Tomb Raider: Series Retrospective – PlayStation.Blog

Introducing the world to the young British aristocrat, Tomb Raider sets the scene with a mission to discover the three pieces of an ancient artifact known as the Scion.

The result is a global, twisty journey through locations such as Greece, Egypt, and Atlantis, with what was then a revolutionary mix of 3D levels, gun-wielding action, puzzle-solving, and acrobatic traversal. And who can forget a heart-stopping T-Rex encounter?

Available on PlayStation Store as part of Tomb Raider I-III Remastered.

Tomb Raider II – 1997 – PlayStation – Eidos Interactive, basic design

Now that she has become a more experienced adventurer, Lady Croft begins her search for the mysterious Dagger of Xian, which is said to have the power to transform its wielder into a dragon. In an attempt to claim her claim against the dangerous Vyama Nera cults, Lara fights her way through Venice, Tibet and even back to her palace in England.

Expanding in every way on the already hugely successful formula, with new weapons, the ability to climb walls and larger levels, Tomb Raider II also introduced controllable vehicles like boats and snowmobiles, marking the beginning of a beautiful relationship between Lara and almost anything motorized (and even some without it).

Available on PlayStation Store as part of Tomb Raider I-III Remastered.

Tomb Raider III: The Adventures of Lara Croft – 1998 – PlayStation – Eidos Interactive, basic design

Four fragments of an ancient meteorite grant energy. Horrific experiences nods to the classic film, The Thing. Lara’s third outing was a big one, sending her across Nevada, the South Pacific Islands and Antarctica to accomplish the mission – with a new option to play the game’s central regions in any order.

As with Tomb Raider II, this sequel featured smarter enemies and provided Lara with a wider moveset such as monkey swinging and limited stamina speedruns. It also introduced dynamic lighting, weather, and smoke effects, giving the series a serious visual flair.

Available on PlayStation Store as part of Tomb Raider I-III Remastered.

Tomb Raider: Final Revelation – 1998 – PlayStation – Eidos Interactive, basic design

Compared to its self-assured introductions, The Last Revelation carried a more hesitant tone as Lara’s attempt to claim the Amulet of Horus accidentally unleashes the malevolent Egyptian god, Set, who possesses her former mentor.

Saving humanity from Set has Lara traveling across a greater variety of interior and exterior areas as she battles through the streets, ruins and valleys of Cairo and Alexandria, as well as the Pyramids of Giza.

Along with the less well-mannered Croft, her fourth outing introduced more new moves and the ability to combine items in her inventory to craft puzzle pieces or create improved weapons. We will return to this element later…

Coming soon to PlayStation Store as part of Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered.

Tomb Raider: Chronicles – 2000 – PlayStation – Eidos Interactive, basic design

Presumed dead after the events of the Final Revelation, the logs brought to light Lara’s nearest and dearest memories of her past, revealing her hunting down the Philosopher’s Stone in Rome, searching for the Spear of Destiny off the coast of Russia, fending off a Hellspawn in Ireland as a teenager, and infiltrating a high-tech facility in New York – with… Cyborg killers.

Coming soon to PlayStation Store as part of Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered.

PlayStation 2 era

Tomb Raider: Dark Angel – 2003 – PlayStation 2 – Eidos Interactive, Basic Design

Having survived the events of The Last Revelation, Lara eventually resurfaces in Paris, only to be framed for the murder of her former mentor.

True to its title, The Angel of Darkness features a more sinister story compared to previous games in the series, with PS2-boosted visuals to match its new style and revamped controls. It also introduced a dialogue system, an upgradeable stamina bar, and a second playable character in antagonistic partner Curtis Trent.

Coming soon to PlayStation Store as part of Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered.

Tomb Raider: Legend – 2006 – PlayStation 2 – Eidos Interactive, Crystal Dynamics

Rebooting the entire series and balancing Lara’s gritty sense of adventure with a steadier emotional core, Legends saw Ms. Croft search for the legendary sword Excalibur as a way to help find her missing mother.

