Tomb Raider: Anniversary

Since Lara Croft’s debut a decade ago, she has become the most well known face in video gaming. When the original game was released, it blew people away and transformed the action adventure into something completely new. Lara instantly endeared herself and has become the world’s most popular heroine. Eidos have finally returned to where it all began with the release of Tomb Raider: Anniversary, a retelling of the original game with updated, well, everything.

Lara is hired by the mysterious Jacqueline Natla to retrieve an artifact known as the Atlantean Scion, believed to have split into several pieces and hidden throughout the world. Her adventures take her to Greece, Peru, Egypt and even the ‘Lost Island’ of Atlantis itself battling mutants, humans and lots of animals who like nothing more than to chow down on adventurers.

Essentially it is the original game crossed with the graphics and score of Legend. Anniversary holds true to the aesthetics of the original; there are tombs to raid, bats and wolves to kill and puzzles to solve. Déjà vu becomes your constant companion as you walk into rooms and wonder why they look familiar. That said, Anniversary’s levels have been vastly expanded, Peru even has sky, and that T-Rex is not just a two second encounter but an actual boss, indeed one of the hardest in the game.

The locations are varied, and each level is a far cry from the boxed linear locales of yesteryear. Peru for example is dominated by that giant waterfall – which you can still swan dive from – but now has dozens of hidden pathways and secret areas which mean you never have to use the same path twice. St. Francis’ Folly also remains the highlight of the game. The original was breath-taking, but this version sends you into full-on shock (swan diving from the top level is also recommended!).

While the creators have returned to the original in terms of the menu system, weaponry and cast of characters, Lara does get plenty of new moves and a grapple hook, but aside from that they’ve stuck to the original. The soundtrack to her adventures contains some of the most fitting music since Okami, and the voice acting, including MI5/Spooks actress Keeley Hawes reprising her role as the titular (pun intended) heroine.

If you missed the original, play this. If you’ve played every single Tomb Raider title since Lady Croft’s debut then you must definitely play this to revel in the unlockable extras including a director’s commentary from Toby Gard himself.