Whopper's Bunker: First Play Review - Tomb Raider I-III Remastered 2024

When I reviewed my first play of 2013's Tomb Raider reboot, I remarked that while I had played the free demo from the original 1996 game when it was originally released, I was quite frustrated the controls, lacked the patience to learn and dismissed the game as something people probably weren't going to bother playing. The monumental success of the franchise to this day proved me somewhat incorrect and while that is of course exceedingly rare, in this case it's a good thing.

Despite my failure to adopt the original game into my library, its puzzle solving and Indiana Jones vibe did resonate with me enough to at least outwardly observe the franchise's evolution from the original Core design games all the way to the "Survivor Trilogy" from Square Enix/Crystal Dynamics, the first part of which I played and enjoyed but I understood from word of mouth that it was very different from the originals. When developers Aspyr created a well-regarded remaster of the first three original games in 2024 with updated graphics but especially updated controls, I knew I had to at least sample where the franchise had begun.

A remaster should only ever update the visuals, perhaps audio too and add in some quality of life features that allow newer players to enjoy the 'old game' on modern systems without being forced to deal with the outmoded jank that can't/won't work or look nice today. It shouldn't alter the hero's journey, or the story in any way. The original vision must be preserved or you risk annoying those that play the game for nostalgia's sake. Thankfully Tomb Raider I-III Remastered ticks all these boxes, it looks much better, Lara moves more fluidly than before and it's as difficult as it was ever.

The games are uncompromisingly old school, they don’t offer a map, waypoints or mark yellow paint to indicate this is where you go. You have to actually explore and try out things and any new thing you try can lead to reward or death. The feeling of navigating ancient tombs is palpable. The remaster itself is treated with the utmost respect. The updated visuals clean everything up while keeping the original block-like geometry intact. Even with the enhanced textures and updated Lara and enemy models, these are still very much games from the late ‘90s and Lara's stiff animations reveal she is still following an invisible grid.

Purists will likely continue to use "Tank Controls", which are so called because they actually follow the movement principal of a tank. You head (turret) may look independently of the direction (tracks) your moving in. I think unless you used these because you had to in the original versions, it's not intuitive or worth trying to master them now when you don't have to. Controlling Lara is still a little awkward to get used to even with the "modern controls" scheme, but only because the game was designed around the tank controls. However once it's mastered it becomes more fluid and before too long it's like second nature. Once it clicks, platforming becomes less about reflexes and more about precision and planning.

You can switch from the original graphics to the modern graphics at any time.

While unlike most other games, combat here is something that happens every now and again rather than a purpose. The PS1 era lock-on is quite alien to someone not used to this 'console crutch' but there's no other way to play so one just has to suck it up. You have infinite pistol ammo but ammo for other weapons is scattered throughout levels and often your reward for exploring; just ignore the fact that for some reason magazines of 9mm ammo is lying in sealed ancient sarcophagi for thousands of years! While you can be shot by NPCs or mauled by animals, the greater threats you face in Tomb Raider is the environment itself. Most levels are littered with deadly insta-kill traps that would make Gary Gygax jealous. All can be avoided or disabled somehow but usually through trial and error and after you die to them once which is the bast way to reveal where they are.

Playing the three games back-to-back highlighted the level of experimentation that was happening at the time. Each entry refines ideas and mechanics, sometimes brilliantly but sometimes not. The first game is mainly an Egyptian adventure and has the most reason to have "tomb" in the title as that's where you spend the majority of the time. It's the most iconic setting which is why it was remade as Tomb Raider: Anniversary in 2007 and a second remake Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is scheduled for release this year. Tomb Raider II in contrast didn't have a lot of tombs and mostly firearm equipped human enemies were more annoying than the awkward combat required to eliminate them. A lot of the game features underwater levels which additionally made you fight sharks and divers underwater with a speargun that never had enough spears and was an exercise in frustration when you ran out of breath. Thankfully Tomb Raider III turned it around introducing sprinting and crouching into the mix with some enemies that could poison you and while it was a harder game and didn't have a lot of tombs it had more interesting environments than the second game.

Final Verdict: While not everything has aged well; Tomb Raider I-III Remastered was worth my time exploring. Core Design's strong philosophy was obvious: trust the player, make the world hostile, and reward curiosity, especially when they're totally lost and Aspyr have redelivered this flawlessly with a new coat of paint.

Technicals: 84.7 hours though Steam using a Nvidia 4070Ti & RTX5080 @ 3440x1440/175Hz with no adjustable settings on Windows 11. Windows HDR does not engage for this title.

Bugs: None

Availability: Tomb Raider I- III Remastered is available from Steam or GOG for €28.99. Review copy purchased in Feb 2024 for €21.29.

The Tomb Raider Franchise (mainline only)