Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft Review (PlayStation 5)

by · Published · Updated

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft Review, Discover Lara Croft’s Original Adventures, Lovingly Restored. For the first time, play the complete experience with all expansions and secret levels on modern platforms in this definitive collection. This collection includes: Tomb Raider I + Unfinished Business Tomb Raider II + Golden Mask Tomb Raider III + The Lost Artifact.

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft Review Pros:

  • Two graphic styles – original and newer HD filtered-up polygonal graphics.
  • 4GB download size.
  • Six sets of trophies – one for each game and one list for each game’s extra content. Over 100 trophies.
  • You get Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider 2, Tomb Raider 3, and exclusive never-before-released content for each game – Unfinished Business, Golden Mask, and the Lost Artifact.
  • Adventure gameplay.
  • With a press of a button, you can swap graphics from original to new.
  • Central game selection menu.
  • Each game lets you go into Lara’s home to practice and explore.
  • Controller settings – remap buttons, dead zone slider, action indicators, walk to action, tank or modern movement, Invert axis, and sensitivity sliders.
  • The controller settings are seperate in each game.
  • Each game has its original menus and music on the game selection screens.
  • The additional content can be accessed from the game menu on each game so you don’t have to unlock it or earn it.
  • You can even change the graphics style in cutscenes.
  • FMV cutscenes.
  • Keeps all the original cheats for each game. (disables trophies but what did you expect)
  • Uses the touchpad as the pause button.
  • Weapons use automatic lock on for shooting.
  • Many secrets to find and it makes a classic noise.
  • An excellent collection of arguably one of the greatest characters in the adventure genre.
  • Even as default the controls feel familiar to older returning players.
  • Makes excellent use of music.
  • Save when you want.
  • An amazing nostalgic trip full of memories but also for new players creates new memories.
  • Takes you back to a time when music was used sparingly, the scenery and location were a character in itself and the story was always there but not shoved in your face.

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft Review Cons:

  • No Platinum trophies.
  • The controller settings are seperate in each game.
  • Parts of the cutscene’s original filter just feel like it’s a simple overlay rather than the original original.
  • The camera lock they use to show points of interest etc is very strong and cannot be tweaked.
  • No manual to help learn the game which is a bit rough for new players as the game doesn’t have a tutorial in the game outside of Lara’s home but even then it’s not straightforward.
  • New players will struggle to initially learn how all the jumps and grabs work like you jump but then have to press a different button to grab etc.
  • The lock-on is not always good, especially in the first game and it can struggle to lock on.
  • When using the modern controls it makes doing pixel-perfect jumps harder and returning players will lose all their balance and muscle memory.
  • The biggest issue across all the games is the camera and I mean when the game takes over.
  • Some of the atmosphere is taken away when you swap between filters as one is bright and one is dark.
  • Lining up jumps and grabs can be a real pain.

Related Post: JUBILEE Review (PlayStation 5)

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft:

Official website.

Developer: Aspyr

Publisher: Aspyr

Store Links –

PlayStation

  • 8/10
    Graphics - 8/10
  • 8/10
    Sound - 8/10
  • 8/10
    Accessibility - 8/10
  • 8/10
    Length - 8/10
  • 8/10
    Fun Factor - 8/10
8/10

Summary

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft is a nostalgic trip that brings back the classic adventure gameplay with a modern touch. The remastered version offers two graphic styles – the original and a newer HD filtered-up polygonal graphics. With a simple press of a button, you can swap between these graphics, even during cutscenes.

The collection includes Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider 2, Tomb Raider 3, and exclusive never-before-released content for each game – Unfinished Business, Golden Mask, and the Lost Artifact. Each game allows you to explore Lara’s home for practice and exploration. The additional content can be accessed directly from the game menu, so there’s no need to unlock or earn it.

The remastered version has made significant improvements in controller settings. You can remap buttons, adjust the dead zone slider, and action indicators, walk to action, choose between tank or modern movement, invert the axis, and adjust sensitivity sliders. However, these settings are separate in each game.

The game retains its original charm with FMV cutscenes, original menus, and music on the game selection screens. It also keeps all the original cheats for each game, though using them disables trophies. Speaking of trophies, the game offers over 100 trophies spread across six sets – one for each game and one list for each game’s extra content.

However, the remastered version is not without its flaws. The camera lock used to show points of interest is very strong and cannot be tweaked. The lock-on for shooting is not always reliable, especially in the first game. When using modern controls, doing pixel-perfect jumps becomes harder, and returning players might struggle with their balance and muscle memory. The atmosphere can also change significantly when you swap between filters as one is bright and one is dark.

For new players, the game might be a bit challenging to learn initially. There’s no manual to help learn the game, and the tutorial in Lara’s home is not straightforward. New players might struggle to learn how all the jumps and grabs work.

Despite these issues, Tomb Raider I-III Remastered is an excellent collection of arguably one of the greatest characters in the adventure genre. It takes you back to a time when music was used sparingly, the scenery and location were a character in itself, and the story was always there but not shoved in your face. It’s an amazing nostalgic trip full of memories for older players and a chance to create new memories for new players.

Jim Smale

Gaming since the Atari 2600, I enjoy the weirdness in games counting Densha De Go and RC De Go as my favourite titles of all time. I prefer gaming of old where buying games from a shop was a thing, Being social in person was a thing. Join me as I attempt to adapt to this new digital age!