Tomb Raider: Legend
Tomb Raider: Legend is the seventh major game in the Tomb Raider series, now for the first time developed by Crystal Dynamics, along with the original character designer of the game's protagonist, Lara Croft. It serves as a reboot of the franchise, with a new incarnation of Lara Croft. The typical third-person action-adventure exploring is still present, and Lara can move more freely because specific jumps no longer limit her. As players travel through rough environments, they will need to run, dive, swim, climb on poles, ladders, and roofs, use zip lines, shimmy, and vault, with acrobatic actions such as somersaults and flips. Players need to cross difficult terrain, solve puzzles to advance or open up new areas, and engage in combat.
What it feels like
The heroic journey of acquiring ancient artifacts and overcoming obstacles carries an air of hard-won victory.
What it's about
Lara's globe-spanning quest for a legendary artifact frames the narrative as a transformative journey of discovery. Uncovering secrets about a mysterious artifact and Lara's past structures the overarching plot.
How it plays
Jumping, vaulting, climbing, and navigating hazardous terrain across roofs, poles, and complex geometry is a core pillar of gameplay. Deliberate climbing on poles, ladders, roofs, and rock faces with varied traversal is a signature mechanic of the experience. Solving puzzles woven into the environment is necessary to advance and unlock new areas.
How it looks and sounds
The game is fundamentally structured around a third-person camera following Lara from behind as she navigates environments and engages in action. The soundtrack is noted as great and supports the epic, adventure-spanning tone with sweeping orchestration. The environments are rendered with detailed, worn textures reflecting rough, exotic, and weathered locales.
How it's structured
Explicitly designed and marketed as a single-player experience with no multiplayer component. The game follows a bounded narrative arc as Lara pursues a legendary artifact across a globe-spanning journey. Each exotic location is deliberately authored with distinct environments, puzzles, and architecture.
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