Tomb Raider: Legend

"At last, a Tomb Raider that's actually fun to play."

After a dismal sixth outing, everyone's favourite blue-blooded action hero is back. A brand new adventure, with a brand new developer. But even more importantly, a brand new game engine. But is it enough to rescue a franchise than some said should have died (with its star) at the end of the fourth title?

For those of you who have been living in a cave for the past decade, a quick recap: Tomb Raider is an popular series of video games in the fight/explore/solve mold. The lead character is Lara Croft, the independently wealthy daughter of English aristocracy - a kind of Indiana Jones with curves. Players must guide Lara as she explores levels (run, jump, climb, hang, swing, swim), kills bad guys (lock on, fire!), and solves puzzles (pull block, throw switch) through a storyline which typically involves recovering some long lost treasure. The original game is considered a classic in video game history, with the formula tweaked for each subsequent outing.

By game six, the developers (Core) seemed to be running out of ideas, and perhaps distracted by the heady bright lights of Hollywood (two blockbuster Tomb Raider movies had been made, of indifferent quality) decided to turn Lara's first Playstation 2 adventure into the first instalment of an expansive epic worthy of Homer (er, the Greek myth guy, not the yellow dude from The Simpsons.) Just like Homer's adventures, the game was to become the stuff of legend - unfortunately it was legendary for all the wrong reasons. Sloppy controls, frustrating cameras, and bugs galore, meant that word soon got out that this was a real turkey.

So, now here we are with game seven, and what everyone is asking is: can new developer Crystal Dynamics cut Lara's limp body from the mangled car wreck that was the last game, and somehow breathe life into her for a new adventure?

Upon first playing the game it is apparent that the Tomb Raider rule book has been ripped up and re-written afresh. The cell based level design of the Core games has gone, and with it the game's signature control mechanism. Lara now moves freely in a world no longer defined by 90 degree angles and exact grid positions. The precise control of previous games (walk to edge, hop back, run/jump/grab) have been replaced by a more fluid means of throwing Lara from ledge to ledge, wall to wall, as she flips, swings, vaults and shimmy's her way around the various exotic locations.

This has meant a dramatic reduction in the number of moves which Lara can carry off. The various leaps, dives, rolls and climbing moves of old have been distilled down into just a handful of key actions. The stop-start nature of previous games (jumps needing to be precisely lined up, for example) has been superseded by a looser 'close enough' control mechanism - where a jump or flip will succeed if Lara is aimed generally in the right direction. This speeds the action up considerably, leading to more fluid and confident map navigation, all carried out with such wonderful linking animation that it really does give a sense that you are in control of Lara.

If you think all this sound too easy, then beware - the new controls make gameplay so fluid that it is quite easy to get over enthusiastic and throw Lara the wrong way off a tall cliff. Carelessness costs lives! Also, introducing a random element, should Lara not land cleanly on a surface she will hang from one hand only, necessitating the need to quickly bash the triangle button to restore a two-handed grip before the poor girl plummets to her doom.

Also new to the Tomb Raider games are interactive cut sequences, where the player must jump or roll in response to on-screen prompts as an animated sequence plays out. These really are as simple as they sound, and make only occasional appearances throughout the game.

While other controls have been simplified, one area which has been slightly expanded is the combat control system. Combat is key to Tomb Raider Legend, with large sections of the game devoted to shoot-outs. Surprisingly for a game of this type, combat works quite well. While not as feature laden as a true First Person Shooter, it still manages to combine precision with fun. Lara's weapons are now speedily available via a shoulder button - press and hold to draw, release to put away. It is also possible to flip between weapons with a single tap of the D-Pad. Combat uses a familiar 'target lock-on' system, where Lara will automatically acquire a target in her field of view if her weapons are drawn. The target can be switched with a flick of the right analog stick, and for super precision pressing R3 will go into a first person sharp-shooter mode. Objects in the terrain can also be targeted - so fuel dumps can be blown up or fragile pieces of scenery can be brought crashing down on top of an enemy.

The bad news is that the type and range of weapons has been scaled down from previous instalments. No longer does Lara travel with a small arsenal of cool stuff at her disposal. However, it is possible to collect grenades dropped by dead enemies, and even steal control of their heavy duty tripod mounted machine guns.

Perhaps to compensate for the lack of weapons, Lara has a few new toys this time around. A personal light source (PLS) acts much like the lamp in the Silent Hill games, illuminating dark caves and passageways - of which there are plenty. The torch's battery gradually runs down when left on, and has to be switched off for a quick recharge. The electronic binoculars enable Lara to study the local terrain for clues and footholds she can use to climb and navigate a location. A special RAD mode will highlight any objects of interest in the location (which actually makes the puzzles a little too easy - so suggest you avoid using it unless absolutely stuck.) Lara also has a top-of-the-range PDA, where she keeps mission briefings and stats about the tombs she's attempted.

The magnetic grappling hook has many uses. It can be fired at enemies when in close quarters combat, it can be used to lock onto and pull objects too high up to reach, and it can be used as an impromptu rope swing, to cross perilous booby traps and pits. As you can imagine, it comes in rather handy when solving some of the game's puzzles. But remember - it only works against bits of scenery which are metallic.

Mention of the puzzles brings us neatly onto one of the major revelations of this new game - namely the physics engine. Past Tomb Raiding episodes, with their rigid grid based system, resorted to puzzles involving pushing and pulling blocks one cell at a time. With the old engine gone, objects now move freely in all directions - including (if you can manage it) being dropped or catapulted into the air, bouncing and tumbling off of the walls. Many of the puzzles rely on ideas such as see-saws, rope swings, and weights - although only a handful of movable objects in each level are dynamic like this.

