For 'Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis', I was only allowed to watch – and now I want to get my hands on it even more.
At Gamescom, Crystal Dynamics is showcasing the Greece level of "Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis." I watched it—and it left me wanting more.
«Tomb Raider» was never a shooter. What captivated me about Lara Croft in 1996 were neither the weapons nor the wolves or dinosaurs. It was the quiet minutes in vast halls where I had no idea where to go or what to do. Platforming and puzzles were the focus.
Thirty years later, I get to see such scenes again at Gamescom. Crystal Dynamics shows me 25 minutes from the Greece section of «Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis». Only to watch, though. Nevertheless, I am incredibly excited because the sequence shows exactly what makes «Tomb Raider» what it is.
Source: Crystal Dynamics
What it's about
«Legacy of Atlantis» is not a remaster, but a reinterpretation of Lara's first adventure. Experience Director Jeff Adams and Creative Director Michał Kuk emphasize this multiple times: no old code, everything built from scratch in Unreal Engine 5. For Lara Croft's 30th anniversary, the original is not to be polished, but retold.
In the scenes shown, I see Lara in the catacombs beneath St. Francis' Folly – a ruined monastery in Greece. In the original, this was the fifth level. Previously, Lara had broken into the tomb of Qualopec in Peru. What she finds there puts her on a collision course with an overpowering enemy. Now, she is in a race against her rival Pierre Dupont for the second part of the Scion sanctuary.
Source: Crystal Dynamics
Columns up to the cave ceiling
The developers have placed the classic Greek architecture into a sprawling, underground wilderness. Columns tower into a sky that isn't one. Light falls in sharp beams from the cave ceiling into the frame. It looks simply fantastic.
Adams points out to me in advance that I am seeing alpha material. That is never noticeable. What I cannot judge, however, is how the whole thing feels. At the hands-off presentation, Kuk, who has known the game for years, is playing. Everything looks correspondingly confident.
Source: Crystal Dynamics
Bats that aren't just cannon fodder
Besides platforming sections, after a few minutes I also see a fight against bats. Lara draws her iconic pistols and drives the critters away with them – unlike in the original, the guns must also be reloaded, despite infinite ammunition. The team has given the bats an unpredictable flight pattern and sends significantly more of them after Lara. If she stands still, she gets caught. That is exactly what happens – and it is the hook for crafting.
Source: Crystal Dynamics
From raw materials that Lara collects in the world, she crafts a remedy and refills her health bar. Later, Lara is attacked by a big cat. It is agile, hides in the environment, and attacks from an ambush. Lara counters with the focus system: A bar fills up, then time slows down and she fires targeted shots. The developers were inspired by the bullet time from «Max Payne».
Source: Crystal Dynamics
From the spectator's perspective, both skirmishes seem brisk and cleanly staged. I don't know if they are challenging. Kuk won them as if in his sleep.
The scanner does the work. Too much work?
In front of a massive door, Lara's new device is used: a scanner. It analyzes objects and obstacles and reveals how to overcome them. Here, it indicates that four keys are needed to open the door. Three are already inserted, the fourth is missing.
Source: Crystal Dynamics
The scanner is my biggest concern. Because it is practically my solution book. «Tomb Raider» wouldn't be «Tomb Raider» without the puzzles. With the scanner, it becomes a puzzle game that explains the puzzles to me. Adams qualifies this and says that the hint function is optional. Those who want to can use the scanner only for its second function. It can also be used to extract lore from certain objects.
That reassures me. Nevertheless, the question remains as to how strongly the game demands the scanner in practice.
Sword of Damocles hangs higher now
The highlight of the presentation is the Damocles trial, which Lara must complete for the fourth key. In the 1996 original, this is a platforming puzzle on the ground. I dodge swords that fall from the ceiling and am careful not to step on spikes. Now, verticality is added – according to Adams, because platforming is the pillar of the section.
Source: Crystal Dynamics
The swords deal massive damage. The sound design of the falling swords is great; it immediately reminds me of 1996 again. As Lara, Kuk crafts an equipment item that gives her resistance to the traps for a short time. Via platforms, Kuk reaches the heights and can thus jump over the swords. The blades can even be shot down from the ceiling. This is how he makes his way out of the room. For the more distant swords, the developer equips the «Dead Eye» skill, thereby improving Lara's accuracy.
Sounds like (too) many systems. On the screen, however, everything meshes cleanly. I am curious to see what that will look like in the finished game.
Source: Crystal Dynamics
Relics, outfits, and three difficulty levels
Exploring is rewarded. On the way back from the Damocles trial, an object beckons behind bars that is supposedly unreachable. Lara has to find her way. The object turns out to be the relic of an owl. There are supposed to be plenty of these throughout the game, both historically inspired and invented ones. The owl unlocks a new outfit that Lara wears in «Tomb Raider: Legend». Unlocked outfits are purely cosmetic in nature and can be changed at any time.
Source: Crystal Dynamics
Significantly more important than cosmetic gimmicks, however, I find that there are three separate difficulty levels: for combat, puzzles, and climbing. Those who want the feeling of 1996 set the puzzles to hard and the combat down. That is one of the best ideas in the game. I never wanted «more enemies» in «Tomb Raider», but «less help».
Incidentally, Adams explains how far the team's attention to detail goes. For example, with Lara's ponytail. Thanks to physical calculations and simulations of the Unreal Engine, it usually moves realistically. But the team has developed further tools because the ponytail is sometimes not supposed to move correctly. For example, if it gets caught in Lara's backpack, it should also be able to detach from it again.
Hype despite the spectator role
At the end of the presentation, the landscape opens up and Lara's rival Pierre taunts her. His personality was deliberately not reinterpreted, says Adams. That, too, is a good sign.
I haven't touched «Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis» and, all in all, have only seen a single room. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to it immensely. The Greece that was shown to me is simultaneously familiar and new – and that is exactly the most difficult exercise in a reinterpretation.
Source: Crystal Dynamics
My doubts remain: The scanner must not do the thinking for me, and the fights must not degenerate into a mandatory exercise. Whether that works out, I will tell you as soon as I am allowed to play the thing myself.
«Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis» will be released on February 12, 2027, for PS5, Xbox Series, PC, and Switch 2.
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