Release: Nov 18 2008 (US), Nov 21 2008 (UK)
Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Publihser: Eidos
Genre: Adventure
Few game franchises are as iconic as Tomb Raider. From its beginnings, back in the days of the original Playstation, it has remained a staple in most console’s release schedules. Tomb Raider: Underworld is Crystal Dynamic’s third attempt at the series it managed to, somewhat, reinvent a few years ago with Tomb Raider: Legend.
Unfortunately, the problems the series has struggled with for years still remain. In many ways the continued success of the franchise proves that the popularity lies not in the quality of the games, but in the superstar status of its leading lady. Which, given her seemingly insatiable appetite for suicide, seems a little hard to understand – perhaps it’s something about her physique…
It’s my way or the highway
Lara’s got a bunch of new moves to impress you with this outing, none of which go any way to reducing the levels of frustration that build while playing for anything more than an hour at a time. She can walk across balance beams, rappel down walls with her grapple hook, climb up rocky surfaces; all of which are simple and intuitive to use and avoid unnecessarily complicating the gameplay. The problem is, that like past Tomb Raider games, they’re all so rigid in their application. The route (and we emphasis THE, singular) through each level is clearly marked out – by unnaturally smooth ledges and subtle shading differences – leaving you in no doubt as to where you can and can’t go. It’s an intensely annoyingly experience as, at first glance, it looks as though levels are packed full of places ripe for exploration. You’ll quickly learn that that ledge, which is a very manageable leap away, is unreachable and will only end up with Lara inexplicably making no attempt to grab it upon mid-air approach, resulting in death by free fall (as we said earlier, her insatiable appetite for suicide remains).
In some ways the level design relys on this linearity to pull, and guide, you through. There are many examples in which it’s unclear where you’re supposed to be heading, meaning you’re simply following the only available route with the knowledge that you’re moving in the right direction due to lack of alternatives. And guess what… Hey Presto, behind that rock, which you couldn’t even see before, is the switch that activates the door back at where you started. Knowingly playing on the fact that the design is so linear gives the whole game an extremely outdated feel, compared to many of its contemporary rivals.
The power of a lady
It’s not all doom and gloom though as some of the puzzle designs are great, and always logically constructed. Puzzles have been conceived on a grand scale and often involve the solving of many small ones to unlock the secret behind the larger, ‘ultimate’ puzzle in each locale. For example, you may need to align various components of an ancient mechanism, but the real challenge is solving how to reach each component which are often hidden all the way across the level. Once you figure out the solution the inner glow, that only comes with the knowledge that you succeeded without cheating, is worth the effort.
If you do ever get stuck you can access Lara’s PDA and ask for some ‘field assistance’, from which you can choose to either get a hint (i.e. what to focus on), or get instructions on exactly what you should be doing. While some veteran ‘raiders’ will turn their noses up at this addition, it’ll no doubt prove invaluable for those either new to the series or who wouldn’t generally have the time, or patience, to even think about completing the game. Besides, you can choose to ignore it completely if you wish.
Visually, Underworld is by far the most eye-catching Tomb Raider to date. The range of locations, from sunny Thailand to murky caverns and the odd underwater section, are suitably varied and universally dazzling to look at. Lara looks fantastic too, mostly thanks to the motion capture that has painstakingly gone into her animations. All of her movements and abilities look crisp and lifelike, often making it a joy to guide her around the environments – if only to marvel at the technical achievement of such a well produced character model.
Deja vu… again.
At times though it’s difficult to appreciate the visuals at all, thanks to that ever present demon of the Tomb Raider games; the camera. It’s crazy – and bewildering – that after so many years this problem remains such an Achilles heel for the series. All too often you’re happily shimmying across a sheer cliff face only for the camera to inexplicably zoom in so tightly that it’s impossible to see where you’re heading. Lara will indicate when there’s a ledge within jumping distance by leaning towards it but, not seeing where you’re jumping is still an unnerving experience (especially considering her refusal to grab onto anything but perfectly smooth, professionally sculptured ledges).
A.I. suffers from the same degree of inadequacies. Enemies often blindly run straight at you, whether you’re showering them with rounds from your assault rifle or not, with apparently no desire to see their lives continue into tomorrow. There’s also the alarmingly spookily way in which many enemies seem to follow a preset path when moving towards you; a problem we thought fixed long ago on the previous console generation. At least it makes them easy to kill, I guess. Granted, the majority of the game revolves around puzzle solving and ledge clinging, but it would still have been nice to have some decent combat accompany it.
While Tomb Raider: Underworld is a markedly more accomplished game than its recent predecessors, it suffers from the same problems that have plagued the series for years. Full of fantastic technical achievements – animations, graphics and puzzle designs are all great – it also contains all those things from every game you’ve ever hated – the poor A.I., overly linear level paths and a terrible camera in particular. Fans of the series will immediately recognise and appreciate the improvements but newcomers, or those who have foregone the past few games in the series, will be shocked at how old fashioned and outdated the core gameplay feels. Lara’s new coat of polish looks great, and the game is an often enjoyable adventure despite its flaws, but get under the new looks and it’s the same old game with the same old problems.
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