Experienced Tomb Raiders will no doubt be glad to learn that the "find key, open lock" style puzzles which dominated previous episodes have been banished. However, the "drag object onto specific bit of floor to activate hidden switch" solutions still remain (I guess some things never change!)

Physics, however, do not play much of a role in the sparse vehicle sequences which pop up in a few places during the story. Anyone really driving a motorbike into a rock at top speed would be flung thirty feet in the air and spend the next six months in hospital. Instead Lara simply takes a small hit to her health, and carries on as if nothing happened.

The vehicle sequences are a welcome break from the regular action - but nothing to write home about.

Having gotten this far in the review, I suppose it is about the right time to inform readers that not everything in this new game works well. There are a few flaws - although not fatal. Chief amongst these is the underwater control mechanism. Swimming underwater is a pain - both the camera and the controls conspire to make it a frustrating and confusing experience. Simply count the number of times you will get stuck on a particular piece of scenery while trying to swim through a narrow passageway or portal - your precious life draining away as the camera swings around trying to select the most unhelpful view possible. (Experienced gamers will probably loose more health underwater than they will in most combat sections.)

The other flaw, thankfully minor but sometimes annoying, is the camera. The camera is controlled by the right analog stick, meaning that the player can move it around freely. At least, that is the theory. In practice, the game also moves the camera as Lara navigates the terrain to prevent it from passing into scenery or other objects. Unfortunately just occasionally this can lead to close ups of Lara's (beautifully modelled) face when on a tight ledge or confined space.

Ah yes, Lara's face. (Moving on, back to the positive stuff...) True to form Lara is grossly malformed, with over-sized breasts and impossibly small waist. (You'd wonder how she manages to stay underwater.) Thankfully the developers had a few spare polygons left over for Lara's face, which is very expressive: she can 'do' happy, sad, even ironic. Sadly, while Lara herself looks and moves wonderfully, the supporting cast maintain Core's rather unsophisticated low-polygon look, coupled with a total lack of motion capture in their animation.

The location graphics are really very good, although not spectacular. Waterfalls gush, cobwebs sway gently in the breeze, and dusty old tombs look, well, old and dusty! Shadows and light are all well used, and look convincing. As you spend a fair amount of play time examining the scenery for clues and hidden treasure, it's important that the settings are both interesting and varied. And this they certainly are.

The new 'Lara' is voiced by the dulcet tones of established British actress Keeley Hawes - she may not be a household name, but at least she's famous enough to merit her own Wikipedia page. (Catch her as 'Lady Macbeth' in the BBC's superb 2005 modern reworking of the Shakespear text!) Keeley brings a gentler, more subtle, sound to the character - in contrast to the 'kick ass' characterisations of the past.

Lara now talks to her support team via a hands free headset, so it no longer looks like she's talking to herself. Lara's support team helpfully chip in with ideas and clues as she journey's deeper into each tomb. The other character's voice acting is as you'd expect for a game of this quality - well performed, although a little two dimensional when it comes to accents.

The music is of the highest quality, with delicate Celtic style themes invoking the original Tomb Raider game, juxtaposed against high adrenaline electronic music, shifting cleverly to match the style and pace of the on-screen action. Play moves along from puzzle to action to cut sequence, with the music flowing without a hitch between them.

On its own the playing time is quite short, probably less than ten hours of continuous action (assuming the player knows the solution to all the puzzles.) But this is augmented with hidden bronze, silver and gold pieces of artifact which can be located on each level to unlock extra features, such as upgraded weapons and alternative costumes. Once completed, a level can be replayed via an option on the main menu with different difficulties and modes. There is also a time trial 'beat the clock' option for those who want a real challenge.

This time round Croft Manor forms a free-standing level in its own right. In previous games Lara's ancestral home had made an appearance by way of a training level. Here the house is in effect one big free-roaming map, with secrets and puzzles of its own to unlock.

The ability to re-try previous levels helps to break up what is otherwise a very linear game. And here in lies another criticism of the game - the gameplay is far too 'straight line'. Each map leads you from A to B to C, solving a problem at a time, unlocking the path which leads to the next puzzle/fight/whatever. The free roaming nature of the original Tomb Raider game has largely been lost.

So, to the conclusion...

All in all, Tomb Raider makes for a satisfying play. The reworked controls benefit from being stripped back down to basics, the new fluid movement gives the player a real sense of satisfaction as they make Lara swing, leap and scale in one single uninterrupted flow of action. The physics engine adds new depth to the puzzles, and the new combat system makes action more entertaining.

Yes, it is a little too short. Yes, it is a little too linear. Yes, the puzzles are a little on the easy side (especially if you use the RAD binoculars). And yes, the occasional swimming sections may have you swearing at the screen. But all in all, this is a well rounded, well crafted and well thought out game. !!AND IT'S FUN!!

For those who might have thought the Tomb Raider franchise died with the end of the Twentieth Century, Crystal Dynamics are here to prove you wrong. This is a new Lara - a Twenty First Century Lara - leaner, sleeker, remodelled and refreshed. And much better for it.

With a few corrective tweaks to the swimming, plus a few more hours added to the playing time clock, there is no reason why further Tomb Raider games shouldn't carry Lara on triumphantly for another decade!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/11/06