Expanding the locations Lara typically explores (from Japan and Peru to Nepal and Kazakhstan) but taking a back-to-basics approach to her weapons and equipment, Legend has reformatted the series’ controls, combat, and enemy AI, and even crafted a custom physics engine to bring a fresh feel. And familiar to the way of playing.

Available on PlayStation Store and included with PlayStation Plus Premium.

Tomb Raider: Anniversary – 2007 – PlayStation 2 – Eidos Interactive, Crystal Dynamics

By this point, the series had struck a nice balance between canonization of the series and new mechanics, remixing the story of the first Tomb Raider while continuing the events of Legacy, in an improved engine.

Lara’s weapons cache has been improved, while maintaining the distinctive style of the first game as much as possible, albeit with more modern considerations across puzzles and level design to help incorporate elements of the legend, such as grapples to traverse the environments.

PlayStation 3 era

Tomb Raider: Underworld – 2008 – PlayStation 3 – Eidos Interactive, Crystal Dynamics

At the conclusion of the Legends timeline, Underworld saw Lara searching for Thor’s hammer in order to enter the Norse underworld, Helheim, and discover the truth about her parents’ ultimate fate. The game cleverly used real-world counterparts to mythical locations, taking Lara to places like Jan Mayen Island and the Arctic Circle.

Underworld took advantage of the powerful PS3 hardware with more expansive environments, motion-captured animation (via Olympic gymnast Heidi Moneymaker) and a slew of new moves and weapons, including… Thor’s hammer. Oh yes.

Tomb Raider – 2013 – PlayStation 3 – Square Enix, Crystal Dynamics

The series’ storytelling took on a more consistent and cinematic focus with the second reboot of Lara’s adventures, tracking her development from frightened young traveler to tense survivor. Stranded on a mysterious island off the coast of Japan, Lara must find her friends and escape before the violent Solari Brotherhood sect kills them.

Starting with primitive weapons that can eventually be upgraded (fulfilling the promise of The Last Revelation’s early crafting-style system), Tomb Raider is all about stealth and survival in a brutal, more open environment, complete with variable weather effects and dramatic lighting.

Tomb Raider also becomes the first game in the series to feature a competitive online multiplayer mode, so can you expand your quest to include your friends too…

Available on PlayStation Store and included with PlayStation Plus Extra.

PlayStation 4 era

Rise of the Tomb Raider – 2015 – PlayStation 4 – Square Enix, Crystal Dynamics

The jump to PS4 means that the sequel to 2013’s Tomb Raider remains one of the series’ most aesthetically impressive entries, with motion capture technology enhanced to include facial animation.

On a quest to end her father’s subsequent quest for the legendary city of Kitezh and grant her immortality, Lara finds herself in Siberia in a fight for her life, against not only the paramilitary organization Trinity, but also the most hostile wildlife. The guerrilla combat style is further developed, albeit with a wider range of weapons and skill sets for Lara to use.

Available on PlayStation Store and included with PlayStation Plus Extra.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider – 2018 – PlayStation 4 – Eidos-Montreal, Crystal Dynamics

Concluding the Survivor trilogy, Shadow of the Tomb Raider sees Lara trying to prevent an apocalypse inadvertently unleashed by the Mayans. Set in Mexico and Peru, the story covers Lara’s more philosophical awakening, as she explores the cultural impact of her actions as she evolves into the more popular version of her character.

As the beautiful visuals took it a step further, so did the game’s stealth elements, with the ability to hide in bushes from enemies, or camouflage Lara with mud. Not that she’s hiding anymore – the animated series Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft picks up where Shadow of the Tomb Raider left off in series continuity.

Available on PlayStation Store via PlayStation Plus Extra.

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With Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered arriving on PS4 and PS5 on February 14, the world won’t have long to wait before Lara returns once again. Ditch your inexhaustible dual pistols and get an extraordinarily sturdy backpack – it’s time for adventure…