If you ask someone what they remember about Tomb Raider, I bet that answer is different for everyone. My brother might say those pesky tigers from Tomb Raider 2; your friends might curse those classic tank controls. Lara Croft's debut adventure is one for the ages, and like a relic itself, Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog are uncovering it for a new era. While I didn't get to go hands-on with Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis at Gamescom, I left the presentation more excited than ever.
You see, beforehand, I wasn't sure how to feel about it. This is the second remake of Tomb Raider, following 2007's Tomb Raider: Anniversary. Outside of that, Aspyr's recent remasters are still quite fresh in my memory. So, it's safe to say that exposure to the first entry is quite high. Can Flying Wild Hog really give it another meaningful rejuvenation? After 30 minutes of real-time gameplay, I think the studio might just be onto something.
There are a few signs of Crystal Dynamics' reboot series from the get-go. While the original game has players search for medpacks to keep Lara healed, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis swaps these for crafting mechanics. Miscellaneous crafting materials are found around the environment, contributing to healing and other useful items for Lara's endeavors. I'm still not entirely sure whether I like this inclusion. It makes sense in the age of modern gaming and serves as a quality-of-life mechanic, but part of me thinks that not every game needs crafting.
However, what I do think is genuinely cool is the addition of the archaeological scanner. It's a neat gadget that feels straight out of the Angelina Jolie movies, providing you with clues and assessments of your surroundings. I hope it doesn't become too much of a crutch, as it could be exploited like Detective Vision in the Batman Arkham series. But what about how Lara uses it to solve puzzles and get our neurons firing? Flying Wild Hog might have some juice here.
On top of this, Flying Wild Hog is retaining the skill trees from the reboot series, too. Rather than pooling them into Survivor, Hunter, and Brawler categories at a campfire, it's simply accessing Lara's flip phone to decide how you want to shape her prowess. The showcase itself is a recreation of St Francis' Folly, the fifth mission from the 1996 game. Exploring remnants of civilization in Greece, Lara isn't entirely alone.
There's always wildlife to defeat on her travels, and this isn't any different. It's here that Legacy of Atlantis's combat throws me through a loop - in a good way. Lara's movement is agile with plenty of flips and cartwheels. I wouldn't have it any other way. Yet, I never expected a Tomb Raider game to implement the focus mechanic from 2003's Enter the Matrix.
Not only that, but it's even referred to as 'focus' by developers in the room. Slow-motion mechanics aren't exactly new in games, but in this case, it enriches combat. Seeing Lara parade around effortlessly, unloading rounds from iconic dual pistols? It has flair and energy that could make firefights in the new Switch game exceptional. I can only imagine how satisfying it'll be using it in that bastard T-Rex boss fight. It isn't just fights where Flying Wild Hog shows off Lara's overhauled movement.
Traversing the environment builds this element of the character well. In any other case, you might see showy animations as over the top. This is Lara Croft, and seeing her grace as she pulls herself from ledges is all part of the Tomb Raider DNA. After gathering more crafting materials, Lara also stumbles across a relic. We're told during the presentation that these are based on real-life artifacts, each of them with a story to tell - and rewards to gain. These rewards include outfits from across Tomb Raider history.
The showcase also features the Damocles Room, inspired by the area from the first Tomb Raider. In Greek mythology, Damocles was a man who envied the wealth and power of Dionysus, who taught him a lesson by hanging a sword above his head by a thin thread. Legacy of Atlantis brings that story to life, with Lara navigating beneath huge swords hanging from the ceiling that can suddenly fall as she searches for a way out. I say 'inspired' as Flying Wild Hog isn't recreating the set-piece like-for-like.
You need to use Lara's archaeological scanner, survey the surroundings, and figure out the best path ahead. Out of all the areas in the demo, this is easily one of the most visually striking. The series looks more lifelike than ever, running on Unreal Engine 5, but it isn't losing any of its identity. Flying Wild Hog is maintaining the whimsy and wonder of uncovering history; it just has gorgeous lighting this time around. That's a promising sign considering this build is pre-alpha, according to the team on-site.
I went into this presentation expecting another familiar trip through Tomb Raider's past, but Legacy of Atlantis has given me plenty of reasons to think Flying Wild Hog is doing more than putting a fresh coat of paint on Lara's debut. The changes to combat and traversal are immediately noticeable. At the same time, the Damocles Room shows that the studio isn't afraid to take liberties with even the most recognizable parts of the original.
There's still plenty I need to see, especially regarding how crafting, skill trees, and the archaeological scanner fit into the wider adventure. But if this early look is anything to go by, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis could strike a fascinating balance between preserving what made Tomb Raider special and giving Lara room to evolve. I didn't expect Enter the Matrix to be one of the games I'd think about after this showcase, but here we are.
If you need something to play until it launches, then our list of the best Tomb Raider games has got you covered.