(Originally posted 2007)

I thought I’d review Tomb Raider Anniversary, so here it is. As usual, I can’t really
be bothered to review something I don’t like, so this is mainly why I like it.

**Be warned, this review contains spoilers!**

Then & Now

I played the first game about a year after it came out having missed a fair amount of hype, so I took it on its own merits. It was unlike anything I’d played before and although it took me a while to master the controls, I loved the game then and still do.

Ten years on and Tomb Raider Anniversary has finally hit the shelves, promising a nostalgia trip back to Tomb Raider’s roots. Although Anniversary is essentially a remake, categorizing it as such would be doing it a massive disservice. While the look and feel of the original has been meticulously captured and enhanced, much that was is now different and perfected.

With a few name changes and some slight tweaking, all of the original levels remain. There are no extra weapons, vehicles, or characters and no extra plot elements to provide for a future instalment. None of this is a bad thing, in fact it just serves as a testament for how good the original was and still is and how faithful yet fresh this instalment is.

Having seen the superb trailer of Lara duelling with her old rivals the raptors, followed by the gigantic T-Rex in the Lost Valley level, I was slightly concerned that this confrontation may be the best of the game, but with each level I found myself remembering bits of the original and wondering how they would be presented in the new version – there are lots of surprises and some cool boss fights.

Levels

The game begins with the Mountain Caves and you playing through the famous cut scene from the original game (where Lara presses the button above the massive mountain doors).

The first few areas are pretty atmospheric and lull you into the adventure nicely. It’s cool that they didn’t go overkill with the animals, roughly the same amount have been used in this adventure as the first. The actual Lost Valley section is little more than a battle arena and then a path back to the main waterfall in this version. I was a little disappointed with this; although it was nice to see the sky (the original game was entirely subterranean). T-Rex plays the part of a proper boss this time around, and is far more realistic and scary.

In some cases, enemies have even been taken out of some of the levels. For example, in the original St Francis Folly level there were gorillas, cheetahs and Pierre, (a rival adventurer) but now there are only cheetahs and a few vermin, probably because that particular level has more than enough traps top be going on with! Instead, the gorillas make their debut in the following level, and their appearance is much more of an event (and pretty scary).You don’t have any of your regular gun battles with Pierre, only a few button presses in Tihocan’s Tomb during an interactive cut scene to stop yourself from surrendering or being shot by him. However, in all of the Greece levels you hear him shouting taunts. Not knowing his whereabouts gives you the creeps, while knowing that he’s always one-step-ahead makes it feel like a proper race. It’s interesting that both Pierre and Larson aren’t out to kill you from the outset, but simply hope to obtain the pieces of the Scion. In this way, they seem more human and less generic bad guys, contrasting well with Natla’s inhumanity.

I was a little concerned that the Cistern level had been cut this time round as after Midas’s Palace Lara moved straight into Tomb of Tihocan territory. I had always liked The Cistern because while tricky, it was also quirky and for the most part set all in one room. It wasn’t long before I realized this room remained and that it just needed to be completed before the Tihocan part of the level could be reached. The Horsemen battle outside Tihocan’s Tomb is one of the most inspired boss battles I’ve fought in a while and highly enjoyable.

Traps

Traps are used more sparingly than the original and there’s more variety this time around. It actually feels like some ancient minds placed them, and that they are testing you. The same atmosphere showcased in Legend appears in Anniversary, and each environment feels real and old.

Sound

Sound, as with the original, plays a key aspect. Some of the old tracks have been enhanced and all lend to the atmosphere. Echoing/whispering voices and haunting choruses add tension to a game ruled by solitude.

Difficulty

As I’ve played all the Tomb Raiders to date I pretty much know how to do things, and so the game is a lot easier than it was ten years ago (I replayed the original version a month or two ago, and found it way simpler than I remembered). Despite this, completing the game is still a hefty task and the main thing is that the game is enjoyable. It could probably be completed fairly quickly, but the desire to go back and pick up the secrets should keep you playing for a while. It gets pretty difficult late on. Personally I found the Obelisk of Kahmoon level the hardest of all because of all the jumps and traps.

Lara’s Home

Lara’s Home is fairly big this time around, and takes a couple of hours to complete. My only problem with it was that you don’t get too much for finishing it and I sort of miss the old racetracks and hidden rooms from 2 and 3 that made it feel a bit like Hogwarts. Still, it’s a nice addition and a good place to learn the controls unhindered.

Criticisms

My criticisms come nearer the end of the adventure, and revolve mainly around the characters Larson, the Kid and Kole. Instead of fighting Larson to the death in the Sanctuary of the Scion level (which looks highly impressive, like the original), you fight him again during a cut scene in Natla’s Mines. I’m not sure what the rationale behind killing Larson with three clicks of the L1 button was, but I didn’t feel it was altogether justified. He even comments that the Scion isn’t worth dying for and then you are made to shoot him three times, while he attempts to retaliate. Lara spends a few seconds looking at her hands in an “Oh dear, look what I’ve just done, I’m now a killer” fashion, which works OK, but it just all seemed a bit pointless and cold blooded in the first place. I’d rather he’d have gone down in a much more elaborate gunfight if I’d had to kill him. Also, I always rather liked the idea that he was a recurring villain along with Pierre (trampled to death in this version). I thought perhaps they would appear again in a future adventure as they did in Chronicles, but it seems Crystal Dynamics decided against this. Kin Kole and the Kid are similarly done, you just have to press a few buttons in sequence until they bite the dust, although their cut scene is slightly more fun. Natla’s cowboy goon (“Ain’t nothin’ personal!”) from the original game has been cut, but he didn’t add too much to the game anyway. I like the idea of most of the human enemies being in the game later on, though I would have preferred them as proper bosses like the T-Rex.

End Bosses & Rumours

Luckily the Alien Abortion and Natla remain bosses and both take a fair amount of lead to go down. It didn’t take me very long to defeat them after my annoyance surrounding a certain jumping puzzle above lava (you’ll know it when you see it) but they were fun nonetheless. The ending is almost exactly the same as the original.

One thing I have noticed is that Natla is rumoured for the Tomb Raider Legend sequel, which would be pretty interesting. I just hope that we find out more about her, because one thing Tomb Raider franchise has always lacked is decent character development.

Bonuses

A very nice feature that had me playing again were the unlockable commentaries, which you can reveal after completing each game section (e.g. Greece, Egypt) and enabling them in-game in the options menu. By doing so, you will come across blue diamonds resembling the original Tomb Raider game save points, and by pressing X near to them, hear facts from the game creators on how they made the game. These operate much like the commentaries on DVDs, with the in-game sfx and music turned down as you listen. Pretty intuitive.

As an aside, it’s nice to see references to another long-running franchise – the Legacy of Kain series. I’m not sure if they’ll ever make another LOK game but the portrait of Kain in Lara’s Mansion appears once again and on the unlockable wetsuit (circa Tomb Raider 2) there’s a Raziel clan logo instead of the old Sol one.

Final Word

So there you have it, another great chapter in the Tomb Raider series. Overall it’s a cracking title and well worth a play whether you’re a Tomb Raider veteran or not!