I have a criminal gap in my mental library for having never played the Tomb Raider Legend trilogy. Despite being an avid appreciator of the many fondly remembered mascot platformers, adventure, and action games that filled the PS2, for some reason these gems never made it into my hands, and I ended up jumping straight to the reboot. I think that when I made the generational leap, I ended up associating these PS2 games (because even though they were transitional, they are essentially sixth-generation games) with something old and outdated, and the Uncharted trilogy as the true evolution of the genre and the successor to the PS1 classics—unaware of just how much more complete and well-developed the gameplay of these games actually was. Uncharted brought more sophisticated storytelling techniques, with cinematic direction, greater integration, more charismatic characters, and jaw-dropping technological advances, shown in all their glory through richly detailed environments and unbelievable interactive set pieces that put any action blockbuster of the time to shame. And Tomb Raider, also lighthearted and unapologetically ridiculous, delivered simpler and more antiquated versions of these elements (in the form of quick-time-event and vehicles sequences that aged like milk, terrible camera work, and puzzles that are fun enough but built on insane logic poorly integrated into the environments), but it made up for it with a gameplay core that was far more elaborate and engaging—especially when it came to exploration and the presentation of combat. This characteristic, incidentally, became very evident with the arrival of the reboot, which incorporated all of Uncharted’s technological advances without giving up most of the design ideas from this older trilogy, resulting in something far more visually and mechanically interesting and expressive, which was significantly expanded upon in the sequels… Even though the new look came heavily tainted by seventh-generation baggage, abandoning the good humor to bring an absurd dose of cynicism and one of the worst narratives sequences of the era. It was that dark period when games were trying to be "mature" to reach an aging audience, but whenever that didn't quite work, they effectively ended up sounding twice as stupid and juvenile. In retrospect, the contrast between what this franchise once was and what it became with the reboots is actually shocking. Far removed from brutal survivalism soaked in extreme violence and obsessive searches for answers to meaningless questions, or from the detailed “historical” grounding of environments full of pretentious observations and metaphors, Tomb Raider Legend opens the trilogy with a light, adventurous tone, almost self-aware in its humor and with very little seriousness. Lara Croft is a sassy, invincible, sexy-hot multimillionaire, living high adventures around the world while wearing almost nothing, blatantly appealing to hormonally raging teenagers and man-children. She is the female, unironic version of Chuck Norris jokes. A world-destroyer, slayer of mythological beasts and giant cats, who leaves everyone slack-jawed and dictates the flow of events. And she is accompanied by two nerds who crack bad jokes over the radio. The game is very straightforward and absolutely insane. It is far more concerned with creating cool, varied environments to navigate and explore and loosely stitching them together with a half-baked mystery than with engaging the player in any sort of archaeological quest or psychological drama. It’s a hunt for magical artifacts spread across the world that can literally lead anywhere —from buildings controlled by the Yakuza to abandoned Soviet bases—, fueled by lots of shooting, climbing, and puzzle-solving. The fantastical component of the experience—which includes monsters and absurdly elaborate traps that make no sense whatsoever—is barely treated as anything out of the ordinary. The world of Tomb Raider Legend operates on a logic that sits somewhere between an ’80s action movie and a Bugs Bunny cartoon. Dr. Jones would come off as the only sane person in the room. Combat is an acrobatic festival full of explosions and slow motion, against B-movie henchmen wearing outfits comically unsuited to the environment—much like our heroine herself. The laws of physics are merely guidelines. The megalomaniacal villains are harmless and exist solely to be properly punished. You can be sure this is basically one of the most indulgent fantasies you can imagine. An experience that is relatively restrained and sober in most of its execution, but with the mindset of a Platinum Games spectacle itching to break out every second. Somehow, it works because it’s a lot of fun. The game is short (under 7 hours), the pacing is great, and the level design is very competent at creating satisfying and highly elaborate navigation challenges (even if artificially integrated into the environments), reminiscent of what you’d find in Sands of Time. The presentation doesn’t disappoint, balancing stylized and expressive models—appropriately caricatured—with more realistic (for the time) environmental details. The sharp edges that usually come with games this old are largely trivialized by frequent checkpoints and easy access to resources and hints. The whole thing works well enough not to be frustrating, and it’s incredibly intuitive. What has aged poorly results only in brief lukewarm moments. Otherwise, it’s as good as it could have been and has aged with a certain grace, retaining its charm and the lightness of its good humor. Certainly, at least in terms of tone, the game has aged better than the newer trilogy, which becomes more embarrassing to remember with each passing year. Here, at least, things are in agreement. Aligned. Legend wasn’t an absolutely extraordinary game, but it was solid and good enough to make me feel encouraged to keep moving through the rest of the trilogy. I imagine the others will be even better. If you’ve been here before, the game runs perfectly on modern systems. It’s a solid, cozy game that’s worth it for the nostalgia, but it might not survive more critical scrutiny. I’m definitely feeling generous. If this is also your first trip, well—there isn’t much to lose by trying. The game is cheap. Go for it.
Expand the review