Classic Tomb Raider Games Stick the Landing Just as New Lara Croft is Revealed

March 2, 2024

One of the most legendary gaming series in existence, Tomb Raider is enjoying yet another spell in the spotlight. Over the years, the groundbreaking gameplay, the depiction of the protagonist, and the settings have all been lauded and debated, but importantly for the studio and industry, the series has relentlessly sold copies and made money – be that in video gaming or beyond.

The series that began in 1994 has come back around again in 2024, thanks to the efforts of Aspyr to craft a loyal and updated reboot of the smash-hit original trilogy. On top of this, Crystal Dynamics have begun to showcase the new Lara Croft, who’s set to arrive in the next games coming to the series. So, a lot is going on right now for the legendary archaeologist.

An unneeded but welcomed reminder

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You’d find a few lists of the best retro games that laid the foundation for the modern scene that omit the earliest Tomb Raider outings. In fact, our WidgetBox top most influential retro games list places Tomb Raider second – only behind Doom. The first game was, naturally, the trailblazer, but the series held up well over its next two installments, with Tomb Raider II in 1997 and then Tomb Raider III in 1998.

Released on February 14 – Lara Croft’s birthday – the Tomb Raider I-III Remastered trilogy offers a clear reminder of what made those games so impactful. For a very respectable $30, fans of retro games and the newer Tomb Raider games have been delving back into the adventures and tomb puzzles that made her famous. On Steam, less than a week after its release, the trilogy has over 2,200 reviews with a “Very Positive” aggregate rating.

Individual reviews from critics also sided with positive scores. The Guardian, for example, gave it four stars out of five, noting the quality of Aspyr’s remaster treatment to both preserve the classic game and add some welcomed modern updates. Other outlets, like The Gamer, saw the release as a worthy endeavor to preserve the milestone that Tomb Raider still represents today.

From 1994 to 2022, the game series reportedly sold over 95 million units worldwide, and way before that, in 2002, the range of Tomb Raider media had already reached the $1.2 billion mark. Movies, naturally, contributed a fair bit, but today, the iconic character is deployed in even more modern lines of entertainment. Chief among these comes in the form of the Lara Croft slot game series found at casinos with the best bonuses listed on casinobonusca. A lot is considered for online casino reviews, including delving into bonus types, payout speed, and customer service. However, as with video gaming, the software is one of the most important aspects, which is why so many of the top iGaming platforms feature Lara Croft Temples and Tombs and its sequel slot.

The new Lara Croft has also made it into the world of streaming. Set to release in 2024 on Netflix, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft will offer a kind of animated in-between story set after Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

Lara Croft’s next journey begins to be teased

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Regardless of how successful the Lara Croft stories have been on the big, small, and even smaller screen, her home is, and always will be, in video gaming. In 2022, another series of games to bridge the gap between the Survivor Trilogy prequels and the original games from the 1990s was confirmed to be in the works at Crystal Dynamics. In reality, the games were such a success commercially and critically that this was all but guaranteed anyway.

Being fully crafted on the Unreal Engine 5, the next Tomb Raider game’s first reveal looks to be the protagonist’s new design. Called the “unified” look by outlet Polygon, on the official website, you can see that she’s moved more towards the dual handguns, long ponytail, light blue vest, and cargo shorts that crafted her original iconic look. Of course, her new look is also backed by the mighty advancements we’ve seen in graphical fidelity and hardware power.

We’re still without a release date for the next Tomb Raider game, which would suggest that it won’t arrive in 2024. In the meantime, though, fans get to enjoy the classic games brought back and a new animated adventure to come.


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