Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, the upcoming remake from Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog, is slated for release early next year, but a recent Gamescom showing has cast doubt on its direction. While the game aims to capture the spirit of the original 1996 title, its new additions risk making the remake feel dated before its launch.
During a hands-off presentation at Gamescom, the developers showcased an updated and reimagined version of the Damocles Room puzzle, located deep beneath St. Francis' Folly. This area in the original game is a complex vertical chamber requiring navigational skill to acquire keys. Legacy of Atlantis retains this core concept, with players needing to find four gemstones to progress. Visually, the remake is impressive, with shafts of light illuminating ancient darkness, overgrown vegetation, and vibrant flora. The new Lara Croft voice actor, Alix Wilton Regan, also helps to reset the tone, moving away from the somber atmosphere of the recent reboot trilogy.
Crystal Dynamics' experience director, Jeff Adams, stated that the team's goal is to preserve the essence of the original locations while introducing new elements to surprise players. The remake features reimagined enemies, such as bat swarms with unpredictable movement patterns. However, the inclusion of RPG-like progression elements, including skill trees and crafting, along with what is described as a "dollop of gen-AI," has drawn criticism.
In the demo, Lara can gather environmental materials to craft items, including boon-granting foods, which are then conjured from thin air. A new scanner feature is also present, allowing players to analyze environments for clues. For instance, Lara scans a gate, and the scanner helpfully informs her that the gate is still shut and has four slots, an observation that seems redundant for an experienced tomb raider. While Adams noted that the scanner is optional, its implementation is seen as immersion-breaking and inelegant. The scanner also has a secondary function to learn about the world's history, described as a "portable ChatGPT" for Lara.
Despite these concerns, some new features show promise. Lara's grappling hook has been given new utility, allowing her to interact with distant levers and swing across gaps. Combat appears to have more depth, with enemies like leopards capable of performing sneak attacks. Artifacts can be collected to unlock new outfits, a feature highly valued by the Tomb Raider community. The presentation concluded with a striking vista of an ancient city built into a vast underground cavern, featuring waterfalls and lush vegetation, suggesting a more open environment than previously seen.
The reimagined Sword of Damocles puzzle involves climbing on the giant swords after they fall or shooting them down, with the latter requiring the "Dead-eye" skill from the skill tree. The sequence also includes Quick Time Events (QTEs) to dodge falling swords. The author expresses a desire for the series revival to capture the energy of its heyday but remains unconvinced by Legacy of Atlantis, citing the superfluous crafting, scanning, progression systems, and QTEs as graceless additions that detract from the core Tomb Raider experience.