Unearthing greatness: Tomb Raider – A legendary game for all time

Lara Croft is one of the most iconic video game characters of all time. Since the first Tomb Raider game was released in 1996, it has had a lasting impact on the video game industry, and it spawned a major franchise. It was an immediate hit, with video game magazines and general reviewers showering it with praise.

The game’s legendary status is well deserved. Even after all these years and major improvements in graphics and gameplay, Tomb Raider still retains its playability. In this article, we’ll take a look back at that initial game and what made it so special, its sequels and the media that has been inspired by it.

The original

Tomb Raider was developed by Core Design, through the creative genius of Toby Gard. Gard was only 23 when he began work on the game and perhaps it was his youth that enabled him to build such a creative and innovative game. Paul Douglas was the programmer on the other side of the equation and just as important to its success. The game was published by Eidos Interactive.

The first game introduces players to Lara Croft, an archaeologist and adventurer. While her story has been revised over time, she was introduced as a young aristocrat who turned to a life of adventure after surviving a plane crash. No matter what her background is, Croft is a smart and resourceful protagonist who is equally able to use her brains and her brawn alongside her collection of weaponry to get out of trouble.

The plot of Tomb Raider revolves around Croft hunting for pieces of an ancient artefact and battling against nefarious forces that are equally invested in finding the artefact. The four primary locations in the game are Peru, Greece, Egypt and Atlantis. As Croft hunts for the artefact, she progresses through tombs and wild settings by solving puzzles, collecting objects and killing enemies.

One of the biggest gameplay innovations introduced in the first game was that Croft was able to swim. This had rarely been done in video games prior to Tomb Raider. Climbing and creeping along ledges were also important movements. Throughout the game, Croft has two basic stances. The first is with her hands empty, which allows her to grab onto ledges, pick up items and solve puzzles. The second is with her guns drawn. When her weapons are drawn, the nearest target is automatically locked onto.

Today, the graphics appear rough, and the gameplay can feel a little bit simplistic at times. It’s impossible to ignore the fact that it was the first 3D action-adventure game, and it changed conceptions of what video games could be.

Sequels

The developers had faith in their game and before the first game was released the second was already in the concept stage. The massive success of the first one ensured that the series would continue, and a media franchise was born.

Publisher Eidos Interactive pushed developers into a nearly impossible production schedule to release a new game every year. Core Design created the sequels until 2003. Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness was their last instalment and its negative reviews showed just how burnt out the team had become.

Development of the series was shifted to Crystal Dynamics who started with a series reboot known as Tomb Raider: Legend. This was followed with 2007’s Tomb Raider: Anniversary, which was a remake of the original game. It showed just how far graphics had come and how much more was now possible in terms of gameplay.

In 2010, Square Enix purchased Eidos Interactive and gained control over the franchise. Crystal Dynamics’ final contribution to the series was 2015’s Rise of the Tomb Raider.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is the most recent instalment in the main series. It is also the first instalment to be developed by Eidos Montréal. While some have criticized the game for being so unwieldy that it stops being enjoyable, but this was seen as more a result of wider issues in the industry and not the game itself.

Source of inspiration

Tomb Raider is part of a longer tradition of the archaeologist adventurer genre. The most famous example is of course Indiana Jones. Just as most detective characters have their roots in Sherlock Holmes, another Sir Arthur Conan Doyle character is the original basis for the scientific adventurer. Professor George Challenger initially appeared in Conan Doyle’s The Lost World in 1912.

Lara Croft revamped the archaeologist adventurer character. The original video games were such a success that it inspired a movie series which has now had a reboot. A television series is currently in development and a new film is being considered. There was also a comic book series that originally ran from 1999-2004 and was then rebooted in 2015 and continues to be a popular title for publisher Dark Horse Comics.

Tomb Raider has also been the source of inspiration for other video games. The original Uncharted was referred to by critics as “Tomb Raider with more guns” because it was so similar. The online slot machine game Book of Dead, part of the Rich Wilde series, is similarly inspired by the Tomb Raider character and features an adventurous archaeologist on expeditions around the world.

In terms of gameplay, rather than simply theme, Tomb Raider has also had a lasting legacy. It was one of the first successful games to blend traditional adventure and fighting gameplay elements with elaborate puzzle solving mechanics and a detailed plot. One of the games that has taken gameplay inspiration from Tomb Raider is part of another major entertainment franchise: 2019’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.

Final thoughts

Tomb Raider changed the video game landscape in several important ways and its impact spilled over from video games to the wider pop culture world. The fact that new titles in the series have continuously been released since 1996 shows that it has staying power that can’t be matched by most franchises.