Price I paid: About $1.50 as part of a Tomb Raider bundle while it was on sale on Steam.
Available on: Steam (reviewed), PlayStation, PlayStation Store, Sega Saturn, GOG.com, and probably others.
Released: 1996
When a game is so old it cannot recognize a mouse and the
default controls have you using the arrow keys to move, it’s easy for it to
turn players off. When the port to PC is so shoddy it loads a black screen if
you don’t trouble shoot, I had to play it in windowed mode that didn’t take up
my whole screen, and it looks like you’re watching the cutscenes through
window blinds, it becomes difficult to enjoy the game because of all its
problems. So when I say that Tomb Raider (1996)
was one of the best games I played this year despite all of that, you better
believe this gem has not lost its shine after 19 years. Unfortunately, I’m just
not sure if I can recommend it because of how awful the port is.
Seriously, who looked at this and said, "No. This is fine. No one will notice that it looks like their watching the cutscenes on an old, sun-damaged VHS tape."
When Tomb Raider
came out, my ten-year-old brain could not handle the puzzle despite my
adolescent eye-hand coordination and motor skills allowing me to navigate Lara
Croft like an S class badass. But since the puzzles left me resorting to the
level skip code, I never got to see much of the levels or how they connected.
As an adult, I (shamefully) only had to look up three puzzles (screw
that golden brick puzzle). The controls are incredibly dated, but I did get
used to using only the keyboard (the port doesn’t allow you to use a controller
effectively (T_T)).
The level designs are large enough to feel like you could
get lost in them, but I’m not sure I ever did. This is extra impressive when
you look at how much less the developers had to work with compared to the games
of today.
By today's standards, everything about this is comical. After a few hours in the game, it becomes normal again.
Unlike the later entries in the series, this game is
unforgiving. If you run to the edge of a cliff, Lara will walk right off, her
fall usually ending in death or minor to major agony. The game assumes you know
how to play well enough to keep from doing what you don’t want her to. It
refused to hold your hand by doing things like having her auto grab ledges she falls
or showing you what you can jump to, stand on, or slide on. You have to figure
it out using your mind and watching for minute details in the environment. I
felt proud when I solved a puzzle, found a mystery, or made it to the next
level. That is a feeling a rarely get from most games.
All that unforgiving gameplay also means quick save is your
friend. There are traps and slippery slopes abound, and sometimes trial and
error really is the best method. But the traps are always visible if you’re
paying close enough attention. When a trap killed me, I reloaded and went back
to that spot. Being observant the second time, I could see where it came from
and what triggered it. My impatience or relaxed thoughts were what got me in
trouble rather than the game using cheap tricks with no tells. When I found a
trap before it sprung, it made me smile; giving me a true sense of pride that I
outsmarted the game in some fashion.
It might seem difficult to be afraid of a tyrannosaurus that looks like this, but this blocky monster is terrifying when you find it.
The plot is also absolutely fever-dream wacky, and I love
every second of it. It starts as a completely normal treasure-hunting story.
Before the end, you’ve unveiled a plot of a dethroned demigod from Atlantis
who is growing new, horror-inducing creatures to replace humanity as the
dominant species on earth because evolution is to slow. It takes itself
seriously enough for everything to make sense but not so seriously that you
aren’t allowed to chuckle. It’s a delicate balance few stories get so right.
Even with 32-bit graphics, the designers used every bit of
resources they had to their advantage. The main characters are noticeably
different, each area in the game really feels like a different part of the
world, and the four weapons feel different when you use them. The levels span
from foreboding caves to ancient, buried temples, to a secret island fortress
with fleshy walls that pulse as if some large, unseen heart is pumping blood
through them. Despite the claim that this is an action/adventure game, it has
the intensity and some of the imagery of a beautiful horror game.
If the old graphics seem unpleasing, certain levels have as much brown in them as modern day games.
For how great this game still is, I want to recommend it.
However, given the lackluster port that allows it to run on a modern computer
using Steam, you might be better off dusting off your original PlayStation and
picking up a used copy of the game. I also believe you can get it from the
PlayStation Store (but I have no idea if that port is good or not). The
downside to the PlayStation version is there is no quick save, so certain parts
are going to be more frustrating without being able to load from your quick
save spot.
If you have an insatiable craving for a good action adventure, 3D platformer puzzle game, you could still do worse than picking up the
terrible port of Tomb Raider on Steam. If you like challenging games with a with a tense, horror twist, such as Dark Souls, I would also recommend
trying Tomb Raider. If the port was
good, I would suggest paying full price for it and getting it now. Since the
port is offensively bad, either wait until the game is 75% off or snag a used
copy. If you get the port, the mad discount will help cool your temper when the
inevitable technical problems arise.
Jesse
Love me? Hate me? Want my babies (you can't have them)? Contact me!
Twitter: @RexiconJesse
Website: RexiconJesse.wordpress.com
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