My experience with Tomb Raider is a little limited, primarily consisting of playing the first two titles of the recent remake trilogy and a tiny bit of the very first game on the PlayStation 1 as a small child. But my experience with Tomb Raider’s successor, the Uncharted series, is extensive, so I was curious to see how Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, a modern remake of the very first title in the series, would appeal to me. After playing nearly an hour of the game at Summer Game Fest, it went from being an idle curiosity to one of my absolute favorite games of the show.
I got to explore two areas: a puzzle-centric waterfall and temple, then a dinosaur-filled jungle. As such, I was able to experience both the slower and more methodical moments of Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, as well as the fast-paced and delightful, ridiculous action that comes with dual-wielding pistols against dinosaurs. These two types of gameplay contrasted nicely, crafting a well-balanced demo that juggled intriguing archaeological mysteries with kick-ass action.
Credit: Amazon Game Studios
The crux of the Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis demo’s first half was a waterfall puzzle in which I had to find and drag a couple of cogs towards a mechanism in order to gain access to the next area. Finding the cogs wasn’t too challenging, though it took a bit of extra time as there were plenty of collectibles to find on the way. I explored an underwater cave and several nooks and crannies whilst on the hunt for the cogs, which led me to find relics and trinkets that featured their own neat lore. I can already see myself spending plenty of time in the full game collecting everything I can, as it further sells the idea of Lara being the most renowned explorer around. Plus, who doesn’t love collecting mysterious ancient items in this sort of game?
The combat section of the demo was a bit more wild, pitting Lara against what appeared to be raptors and, eventually, a massive and terrifying Tyrannosaurus Rex. Blasting away at the raptors with Lara’s iconic dual pistols was a blast, and the dodge system felt surprisingly fluid to use. There’s a silliness to flipping around while shooting like crazy at feral dinosaurs, which I deeply appreciated. As someone who found the rebooted Tomb Raider games to be a bit too serious, this more wacky tone landed perfectly with me.
Credit: Amazon Game Studios
Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis has a smooth feel to its controls that helps modernize the experience.
The controls feel far smoother than I recall from the original game, though Lara’s jump still has that lengthy jump animation from the original – it just doesn’t feel as awkward as it did back then. Through the mobility and gunplay, you can see how this series inspired Uncharted all those years later, yet through this remake, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis doesn’t feel archaic or like it was left behind by the series it inspired. Instead, this comes off as a natural progression in the third-person shooter/action-adventure genre that can stand alongside modern games of its kind.
I really dig Lara’s design here, too. It’s a solid interpretation of the iconic original costume, giving Croft a badass and confident look that perfectly matches her personality. From the trailers and demo dialogue, Lara comes off as a self-assured professional who knows she’s the best at what she does and loves doing it, making her as cool as they come. The performance from Alix Wilton Regan deserves a shout-out, too, as she brings together all of the aforementioned qualities to create an excellent take on the character.
Credit: Amazon Game Studios
I came away from Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis blown away by what I played. Puzzle-solving was fun and satisfying, and both mobility and combat had an almost arcade-y smoothness to them that I really dug. Now I’ve got to decide whether I should play the original game prior to launch or experience Legacy of Atlantis on its own merits when it releases on February 12, 2027.
