Tomb Raider IV-VI developed by Aspyr is available now on PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Series S/X, PC and Nintendo Switch. If you’re interested in the original remasters you can read the review for Tomb Raider I, II, and III HERE.
Tomb Raider is back again with infamous titles The Last Revelation, Chronicles and the widely known Angel of Darkness. It’s a shame the development process with these three titles was so rough for Core Design originally, I read an article about how the crunch they had to face to get these games out fast was brutal and soul-destroying. It was a time in which Tomb Raider was widely known worldwide, and being marketed on just about everything from adverts to food products based on Lara Croft Tomb Raider, was a massive success. What this meant was more demand for new titles was at an all-time high due to having to rush these titles out, they never reached the true popularity the original three did, and sadly weren’t as good.
Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation has Lara in Egypt with a game focused on one location, which was new for Tomb Raider, and while it had its good points, it just wasn’t on par with the originals. After Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation and being left on such a big cliffhanger, gamers had hoped we would have answers in Tomb Raider Chronicles. Still, that game was just flashbacks of previous adventures, Lara had felt a bit disjointed in many ways.
Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness is the most well-known title for the bad release and Core Design’s death. Tomb Raider Angel of Darkness continues the story from The Last Revelation Core Design wanted to try a newer angle for the most part, some of the experimental features are interesting though due to a rushed release again to coincide with the Angelina Jolie Tomb Raider The Cradle of Life movie, it arrived broken and missing a lot of content. I remember playing this one as a kid and it was a rough experience, to say the least, though it still had some great features. I think it’s sad to see that this was the demise of Core Design and the slow death, but also great to relive every part of Lara’s classical era while they aren’t the best games in the series, they still hold a special place in many hearts and Core Design should be proud of the work they did.
Aspyr decided after a successful remaster of the original three Tomb Raider Games to add the other three titles, but how do they hold up today? Pretty good actually. They aren’t the strongest titles in the Tomb Raider collection, Aspyr has managed to fix some of the glaring issues that plagued the titles, including making Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness feel like a more complete and refined game so that we can enjoy the original vision that Core Design had in mind. New features such as costume changes, new camera modes and more have been added. These additions are fantastic for the most part. The biggest struggle for me was how dark the game can be, I wish they had added brightness settings, because even with flares, it’s difficult to see. Overall, with a few hiccups here and there, replaying these in a modern way and being able to switch between classic and remaster is a joy, and I love being able to compare them, all remasters should take this feature on. The stories remain unchanged, and while they were a little divisive at the time of release originally, they’re still good to experience again to get back to grips with the entire series. If you’re a new player, it’s a great time to truly experience these titles this way because you can witness how the behemoth Lara Croft started out.
The Tomb Raider IV-VI remastered doesn’t ultimately turn these into amazing games as such, though they capture that nostalgia fantastically despite some areas feeling a little bit rougher than others. While playing you’ll witness some great moments that sadly fizzle into disappointing ones, this remains unchanged in the remasters, though you can switch between modern and tank controls. The control changes are welcomed in The Angel of Darkness because, despite tank controls being the best way to play the originals, it is not in the last game, it’s more of a hindrance if anything. The photo mode lets you create some fantastic shots to show off those great moments to others. Each game adds new ways to control Lara Croft, with the Angel of Darkness being the one that added stealth mechanics, and hand-to-hand combat, it’s great to see how they evolved the way she handles all the situations she got into in the game.
Verdict
Overall if you played the Tomb Raider I, II, and III remasters from Aspyr, you’ll know what to expect it has a few new enhanced features which are a welcome addition but also sadly takes across a couple of issues like how dark the game is and some areas not feeling as refined as others. It’s a joy to relive these games, it’s a true insight into the classical Tomb Raider era that saw the rise and fall of the once-great Core Design, and I hope the original developers can see the love for these titles despite the rocky time it had. Aspyr has done a good job at bringing these into a modern era, I hope they give the next three, Tomb Raider Legends, Anniversary and Underworld the remaster treatment because they also deserve the same treatment, but for the love of everything, please add a brightness and gamma option!
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