you need to do is fall off and Lara should grab the ledge, but it didn’t always seem to work as well as I remembered. Other times, such as when I needed to jump, the game wouldn’t register the keystroke, and I would end up back at the start or dead. 

The biggest letdown, for me, isn’t because of how old and clunky the game is, but rather how quickly I get annoyed with repeating noises. Listening to the same grunting sound whenever you jump, or the generic gunshot sound every time you fire you’re dual-wielded pistols bothered me.

I also could not handle listening to the same footsteps as I ran around the world, and eventually, I turned the actual game audio down a little, but in the end, it didn’t help. It was just too much, so there were a couple of times when I pulled the headset off and opted to play with no audio whatsoever. Being a little curious, I watched a few clips of the original game, and it doesn’t sound like the audio has been changed.

For retro fans, it will be a fantastic trip down memory lane. It still has the haunting sounds of wolves growling, as well as the scary-as-hell noise the bears make and the general sounds of the environments, and as these aren’t repeated as often, or in the case of the environment, feature a variety of sounds mixed together, these are really pleasing. I’ve said this old quote a few times now – “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it,” and for the most part, it still fits. 

Something about remastering classical games feels right. Maybe because they wouldn’t have the same feeling if they were rebuilt in current engines. Remastering allows the game to keep the classic gameplay feel, but the graphics have been reconfigured with updated textures to make it look a little more modern.

If you have a little think back to November 11th 2011, you would remember Halo: The Master Chief Collection coming out, and one of the biggest things people noticed was the ability to switch the graphics between old school and the remaster. Tomb Raider I-III Remastered also makes use of this beloved feature – a simple press of the start button, and you’ll switch between Retro and remastered graphics instantly. I found myself switching between the two while exploring just to see the difference, and it was mind-blowing.

I was surprised by how different the lighting was back then, and sometimes, the lack of special lighting effects made the game feel ever so slightly easier when I was running with retro graphics – it was a lot brighter in the caves, but it’s not just the environments that swap and change as you switch between the views. It also changes the model to match the original, so if the triangle-shaped meme is what does it for you, you can enjoy the original Lara as much as you want. The only complaint I will make about the graphics is Lara Croft’s updated face – she looks like a mix between a Barbie Doll and something I could make on paint.

I would have loved to see a little more detail put into her face as the rest of the character model looked tremendous. They went so far as to add movement and some realism to her hair looked semi-realistic, but left her face looking like Barbie had run into a wall. I also couldn’t help but chuckle when switching between the graphics settings while animals circled me – they changed from boxes with legs to something that looked more like an animal. 

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered is the perfect little package if you want to jump into Lara Croft’s boots. Even if you’re a first-time player, you’ll get to experience the grandmother of action-adventure games, and as if in real life, you won’t have guides telling you what you’re looking for, and nothing telling you where to go next. As far as remasters go, Tomb Raider I-III Remastered brings the original adventure game into the modern age, but it keeps the classic gameplay feeling. 

Written by: Hayden Nelson