Should you raid this tomb of remastered classics?
Play the Original Three Tomb Raider Adventures: For the first time ever, play the complete experience with all expansions and secret levels on modern platforms in this definitive collection. Included Game Titles Tomb Raider I + The Unfinished Business Expansion Tomb Raider II + The Gold Mask Expansion Tomb Raider III + The Lost Artifact Expansion Solve Ancient Mysteries: Uncover treasures of the ancient world by solving puzzles and unravelling mysteries lost to the ravages of time. Globe-trotting Adventure: Follow Lara Croft around the world and face off against deadly foes and dangerous myths. Lovingly Restored: Experience the classics boasting upgraded graphics, with the option to switch to the original polygon look at any time.
The original PS1 Tomb Raider games are iconic for introducing Lara Croft, but also for the system itself and what it could do. They had plenty of secrets, gun fights with bats, humans and even dinosaurs, as well as the most awkward control system other than the original Resident Evil games…
Truth be told, I never actually completed the original titles. I only ever had an N64 growing up, so my time with the OG’s were limited to playing at friends’ houses as a kid. I remember being impressed at the time and eventually would get the PC version of Tomb Raider II where you can shut the butler Winston in the freezer. This is still the case in this remaster and even nets you a trophy for your trouble.
There are 269 trophies to be earned in this collection and oddly, the PS5 version lacks a Platinum…even after your hard work. The PS4 version does have the Platinum, but it doesn’t run as smoothly as the PS5 version. In the latter, you can switch to the new visuals and get 60FPS with no issue or 30FPS with the classic graphics, which can be switched with just a tap of the Options button. It’s a very smooth transition, much like Halo did with their Anniversary games of their first two titles.
Controlling Lara back in the day was quite clunky due to the PS1’s original controller limitations and it still is the case now, but there is also a more modern control scheme if you wish to use it. It’s still not perfect by any means, but it does give new players a better chance of getting to grips with. Still, the debate between which control scheme is better is tight.
Aspyr have done incredibly well in bringing the original trilogy to consoles. The original style is authentic and the new visuals are very impressive. I wish the classic style also ran at 60FPS, but it’s the only issue I came across. Everything else from the voice-work to the music is just as it ever was.
The Verdict
The original Tomb Raider trilogy put PlayStation on the map, as well as Lara. It may not have aged so well over the years since, but this remaster does well to try and fix it, while retaining what had everyone hooked on Lara’s adventures from the beginning. It may be a bit clunky, but it’s still a classic.