22 Years Later, Lara Croft's Most Divisive Adventure Is Getting a Second Chance
That includes 2003's universally panned Angel Of Darkness.
Tomb Raider fans are eating good the next few months. This week, they’re getting a faithful animated adaption on Netflix starring Hayley Atwell as the globe-trotting Brito. And now, they have a second remastered collection of classic adventure games to look forward to in the new year.
Aspyr and Crystal Dynamics are releasing a second Tomb Raider collection in February, compiling Tomb Rader: The Last Revelation, Tomb Rader: Chronicles, and the divisive Tomb Raider: Angel Of Darkness. Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered follows last year’s Tomb Raider collection, consisting of the first three games in the series.
Like last year’s collection, this release will include a toggle for switching between enhanced and classic visuals as well as the option to swap between the classic tank and platforming controls (which haven’t aged all that well) and a newer control scheme. This re-release will also feature a photo mode and the option to display a health bar for bosses, better communicating how the player’s doing against the game’s toughest foes.
Players can now add health bars to bosses, giving them better feedback on how they’re fairing.
Compared to the first three games, Tomb Raider 4, 5, and 6 represent a darker period for both the character Lara Croft and the critical reception of the series. If last year’s collection is any indication, however, this compilation is more about preserving these seminal PlayStation games than presenting them as entirely new.
“Tomb Raider began with Core Design’s vision for Lara Croft’s adventures, culminating in the first six iconic games, taking fans on globe-trotting adventures with friends, foes, supernatural beings, and so much more,” Aspyr’s Brand Manager Matthew Ray said.
Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation follows Lara tracking down a series of ancient religious artifacts in Egypt. Croft's relatively normal day in the office turns into a race against time to save the world from certain doom. The game’s dark ending threw fans for a loop when it was released in 1999, setting up an interesting future for the franchise.
Like the 2023 collection, Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered will feature cleaned up visuals as well as new additions like a photo mode and a modern control scheme.
Tomb Raider: Chronicles, released in 2000, is an anthology of Croft’s past adventures as recounted by her close friends. The narrative conceit of disconnected flashbacks allowed Core Design to stray from the usual backdrop of exploring lost tombs and crypts, in favor of more varied locations like Rome and New York City. Think The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles starring gaming’s preeminent archeologist.
Angel Of Darkness was Lara’s first adventure on PlayStation 2. It was meant to be Core Design’s attempt to modernize and revitalize the series after annual releases reaped diminishing returns. What should have been a big moment for one of the franchises that helped popularize Sony’s first console ended up marred by development issues. When it was finally released in 2003, it sold well but was critically panned by fans and reviewers. Of the three games, Angel Of Darkness will probably be the most interesting game of the bunch to revisit. A remastered version can smooth over some of the issues players had with it at the time, including its unwieldy camera, cumbersome controls, and a myriad of bugs.
Aspyr has been working double time this year. Earlier this month, the studio announced the vaunted and long-rumored Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 remasters. Earlier this week, the company also announced that the often overlooked Star Wars: Episode 1- Jedi Power Battles will be re-released on modern consoles as well.
