Tomb Raider is a series that needs no introduction. Without it, the popular genre of action-adventure games would not look the way it does right now. It inspired many hit franchises, such as Uncharted and Prince of Persia, and its influences can be seen in most action-adventure titles that have hit the market since the original game's release in 1996.
After a long and successful run between 1996 and 2009, many fans felt like the core gameplay mechanics and storylines in the Tomb Raider games had gotten stale, prompting a franchise reboot that redefined the character of Lara Croft and gave her a brand new origin story. 2013's Tomb Raider will be turning nine this year, but it still has a lot to offer to gamers seeking an immersive single-player experience.
8 A Refreshing Take On Lara Croft
Tomb Raider games released in the late 2000s, while fun and entertaing from the gameplay perspective, drew one major criticism from the fanbase: in all of these games, Lara is a powerful, nearly-invincible character, which significantly broke the immersion when playing the likes of Tomb Raider: Legend or Underworld.
The reboot flips the superhero-like Lara Croft trope on its head from the very beginning of the game. Players begin the adventure unarmed and with a critical injury, and it doesn't get a whole lot easier as they progress through the story, with crafting and survival elements playing a key role in succeeding later on in the game.
7 The Puzzles
Environmental puzzles have always been a hallmark of the Tomb Raider franchise, and it is no different in the case of the 2013 reboot. The puzzles are challenging, but not to the point of being overwhelming or frustrating.
Much of this is thanks to Lara's "survival instinct", a mechanic directly inspired by Arkham Asylum's detective mode, that highlights points of interest and helps players find their bearings in the game's world.
6 The Environments
Speaking of the game's world, the Tomb Raider franchise reboot does a great job reimagining the series' classic, level-based approach in favor of a variety of semi-open areas that players can travel between whenever they want to.
There are plenty of side activities and secrets to be found in each map, which guarantees plenty to do for those who need to scratch that completionist itch. The environments are also lush and full of life, and with the new crafting mechanics, hunting and gathering play an important role in upgrading Lara's outfits and weapons.
5 Crafting
In 2013, the crafting mechanic was being used in most games, and while nowadays it seems like a fairly ordinary part of every other video game, back in the early 2010s, players weren't as familiar with it as they are today.
Tomb Raider's crafting mechanics are not particularly complex, but that's part of the reason why they still feel so fresh all these years later. There is no need to sift through countless menus and inventory items, and players can create special arrows and bullets effortlessly (provided that they have the right materials).
4 The Platforming
Alongside the wide array of gameplay elements and systems that were revamped, the Tomb Raider reboot also made sure to refresh the platforming mechanics to reflect the changes that the gaming industry had undergone in the four years that passed since the release of Tomb Raider: Underworld in 2009.
Jumping and climbing animations hold up to this day and the platforming sequences are very smooth, which makes getting from point A to point B in this game an absolute pleasure.
3 Combat
From the very first minutes of the title, it becomes quite obvious that Tomb Raider's developers were inspired by the Uncharted series when trying to bring Lara Croft's adventures into the next generation of gaming. Nowhere is this more evident than in the case of gunplay and combat in general.
In a true third-person shooter manner, Lara is able to stick to cover and precision-aim with rifles without losing her ability to swiftly jump and slide her way through the battlefield. Uncharted's Nathan Drake used to be relentlessly compared to Lara Croft, but in the case of the Tomb Raider reboot, it is Lara who's borrowing heaps of skills from the treasure hunter known from the hit Play Station-exclusive series.
2 The Darker Atmosphere
Outside of the highly divisive The Angel of Darkness (2003), the Tomb Raider franchise wasn't known for gritty, dark themes and serious, unforgiving worlds. The 2013 reboot went in that exact direction, creating a dark atmosphere of danger and uncertainty which can still be felt to this day, despite the slightly outdated graphics (which have still aged quite gracefully).
The next two games in the reboot trilogy, Rise and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, do away with this style, opting for more positivity throughout the games. Tomb Raider is an exception, much like The Angel of Darkness was during the PS2 era.
1 The Bow
The bow-shooting mechanics used in this game deserve a lot of praise, especially considering how forward-looking the implementation of this weapon was back in 2013. Nowadays, the bow as an in-game weapon is going through a renaissance of sorts: it's used in action RPGs and open-world games, but also first-person shooters, such as the Far Cry series.
This wasn't always the case though, and back when the Tomb Raider reboot hit the shelves, this age-old weapon wasn't quite as popular in gaming as it is in 2022. The snapiness and satisfaction of pulling off a well-aimed headshot with Lara's bow haven't aged a bit and are comparable to the bow mechanics of the most recent games.
Tomb Raider (2013) is currently available on PC, macOS, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Stadia.
