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'Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered' Reviews: A Thoughtful Reworking Of The Classics For Modern Eyes
It's been all too long since we've seen Lara Croft in action, and it'll be years still until there's a new "Tomb Raider" game for us to sink our teeth in. To tide us over, Aspyr has put together a remastered collection of the first three entries of the series from the original PlayStation era, and it's pretty darn good.
With just under 20 reviews counted at OpenCritic, this remastered trilogy has earned a "Strong" average rating of 83/100 — a tick higher than the 80/100 average that the last mainline game received. Should you return the dual-wielding ways of the past? Here's what critics are saying.
The updated visuals and controls make playing these games a lot easier for new folks
The pitch is simple — this release seeks to deliver the first three "Tomb Raider" games with a range of optional enhancements. You can enjoy them with enhanced graphics or stick with the original assets. You can also play with the original "tank" controls or opt for a more modern full analogue system. The big selling point here really is the visual enhancements and, frankly, I think they've done a fantastic job. In order to retain the original "Tomb Raider" game design, the environments stick to the original geometry and layouts, but everything surrounding it has been updated.
The effects can be seen in-game at practically any time. By pressing the Options/Start button, the visuals toggle between the original and remastered approaches, even in the pause menu. The difference is practically night and day: characters have actual faces capable of expressions, in-world items become 3D models instead of flat sprites, and lighting effects make a world of difference in every department.
Supplementing this visual touchup is a new set of modern controls. The original "Tank Controls" are preserved for those who wish to go old-school, but the new set is much more natural by comparison.
[CGM]
These games hold up well (until they suddenly do not)
Playing through these remasters confirmed that the original trilogy really were as amazing as I remembered them outside those very '90s flaws. Every puzzle solved felt like a well-earned victory, and the sneaky swerves these games pulled as they plunged Lara into an unseen trap remain exciting challenges. Simply nailing a risky jump (and a manual ledge grab) to avoid certain death is still a rush of adrenaline here, a tension modern adventure games have buffed out.
The [remasters'] accuracy does confirm that some parts of these games should have stayed buried. So — same as always — this collection is the very best, and very worst, of Lara Croft's adventures.
[PCGamer]
Overall, "Tomb Raider I-III Remastered" is a mixed bag of a remastered bundle. While offering players new quality-of-life updates and great new features, the experience is marred by frustrating movement and an unreliable camera.
There's so, so much content in this collection. Maybe too much?
Upgrades aside, you're getting a lot of bang for your buck with this collection. Three full games with three additional expansions is nothing to sniff at, and since each title will likely take around 10 - 15 hours to beat, you're looking at a reasonable commitment. That said, you can almost certainly add more time if you forget to save your game, and this is one area that we sincerely wish was upgraded alongside the graphics. Manually saving is practically mandatory since there's no autosave whatsoever, and it's quite easy to be on a solid streak, make it through a couple of levels before dying, and find yourself right back at the start.
While you will need patience to navigate this trilogy of globe-trotting escapades, the upgraded art style sticks closely to Core Design's intended vision and it's a genuine pleasure to experience these ['90s] classics on all-new hardware. It's comprehensive, too, with each game's expansion pack included — and an enormous list of Trophies to unlock.
TL;DR
For recent gamers, this collection is an excellent way to experience the games that the modern action/adventure games of today evolved from.
This collection provides the easiest way to obtain all three base games along with their expansions, and the remastered graphics, while not up to modern console standards, still does a great job of helping bring these gorgeously crafted classics to life.
"Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered" is available now on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and PC.
Even if this isn't a perfect remaster, it sure is a whole lot better than some of the new AAA games shipping these days.
[Image: Aspyr/Crystal Dynamics]
