Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Switch Review – Clunk in the Trunk

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Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Switch Review – Clunk in the Trunk

I think every review of this game will tell you what an icon Lara Croft is, and there’s no wonder why because from 1996 onwards she’s been in a steady stream of games that rightfully cement her position into the hall of fame. Initially released on the Sega Saturn, then PlayStation 1 and PC, the original Tomb Raider ushered in a new era of action games that seemed ahead of its time. Aspyr seems to understand the pedigree of the series and presents us with this Trilogy Remaster, complete with the first 3 games and all DLCs. What’s It Like? Prepare to travel back in time, load up the dual pistols, and hunt for treasure as we review The Tomb Raider I-III Remastered for Nintendo Switch.

Firstly, let’s talk about the collection itself. There’s been some care taken and the best part (for my OCD anyway) is that the collection falls under one home screen icon on the Switch. You navigate through the titles by pressing up and down and the menus are almost true to the original versions that I first played many, many, many moons ago. Once you’re in the game, you can instantly flip between the new look and the old look by pressing the plus button. While this is usually a nice feature, it is almost needed as a gameplay mechanic, but more on that later. The games have had a fresh lick of paint that manages to capture how I remember the games in my head, and switching to original graphics shows just how far we’ve come. Lara looks faithfully recreated to a high standard, and some models have a nice makeover too. Environmental geometry remains largely untouched, with the developer opting for more subtle texture reskins and adding light shafts and overgrown ferns in areas. It’s not the most groundbreaking visuals you will find on Switch, but it runs at a smooth 60 frames per second and manages to look decent without losing the magic of the original.

Other changes include a new movement method which doesn’t really work a lot of the time. I found the modern controls to be fantastic for traversal, but lacking when it comes to the platforming and combat sections of the game. You can switch back to tank controls, which is what I tended to stick to for my time with the trilogy, and even then using the analog stick led to some frustrating experiences. The initial game was designed with the D-pad in mind and that’s what I ended up reverting to which, unfortunately, just feels really dated to play. There’s also a photo mode included in the Remaster, which I didn’t use much, but screenshot enthusiasts will be happy to know it’s there.

For the uninitiated, the original games play more like action platformers, with some combat mixed in. The games still manage to build a lot of atmosphere as you delve into the depths of ruins, or wander through the jungle. The first game stays rather grounded in its setting, whereas the sequels tend to be a more globetrotting adventure. In your downtime, you can visit Lara’s Mansion to brush up on your skills or lock your butler in the freezer in classic Tomb Raider Style. There are a lot of puzzles to solve, and platforms to jump on as well as deadly traps and some adrenaline-pumping moments avoiding rolling boulders, spike pits, and lethal falls.

To me, the biggest issue with the Tomb Raider Trilogy is that many of its improvements just don’t work with the game. The remastered graphics look great and the 60 frame-per-second boost that comes with them is also a nice touch, but it’s also too dark with no option to adjust the brightness. I found myself constantly switching between new and old graphics to be able to see items clearer or plan out where I needed to jump. The graphics change would have been a nice feature, instead, it’s reduced to almost being like Batman’s Detective mode, shining light on the surrounding area. In some cases, the older style graphics are better at discerning hazards like spike pits and swamp/quicksand. The new controls are ok for getting around, but absolutely woeful for platforming and combat. Moves like the backward and sideward somersaults are unable to be executed with modern controls, making combat a frustrating exercise in circle strafing enemies hoping you can get some shots off.

For my vision-impaired Archaeologists, I do not recommend the Tomb Raider Trilogy unless playing strictly in the older style graphics engine due to the reworked engine making everything far too dark to be able to navigate even for me. There are no options to adjust brightness or contrast in the game, leading to a lot of frustrating situations that could be rectified if there were the option to change them.

It’s really a shame because it is clear to me that the Aspyr team has handled the port with care, which almost seems contradictory to the issues laid bare in this review. The problem is that the game was built for D-pad Tank controls and pinpoint movement, which is negated by the new controls. As for the graphics issues, they can easily be patched in an update by simply adding an option to change the brightness.

Much like the treasures you plunder from the depths of the ruins in the Peruvian mountains, Tomb Raider is somewhat of a relic, delightful to see, and great to look back on, but it also shows us just how far we’ve come. For fans of the series, it’s a great way to revisit these classic games, but for newcomers, I think it’s best to move on to the next exhibit…

 

Tomb Raider Trilogy

66% Score

Review Breakdown

  • Graphics and Visuals 0%
  • Polish and Performance 0%
  • Gameplay 0%
  • Content and Features 0%
  • Value 0%

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