hat a wonderful world we’d be living in if every remake were handled with this much care. Okay, so maybe it’s not solving world hunger, but it’s certainly setting a high bar for others to meet in the realm of reinventing classic games. Balancing the almost impossible tasks of delivering nostalgia-laden moments against giving players updated and modern gameplay, Tomb Raider Anniversary does both with aplomb. Mixing classic and modern elements, it brings old players what they want and gives new players what they need to join in the fun.
As PS2 games go, this return to Lara’s first adventure is no slouch in the visuals department. The detail on Lara is remarkable, and the environments are suitably awe-inducing. Unfortunately, like in the original game, there’s more repetition of wall and floor tiles in many areas than I’d like to see. I also found myself frustrated with the camera more than once. One of the brilliant things in the recent Tomb Raider Legend game was the camera, as it twisted and turned to lead you to the right angle. Sadly, that feature seems less prevalent in Anniversary, and it slows down the sense of speed and quick platforming. In addition, some odd environmental collision issues feel a little sloppy.
Even with these technical foibles, the positively brilliant level designs are the highlight of the show. Completely redesigned puzzles truly make this a totally different experience than the original, requiring quick reactions and careful observation. Few puzzles are hard enough to halt progress – just enough to make old and new players alike pause and think. Newer mechanics, like perching on top of poles and grappling across long distances, add to Lara’s repertoire of actions. At the same time, grizzled PSone veterans will without a doubt encounter brief flashes of remembrance as they move through particular oddly shaped hallways, dive past familiar traps, or encounter massive dinosaurs in a certain hidden valley. It’s pure nostalgia – minus the horrible polygonal graphics and wretched grid-based movement.
More recent players of the franchise will find that Anniversary moves at a slower pace than the action-packed levels of Tomb Raider Legend. Instead, this remake takes players through long stretches of fascinating exploration punctuated only occasionally with brief bursts of action. It’s a more deliberate pacing, but one that still feels right since it stays so true to the original in tone. That first Tomb Raider game garnered a lot of attention in its day. Its remake is a worthy tribute to that success.