Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered: things weren’t actually better in «the good old days»

I was 12 when I took my first steps into Tomb Raider in 1996 – and I remember it well. After the intro (which enthralled me so much I’d watch it over and over again), I found myself standing in a cave somewhere in the mountains of Peru. Well, not me. Lara Croft, my in-game alter ego. Even so, for the first time in my young gaming life, I really felt like I was inside the game. That’s how impressive the presentation was to me at the time.

When I play the remastered versions, that sense of immersion is gone. Nevertheless, stepping into those familiar surroundings brings memories rushing back.

The polygons are less pointy in Tomb Raider

Aspyr, the company behind the remastered titles, has done exactly what I’d want a developer to do with a remaster: leave the game as I remember it. Does Tomb Raider I-III Remastered look good by today’s standards? No. But that’s not a bad thing. After all, Aspyr wanted to stay true to the original in remastering the games. It’s definitely managed to do so. If I want to see what the original looked like, I can switch between the old and new graphics with the touch of a button.

It’s only when I switch between graphics that I realise how markedly the classic and modern looks differ. The first thing I notice is that Lara looks less angular in the new version. Looking at retro Miss Croft, the polygons are really jarring. Aspyr has also worked on the environment. The wall and floor textures, for example, look much better and the lighting is much more authentic. In the cave at the beginning of the game, there’s light shining through the gaps in the ceiling. It’s a realistic representation of light. Despite having no gaps in the ceiling, the original cave is just as bright. The new environment, on the other hand, is just as boxy-looking as before.

As I’m playing the second level of Tomb Raider, I remember how games back in the day hardly had any hints. If there was a lever, a message wouldn’t pop up telling me I could move it. I’d have to figure it out for myself.

Block puzzles were even worse. Certain blocks in the game can be moved. In the original, I had to find out for myself what they were and how I could move them. The remastered versions, on the other hand, have exclamation marks indicating which objects I can interact with. To move a block, I have to stand in front of it, hold down the action key, then press the D-pad. When I played the originals, it took me hours to figure this out.

Twelve-year-old me was a real wimp. Unable to handle the tension of the game, I often had to set down the controller. If a wolf hissed or a bear roared, I’d flinch and escape to a higher position for safety. Even playing the remastered version today, the sounds give me the heebie-jeebies. As a kid, I just asked a buddy to play the game for me so that I could still see it through to the end. To say thank you, I gave him Magic cards.

Vehicles are still awkward in Tomb Raider II

The thing I remember most about Tomb Raider II is that vehicles were impossible to control. Regardless of whether I was piloting a motorboat or snowmobile, both would flat-out refuse to let me steer them. Thanks to today’s control options, the remastered version is better. That being said, the vehicles still handle terribly.

Speaking of controls, if you can’t handle traditional tank controls, you can switch to the more contemporary controls used in Tomb Raider: Legend. Personally, I prefer the old controls – I’m even still used to them after all these years. It feels weird to me to play differently. When I try modern controls, I can’t even aim.

Another of my standout Tomb Raider II memories in addition to terrible vehicles is breakable windows. These days, people are getting riled up about yellow paint being used to signal climbable areas. If only the developers who worked on Lara Croft’s second adventure had included a feature like that. In the Venice level, I had to smash certain windows in order to progress. Since this was never signalled, it took me hours to realise I had to interact with an object I couldn’t otherwise interact with.

I have no other memories of that edition. I’d completely blanked on the fact part II starts with the Great Wall of China. I don’t even remember if I completed it. In my defence, I should mention that Tomb Raider II was released in 1997, when I was far too busy playing Final Fantasy VII, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee. At that point, I wasn’t particularly interested in Miss Croft. A year later, however, it was a different story.

Boobs and creepy facial expressions in Tomb Raider III

When Tomb Raider III was released, I was 14 years old. As a typical late bloomer, it was only then I discovered my appreciation of the female sex – and, more importantly, of breasts. Back then, nothing was more strongly associated with boobs than Lara Croft.

The idea that Lara’s enormous bosom was the result of a mistake, incidentally, is a myth. Legend has it that her bust was inadvertently enlarged by 150 instead of 50 per cent. Then, when the team liked it, they left it as it was. This myth goes back to something character artist Toby Gard said in an interview. Asked about Lara’s sizeable chest, he found the question so left-field that he sarcastically said it was a mistake. However, this wasn’t true.

As a garden variety horny teen, I was eager to get my hands on the third edition – mainly because of Lara Croft. Especially since there was a code for the Xploder cheat device that would let me see her naked. Which, of course, looked pretty hellish. It also wasn’t really Lara, but a blonde version of her. The fact that a YouTube video of the cheat is still available shows how decidedly unraunchy it was.

Even in the grip of puberty, I quickly lost interest in both nude Lara and the game. This was mainly down to the developer Core Design adding even more vehicles than to the previous version. The controls were just as dire as before, the kayak being the worst I remember. Even today, it constantly stresses gamers out. You’ll find classic examples here and here.

The most striking thing about the remastered third instalment is the revised cut scenes using in-game graphics. In the original, the characters’ faces were like doll faces. They had no facial expressions and their lips didn’t move when they spoke. That’s all changed now. However, since the head-bobbing used in the original to express «emotions» has been retained, the new facial expressions are eerie.

Verdict: a nice remaster that’ll delight fans

Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered brings my old memories of gaming flooding back. The graphics in the first Lara Croft trilogy have been given a thorough polish. As a result, the then groundbreaking game is more playable today. The original graphics have aged badly. On the whole, the game is very true to the original.

But that’s all the positives I can think of. I don’t think I’ll be diving back into the world of Lara Croft once I’m done with this review. Mostly because of its outdated gameplay. Even using «modern» controls, the games don’t meet today’s standards. Let’s be real, modern controls are based on Tomb Raider: Legend – a game that’s now 18 years old. The storylines – and Lara Croft herself – have become dated. I can’t relate to the character at all anymore. I’m just no longer able to befriend a Terminator in human form. I’d rather have another go of the Reboot trilogy, where Lara’s more relatable.

If you’re a fan of the original trilogy and want to play it with updated graphics, you’ll be happy with the remastered version. Especially since you get three games, including expansions, for 30 francs/euros.

Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered is available from 14 February on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. The Switch version of the game was provided to me by Aspyr for testing purposes.