Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis Makes a 30-Year-Old Adventure Feel Brand New

You cognize what Tomb Raider is. Chances are you’ve played connected 1 of Lara Croft’s galore adventures, oregon astatine slightest 1 of the cinematic action-adventures that her archetypal 1996 expedition inspired, whether that beryllium the Uncharted, Horizon, oregon Star Wars Jedi series. But present it’s clip to spell each the mode back, arsenic Legacy of Atlantis takes america afloat ellipse successful a reimagining of the communicative that kick-started a genre. I precocious had the accidental to play done its abbreviated h2o puzzle, cartwheel, and dinosaur shootout-filled demo, which surely felt familiar, albeit with a gorgeous caller lick of overgarment and much modern tweaks sprinkled in. I had fun, and was near intrigued to spot however heavy this merging of an aged communicative told utilizing a caller container of tricks volition spell erstwhile the afloat crippled releases adjacent February.

30 years is simply a agelong time, particularly successful the rapidly evolving satellite of video games, and if you’ve picked up a controller and attempted to play the archetypal Tomb Raider recently, thing emphasises that similar however Lara Croft controls. Stiff and heavy, with your thumbs the unfortunate of her sluggish turning circle, Lara’s maneuverability resembles that of a transatlantic water liner much than an enterprising Atlantis explorer. Thankfully, this remake – co-developed by the series’ semipermanent custodian Crystal Dynamics and newcomer Flying Wild Hog, fixes this.

This Lara is airy connected her feet, with a floaty leap much reminiscent of Princess Peach than Nathan Drake. It takes a small getting utilized to astatine first, particularly if you’ve go accustomed to the adhesive-fingered attack that Naughty Dog injected into the action-adventure game, which was the instauration for Tomb Raider’s astir caller “Survivor” trilogy. This Lara inactive clings onto immoderate of the old-school question consciousness of the Core Designed-developed original. I’ll admit to struggling with it during the demo’s aboriginal moments, but soon recovered this freer-feeling Lara enjoyable to control, adjacent if her jumps did marque maine wonderment if The Lost Valley successful Peru had go immoderate benignant of zero gravity zone. Ultimately, its much old-school influenced attack helps physique into the thought that you’re genuinely exploring an situation alternatively than clambering on a acceptable path.

The tiny country of jungle I was dropped into contained 1 of the classical cog-and-water puzzles that Lara has worked her mode done dozens of times implicit the years. Using a afloat exploration suite of climbing, swimming, and grappling astir a miniature sandbox, I went successful hunt of the missing instrumentality components that would unlock the elephantine gross blocking my progress. Aiding maine present was a brand-new grapple gadget that tin beryllium fired retired of Lara’s wrist, Spider-Man style. It’s a malleable tool, too, already showcased successful aggregate ways adjacent successful this tiny portion of action. I utilized it to latch onto an overhead hook and plaything crossed a raging river, unblock a mechanics by ripping immoderate escaped wood retired of its gears, propulsion down a hefty weight, and leap up onto said value earlier the different extremity of its equilibrium beam lifted maine up. These are age-old puzzles design-wise, but made modern by astute additions similar this grapple. Tweaks specified arsenic these truly show Legacy of Atlantis’ tendency to beryllium much than conscionable a remake, borrowing from the likes of Crystal Dynamics’ much caller trilogy successful however it approaches Lara’s toolkit.

A further summation is the fig of collectibles littered passim the world, and the quality to survey the situation successful hunt of secrets utilizing Lara’s scanner. From what I tin tell, Legacy of Atlantis is inactive a mostly linear adventure, but venturing disconnected the main way volition reward you with each sorts of treasures, whether they beryllium documents that physique retired the lore of an past civilization oregon objects that assistance Lara other accomplishment points. Unfortunately, the accomplishment histrion paper was locked disconnected to maine successful the demo, truthful I can’t archer precisely however we’ll beryllium capable to tweak her abilities, but its specified beingness is again a motion of newfound depth. And that each makes sense, due to the fact that though Legacy of Atlantis is simply a retelling of the British adventurer's archetypal story, it's really portion of the aforesaid beingness arsenic the prequel trilogy that ran betwixt 2013 and 2018. This isn't her archetypal rodeo, and she boasts the skills to amusement for it.

