Review: Tomb Raider I-III Remastered
- @brunosbom
- 9 hours ago
- 4 min read
Three Adventures to Discover Where the Legend Really Began
Tomb Raider I-III Remastered brings back the first three games in the franchise, along with their expansions, in a collection that attempts to preserve the original experience while introducing some necessary modernizations. Revisiting these adventures is still a very enjoyable experience, especially for those who played them in the past, and the collection manages to preserve the identity of each game. At the same time, it becomes clear that not everything has aged in the same way, and some limitations that were acceptable in the 90s can feel quite noticeable today.
GAMEPLAY
One of the most curious choices is finding the tank style movement enabled by default. It genuinely feels like controlling a small tank in the shape of a character, with Lara needing to turn before moving in certain directions. Fortunately, modern controls are available and make movement feel more familiar, but they cannot completely eliminate the original stiffness. Even across all three games, this remains a considerable issue.
Despite the movement limitations, the gameplay foundation of all three games remains interesting. Exploration still encourages players to observe their surroundings, look for hidden paths and understand how each area works, while the puzzles give exploration a greater sense of purpose. The collection also benefits greatly from the variety between Tomb Raider I, II and III, as each game has its own environments, situations and challenges, preventing the experience from feeling exactly the same from beginning to end.
The platforming is where this stiffness becomes most apparent. It is like trying to balance a potato on top of a jar while having to jump between several others without knocking everything over. Small positioning mistakes can turn a simple jump into a frustrating sequence, and I encountered similar problems even during underwater sections, with invisible walls getting in the way of movement. Despite the attempts at modernization, I also felt that some simpler changes were missing, such as an autosave system, which would have helped adapt such an old structure to modern standards. The collision issues and rigid movement show that not everything could be solved through a visual upgrade alone.
VISUALS
Visually, the remaster is an interesting way to revisit these games. The environments have received new models, textures, lighting and effects, while the ability to switch to the original graphics makes it immediately possible to see the scale of the changes.
The collection also preserves all three complete campaigns and their expansions, offering a generous amount of content without abandoning the visual identity of the games that started the franchise. Players can also easily switch between the classic and modern visuals.
ACHIEVEMENTS
The achievement list for the remastered trilogy covers a wide range of challenges that go far beyond simply completing the main story and its expansions. The collection rewards players for thoroughly exploring each map in search of secrets and collectibles, performing specific acrobatics such as high jumps or stylish dives, and completing the games under extreme conditions. There are objectives focused on gameplay restrictions, such as completing an adventure using only the standard dual pistols, finishing campaigns within very tight time limits, conserving manual saves, or completing an entire journey without using any healing items.
Beyond the broader objectives, the list stands out for its huge number of environmental challenges and humorous interactions with the world. Several achievements require manipulating enemy behavior to avoid taking damage, using vehicles to complete sections in record time, or interacting with level elements in unusual ways, such as the famous challenge of locking the butler inside the mansion's freezer. There are also achievements focused on the challenge mode, which introduces difficulty modifiers and requires players to complete objectives under even more restrictive rules, providing a comprehensive experience for anyone looking to master every technical detail of the game.
TRAILER OFFICIAL
FINAL THOUGHTS
Tomb Raider I-III Remastered manages to preserve an important part of video game history and offers a very complete way to revisit Lara Croft's early years. The visual improvements and modernized controls are welcome, but they do not completely solve problems that are deeply rooted in the games' original design. It is an experience that will probably resonate much more with players who already have an emotional connection to these titles.
In my case, even though I had an enjoyable experience with these games when they were originally released, I felt that the concept does not work as well today. I understand the decision to preserve much of the original structure, but I believe these three games could have benefited from a much more modern approach. They could even have worked with a completely different presentation, including a pixel art aesthetic, as long as the experience itself had been adapted to modern expectations.
Tomb Raider I-III Remastered is a competent collection for anyone who wants to revisit Lara Croft's early adventures, but it ultimately finds itself caught between preserving the past and trying to update it. The result is enough to bring back fond memories, but not necessarily enough to win over newcomers. For a collection of games that played such an important role in the character's history, I expected the modernization to go a little further.
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