Tomb Raider IV – VI Remastered Review

Last year we received the first three Tomb Raider games in a single bundle with modernized controls and the ability to change the classic PS1 visuals to the slightly remastered sheen. The Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Collection was suitable for those seeking a properly authentic retro experience from 25 years ago, and would also act as a serviceable history lesson to teach youngsters what games in the mid-90s looked and played like. Now that Tomb Raider IV-VI has arrived in the same fashion, you’ll be privy to all the same likes and gripes you had with last year’s collection – only this time you can try your hand at Angel of Darkness, the consensus worst game in the Tomb Raider franchise. So yet again, your enjoyment of this collection hinges on how well you tolerate the classic controls and visuals because there’s very little else to complement here if you look at these games through a modern lens.

There’s no skirting around it, the Tomb Raider IV-VI collection isn’t for you if you want to play three Tomb Raider classics with completely functional and non-irritable controls. You’ll get pretty much exactly the same experience you had playing these games on 90s consoles, but when you play them unsuspectingly now, you’ll be in for a shock if you expected reworked controls and refined visuals – but then again you would’ve been expecting a full-blown remake, and these Tomb Raider classics have certainly not been remade.  

The emphasis here then is on providing players with a near-completely authentic experience of these late 90s-early 00s Tomb Raider games. In this vain, these remasters are successful because you’ll definitely be waiting for inputs to register like jumping and getting Lara’s legs over an open window to for example to enter a building so you can filch someone else’s belongings. If you’re new to these games you’ll need to keep your patience in-check by reminding yourself that these are not the reboot-era Tomb Raider games. 

There are nice inclusions to the remaster effort like toggling from the original games’ graphics and the sleek remastered versions. The framerates are very smooth as well, so no matter how terrible these games are, at least they run well now at 4K resolutions. You can now save anywhere as well, so you won’t have to worry about losing data if you keep on top of saving whenever you please.

Tomb Raider IV-VI can be defined darkness and conspiracy that go hand-in-hand with the late 90s/early 00s culture. In the wake of darker videogame experiences of the time like Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy VII, this second wave of Tomb Raider games got edgier and edgier, which is why these are known as “The Darkness Collection.”

The Last Revelation might be considered the jewel of the early Tomb Raider games, as it sees Lara traveling to Egypt to contend with a treacherous guide, a trusted man who’d stab Lara in the back to become the villain, the man who resembles Agent 47’s granddad better than anyone could possibly hope – Werner Von Croy. The cliff-hanger ending, where Lara is presumed dead after getting buried under the rubble of The Great Pyramid of Giza is an inspired choice that keeps you guessing as to how Lara crawled out of almost-certain doom. The Last Revelation did plenty right to steer Tomb Raider in a refreshing direction, though it’s incredibly easy to mistaken the name for The Last Crusade – showing just how the Indiana Jones franchise inspires Tomb Raider.

Though the training tutorial takes place in Cambodia, the rest of game is set in Egypt, which was an inspired setting to situate this fourth Lara Croft adventure due to not only the fascinating pyramids, but also the many dangerous critters and firelit temples bursting with danger and surprises. 

Gameplay wise, The Last Revelation made some strides forward, such as allowing players to hop onto and ride Lara’s motorbike, which previously could only be whiffed at during in-game cutscenes, as well as a jeep. Her new revolver and crossbow became welcome additions to Lara’s arsenal as well, providing her a badass edge which defined all three games despite their descent into the dregs of the sub-par. 

Chronicles meanwhile, is split up into four stories, each them a reminiscence of Lara’s past adventure because in the present she’s too busy being eulogized by her close confidantes following the events of The Last Revelation. The stories include a jaunt in Rome with Lara hunting down Tomb Raider I rivals Pierre Dupont and Larson Conway to capture the Philosopher’s Stone (not that one). The second story is a subterranean affair as Lara and a portly Russian mafia general Sergei Mikhailov battle to obtain the Spear of Destiny. The third story reverts us back to Lara’s childhood and concerns the Black Isle of Ireland, an expedition with demons and gothic tones. Lastly, the fourth story sees Lara retrieving the Iris she had previously lost in The Last Revelation.   

While it’s clever to base a game around the origins of Lara’s life as a tomb-raiding adventurer and a false memorial, the game itself was lacking ideas and worked to fill in blanks than bring in new features. Even so, there is enough intrigue and a few interesting ideas mixed into Chronicles, though without forward-thinking changes, the consensus was that not only was Chronicles not doing anything new, but it felt archaic – but you gotta give it up to the catsuit and camouflage she wears in separate missions during the game because Lara was still an ogle-worthy attraction at this point. 

The same gameplay likes and gripes from previous Tomb Raider games apply to Chronicles, and although it is tied to the events of its predecessor, it comes across as a game that may have well been called Lara’s Origins instead. Lara can walk tightropes this time, and the stealth takedowns were cool to see implemented during her mission in New York. 

Then there was the 2003 entry many would suitably call Lara’s creme de la crap known as Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness. Angel of Darkness was derided when it first came out in 2003 because it was focused on urban exploration and abandoned the naturalistic settings of its predecessors. Considering it’s the most modern Tomb Raider game, you’d think that it’d be the easiest to get to grips with, but alas this is not the case – it’s a janky mess with its archaic controls and a focus on dreary gun-toting action. Furthermore, this was a more adult Tomb Raider game, shedding sunlight for moonlight, and a mood that feels as though Lara had gone partially emo.

This time around Lara’s mentor Von Croy has been murdered by a mysterious stranger, and Lara is blamed for the murder. As a result she’s hunted down by the feds, so Lara needs to escape them and clear her name. Lara’s task is to find artefacts known as Obscura Paintings, which when assembled create a Cubiculum Nephili, otherwise known as an Angel of Darkness.

One of the boldest moves Angel of Darkness made was to include a second playable character known as Kurtis Trent, which unfortunately didn’t pan out well because his move set and arsenal mimicked Lara’s, although his combat sections were larger. Mr Trent was undoubtedly a casualty of Angel of Darkness‘s rushed development, which combined with the slapdash aspects of the game’s design and gigantic ambitions that were squeezed haphazardly into the game like the level-up system, made Angel of Darkness appear like it was trying to squeeze a great white shark into a fish tank.

This isn’t to say that The Angel of Darkness didn’t have some good ideas though. There are dialogue options that give Lara different choices regarding what to say, and although it’s tonally more more matur than previous games, it feels like The Angel of Darkness was trying to evolve Lara in an exciting new direction, but the design of the game was just too rushed and half-baked to truly fulfil its ambitions.  

All three Tomb Raider games were subjects of a decaying series, and while these remasters look impressive, they don’t do anything to address the issues within these games at all. No, it’s not fair to assess these three Tomb Raider games as though they could’ve been radically changed up, but if they were dressed up more there would be more flourishing things to talk about here. 

Conclusion

If you loved the remastered Tomb Raiders I-III released last year, then you’ll definitely want to grab IV-VI remastered as well. The nostalgia and the novelty of revisiting the old Tomb Raider games is certainly worthwhile, but with IV-VI you’re witnessing three Tomb Raiders that gradually lose track of what the series was all about. The Last Revelation and its new ideas are successful, and you’ll enjoy your explorations in Egypt, but Chronicles and Angel of Darkness reek of missed potential and both of them come off as rush jobs. The remaster efforts are good enough in terms of uplifting these relics visually, and the framerate is crisp as well, but you’ll still need to wrestle with terrible design choices inherent within these three games, and the pounding desire for these Tomb Raider games to be remade for a contemporary audience.