Tomb Raider I–III Remastered Review (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch & PC)

It felt like only a matter of time before we got a Tomb Raider remastered version, especially with the rampant overflow of remasters from the early 2000s. Anyway, it’s finally here, and Tomb Raider fans can now let out a sigh of relief before diving headfirst into what developer Aspyr has in store. If you’re still on the fence about it, don’t fret. That’s where we come in with our usual new game reviews.

A little jump back in time before we get started. So, Tomb Raider I–III Remastered is a compilation of the first three games. Yes, indeed. We’re talking back in the ‘90s when the developing team was considering crafting a male protagonist and realized there might be striking similarities drawn to Indiana Jones, so they decided to usher in Lara Croft, made up of, was it, over 32,000 polygons? 

Pointy old-school character models aside, Lara Croft became an instant-famous pop culture phenomenon overnight. She stood tall among the likes of Mario and went on to feature in several games, films, magazines, novels, and even theme park rides. But the story all began with the first three games: Tomb Raider 1, 2, and 3, released in 1996, 1997, and 1998, respectively. 

So, now, here we are. Lara Croft is no longer a series of pointy polygons. We can enjoy modern visuals on an old-school game that many of you will probably remember taking out for a spin. Being on current and next-gen consoles, the gameplay ought to be doubtlessly much more fun. But does Tomb Raider I–III Remastered actually fulfill all initial expectations? Is the game really that good? Is it a colossal slump? Let’s find out in our Tomb Raider I–III Remastered review.

Trip Down Memory Lane

A pretty clever and athletic archaeologist, Lara takes us back to the world of ancient tomb scraping and surviving hazardous ruins around the world. You have not one but three compilations of games to bite into. Additionally, the remaster includes each game’s DLC, so there’s plenty to cover at an attractive price. If you played the originals, you’ll know the story didn’t really matter as much. 

This is partly because games back then were kept simple, exemplifying the true meaning of less being more. The efforts games nowadays chuck into the story, games back then threw that might into the exploration, puzzle solving, secret uncovering, and what have you. It’s for this reason that I feel Tomb Raider 1, 2, and 3 did so well to capture many hearts and minds, and by extension, the remaster evokes the same intrigue. 

Cutscenes are hardly the huge-budget cinematic wonders we enjoy today. They’re watered down to deliver the essential information you need to get to the next stage, and however you see it, its simplification pays off, if not for nostalgia. Moving on, Tomb Raider I–III Remastered features the original three action adventures precisely as you remember. You’ll galavant across countries, solving ancient mysteries, uncovering hidden treasures, solving puzzles, and unraveling mysteries thought to have been lost in time. 

Dinosaur Alert!

Oh, you do fight deadly enemies, often animals and, occasionally, humans. Wolves, bears, bats, humans, and Aspyr even managed to sneak in a dinosaur in Peru. Make no mistake, Tomb Raider I–III Remastered is a challenging game, partially because of the controls, but we’ll soon get to that. You’ll often empty rounds of lead into enemies, so much so that they feel like bullet sponges. Even tiny insects and birds take a lifetime to kill. 

A bat will be smacking you in the face, but no matter how many handgun shots you unleash on it, it won’t die. Eventually, you’ll realize you need to keep your distance from enemies. You’ll often do the runaround, literally and frantically, hoping to remain locked in. But the lock-on feature is shifty, often straying away from the target. Eventually, it kicks in; it just takes a bit of time to grow on you. 

It's good that enemies now have a health bar, so you can at least track how well you’re doing. But in the end, combat isn’t great at all, and it never needed to be. Even when playing the classics, the focus was never on combat but rather on platforming and level design. But before that, Tomb Raider I–III Remastered lacks auto-save. Without manually taking the time to save your progress, you’ll find yourself in physical pain. 

Death Traps, Beware!

Combat barely matters because of platforming and the many instant kills that can come from a lack of mastery of them. While platforms are a challenge on their own, they also include puzzles. And might I add that, because of the geometrical level design of the old games, you’ll do a lot of pausing to measure how much distance stands before you? If you fail to measure and prescribe the right jump, you might fall. Granted, some of the misses may not be your fault. The game suffers from input lag or just doesn’t care about your commands.

Another significant issue is the camera angle, which in claustrophobic rooms can become a nightmare to control. It’s funny because the camera angle is a change implemented in the remaster. Initially, the camera stayed put, so there was never an issue using the tank controls. But now, the modern version lets you essentially see the camera behind you. That’s fine, except that in tight spaces or when doing big jumps, it gets floaty, hits the ceiling, and all manner of crazy maneuvers throw you off your game.

Past and Present

Perhaps it’s one of the reasons the developers include the freedom to switch between tank and modern controls. You can switch to tank controls before doing big running jumps, then reset back to modern. I say that because the graphics bring up another issue. See, the developing team wanted to maintain as much of the old as possible. Understandably so, they wanted fans to truly experience nostalgia without changing too much. 

So, you’ll essentially play a similar game to the classics but with updated graphics. It can be off putting for some, but I imagine it’s precisely the trip down memory lane fans of the first three games need. Everything is the same, whether enemy patterns, cutscenes, secret locations, or critical item placements. However, you do see an upgrade in the lighting effects and shadows, which you can compare for yourself. With a quick button press, you can switch between the old-school graphics and the new textures mid-game. 

The developers have nailed the perfect balance between 32-bit retro charm and modernity. However, there remains room for improvement in some areas that are too dark to see clearly. You end up switching to the old-school graphics mode to complete the level, then back to modern. A step up in the frame rate is a plus, though, as is the overall performance that’s flawless through to the end. 

And, as always, like the classics, you enjoy an ongoing, tense atmosphere here. Both music and sound effects elevate gameplay, building suspense and dread. You never know what to expect, whether a tiger suddenly leaping out of the shadows or a rolling boulder about to be your demise. Your anxiety spikes up just the same as all those years ago, except elevated by authentic sound and voice acting.

Verdict 

The best two words to describe the Tomb Raider I–III Remastered experience are ‘time capsule.’ It maintains the original geometry and layout of the classics. However, you enjoy upscales in the graphics, controls, and overall gameplay that fit modern standards. Fans of the first three games in the Tomb Raider series will have a blast here. However, newcomers may find some of the graphics and control design choices offputting. 

For one, the game can take a little while to get used to. It can be a constant struggle to translate intent into action, with the camera angle sorely being of no help to you at your direst. Some areas are straight-up obscure, an end result of over-shadowing. While modern fancy lighting may have breathed new life into the foliage and shimmering of water, it remains inconsistent in other areas, questionable even. 

To a large extent, Tomb Raider I–III Remastered feels like a rushed-over port to current and next-gen consoles with simply updated graphics. So much more feels like it could have been done to create a smooth and seamless gameplay experience for new and old players alike. For now, though, you may have to rely on the classics’ controls and graphics mode to combat any design or development issues. 

In certain instances, the tank controls will make more sense to tinker around with. In others, you may prefer the modern controls, albeit with patience and practice. Some classics’ graphics look and play better than the contemporary version, which hardly makes sense in a remastered game. Overall, a flawless performance, steady 60fps, and an attractive price for a definitive edition ease the soul, but not enough, I’m afraid, to thoroughly recommend the game without caution.