Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis Could Be Great, But There's Some Things We Can't Ignore...

Seeing Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis running live on a massive screen confirms one thing immediately: it is absurdly pretty. In a recent hands-off preview at Gamescom we got to see Legacy's revamped version of the infamous Damocles Room, a chamber of raining swords where classic instant-death traps have been transformed into fluid, towering traversal puzzles, and we got to appreciate how the staggering visual fidelity on offer breathes new life into an essential piece of gaming history, while getting to talk to Crystal Dynamics about their ambitious attempt to fold Lara Croft's disparate eras into a single unified timeline.

But smooshing three distinct eras of Tomb Raider into one broad continuity is a difficult task that makes for some questionable choices. Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis gameplay grafts baffling survival mechanics onto a classic '90s adventure, while a composite of Laras leads to some dizzying tonal whiplash. And, the studio's controversial use of generative AI in development raises some eyebrows, leaving crucial pieces of in-game art looking very suspect. Is this the definitive Lara Croft remake, or are mistakes being made? As always on The Trinca Perspective, Jim is here to give you an honest rundown, warts n' all.

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