As one of gaming's oldest mascots, it's fair to say that Lara Croft is aging gracefully. Since her debut in 1996, the intrepid explorer has reinvented herself numerous times and is as relevant today as she was in the '90s. Aspyr recently released a remaster of the first three games and has also been hard at work remastering three more: Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, Tomb Raider: ChroniclesAND Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness. All together, the Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered Collection the release is scheduled for February 2025.
Game Rant recently caught up with Aspyr brand manager Matthew Ray about the process behind remastering these three games. Among other things, Ray discussed the change in tone from the first trilogy and aspects of the development that reminded him of how good the first trilogy was. tomb Raider the games were originally developed by Core Design.
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The overall tone of Tomb Raider is noticeably darker in these games
Although there is no doubt that the former tomb Raider The games were challenging experiences, the overall tone of the first trilogy was balanced, with the games appealing to a broad demographic. Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation marked a significantly darker turn in Lara's legacy, and both Chronicles AND Angel of darkness continued that trend. Ray explained that this shift in tone was ultimately one of the biggest challenges when remastering the second trilogy. He said,
''The most significant difference is the tone of these matches. Tomb Raider 4-6 marks a shift towards darker, narrative-driven storytelling compared to the lighter, more adventurous tone of the first three. This required a unique approach to the remaster, emphasizing the atmospheric details of the environments and enhancing elements such as lighting and shadows to immerse players in the story's darker themes.''
Tomb Raider's level design is still impressive today
Aside from the noticeable shift in tone, Ray was also very impressed with how well some of the trilogy's level designs have held up today. Lara Croft is an explorer at heart, so that's important to tomb Raiderto feel appropriately grown up and bring home that sense of wonder and discovery. The final revelation, Chronicles, AND Angel of darkness all managed to achieve this sense of scale, a fact that was not lost on Ray when Aspyr began his work on this trilogy. He explained,
''The level design is still incredibly impressive by today's standards. The intricate puzzles, exploration-rich layouts, and sense of scale remain among the best in gaming. These elements highlight how forward-thinking the original developers were, creating experiences that continue to engage and challenge players decades later. This is something we worked hard to preserve in the remaster because it's the cornerstone of what makes these games special.”
Similarly to the remasters of the first trilogy, Tomb Raider 4-6 remastered should breathe new life into titles that have been dormant for a while now. It's definitely a great time to be at tomb Raider fan. Crystal Dynamics is working on a brand new untitled game, Prime Video has a live-action series in the works, and Netflix Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft has been renewed for a second season.
Tomb Raider 4-6 remastered