This is champion displayed successful combat, of which I got a tiny sensation aft stepping done the immense doorway opened up by the aforementioned cog-finding problem-solving. It was connected the different broadside that I was welcomed by a pack of bare Velociraptors, a acold much vicious nonmigratory of Peru than Paddington Bear. That’s astir apt for the best, though, due to the fact that the thought of unleashing aggregate rounds into 1 of Britain’s astir adorable imports would’ve made maine outcry connected the spot. Thankfully, then, it was the occupation of 1 of Britain’s astir deadly exports (Lara Croft, not me, conscionable to clarify) to instrumentality connected these prehistoric menaces instead, dodging, cartwheeling, and backflipping retired of the mode of their deadly lunges. Get capable country betwixt them and you, and you’ll beryllium capable to occurrence those iconic treble pistols that handily travel implicit with unlimited ammo.

The shooting felt snappy and responsive, but truly came live erstwhile different caller accomplishment up Lara’s non-existent sleeves was introduced: the Focus system. Performing well-timed acrobatics during combat and evading enemies astatine the close clip builds up her absorption meter, filling up charges that tin beryllium utilized with a speedy property of the close bumper. Upon doing so, she stylishly spins into the aerial and enters slug time, allowing you to unload afloat magazines into enemies arsenic they practically frost successful the enactment of fire. It’s a large summation to the action, further bringing these classical fights into the modern property portion giving Lara a invited borderline successful encounters. I’m intrigued to spot if much almighty uses of these absorption charges await deeper successful the game, possibly wherever they could beryllium utilized successful a akin mode to however Sucker Punch’s Ghost bid grants you devastating attacks and abilities astatine the outgo of utilizing much than 1 ellipse of energy.

But earlier I could experimentation excessively overmuch with Tomb Raider’s ain instrumentality connected gun-fu, a rude interruption was made arsenic 1 of the series’ astir iconic moments took implicit the scene. Into the arena stepped a towering T. rex, which made some Lara and her erstwhile foes fly the country with haste. The series has undergone a implicit facelift, translating the primitive capabilities of the archetypal PlayStation into thing wholly much cinematic. The displacement echoes the leap Naughty Dog made from Crash moving and jumping toward the surface to Nathan Drake leaping crossed hurtling trains connected the PS3. Rather than a elemental shooting affair, the country present begins with a playable pursuit down a treacherous jungle pathway arsenic Lara slides, swings, and clambers to flight its sharp-toothed maw. There’s a large consciousness of peril successful the cinematography and effectual usage of dilatory question arsenic Lara slides betwixt the dinosaur’s legs, mirrored by a large consciousness of muddled bewilderment and desperation successful the dependable of Alix Wilton Regan, the latest histrion to prime up the dual pistols.

And partway done this attempted flight is wherever my clip with Legacy of Atlantis ended, arsenic Lara plunged into a river, her enactment span flight way destroyed by the T. rex. This cliffhanger concluded a abbreviated but varied look astatine what this latest reboot of Tomb Raider has to offer, and truthful far, it feels similar each of the indispensable ingredients are there. At its core, the plan attempts to blend the classical consciousness of Lara Croft’s question with a much modern attack to combat and exploration. I’m looking guardant to seeing however that each comes unneurotic erstwhile Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis arrives connected February 12, 2027, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2.

Simon Cardy is simply a Senior Editor astatine IGN who tin chiefly beryllium recovered skulking astir unfastened satellite games, indulging successful Korean cinema, oregon despairing astatine the authorities of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him connected Bluesky astatine @cardy.bsky.social.