If there are any video game mascots that stand above the rest, it’s hard to argue that Lara Croft is one of the most recognizable. Many gamers sang praises of Tomb Raider’s protagonist as they followed her adventures on the original Sony PlayStation. Several years passed, development changed hands and the Tomb Raider series seemed to had lost its way. Crystal Dynamics, who picked up the IP in 2006 promised that they’d bring Lara Croft back to the limelight in a new and unusual way. They did exactly that with their latest edition on the Xbox Live Arcade with Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light.
Game: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (XBLA)
Publisher: Square-Enix
Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Genre: Adventure
Price: 1200 Microsoft Points
Verdict: New way to play as Lara that becomes a brilliant co-op.
Pros: Fantastic level design, satisfying adventurer, massive collectables.
Cons: Voice acting in cut scenes leaves much to be desired.
Acquired via Publisher
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is the final addition to Microsoft’s Summer of Arcade promotion. Other games such as Limbo, Hydro Thunder Hurricane, Castlevania Harmony of Despair and Monday Night Combat round out the offerings for this summer. If you were to take the old adage, they saved the best for last that would truly apply in this case. The first thing gamers will notice with this 2.02 GB download from XBLA is the radically different way in which the game plays. Gone is the third person perspective and 3D environment in favor of a new ¾ top down isometric view a la the Diablo II dungeon crawler of yore. Also new in this installment is the inclusion of a co-op character. Toltec is the Guardian of Light and although online multiplayer is currently unavailable, local co-op proves to be a masterful inclusion and truly the way the game was meant to be experienced. While some may argue that this new entry from Crystal Dynamics is not a Tomb Raider game, it is hard to think that this game does not celebrate the very essence that make adventure puzzlers like Tomb Raider fantastic to play.
With the single-player campaign, you control Lara through 14 stages of varying design and complexity. Navigating the expansive levels is actually quite a breathtaking experience. The levels have a definite South American flair to them and begin with a standard Mayan ruin feel, then quickly evolve into dangerous poison infested levels overgrown with exploding plants to levels that spew molten lava from the Earth’s core. Lara is given Toltec’s spear in the beginning of the game in lieu of her iconic dual pistols to aid in navigating her way around the maps. Aside from being a superb default weapon, the spear can be stuck into walls to give Lara the ability to reach areas on the map that she might not have been able to before.
When you have a friend to join you in co-op, the real meat of the game presents itself to you. One thing that I was really impressed with was the fact that areas you recognize in the single-player playthrough change when in co-op. Certain puzzles that you are required to solve have completely different elements added to them when you have a second player at your side. Crystal Dynamics put a lot of effort into making the game feel like a fun co-op experience. Some puzzles take a full understanding of Lara and Toltec’s unique skills to pass. Lara comes equipped with a grappling hook that she can either attach to various rings that appear within the levels, or attach it to Toltec himself which allows Lara to repel or climb areas she normally couldn’t reach. Alternatively, Toltec bears his spear to give Lara a step up in areas where she may not be able to jump. Also, he’s armed with a golden shield that not only acts as a defensive mechanism but can be raised above his head to allow Lara to jump off of it. Time your jumps between both characters correctly and you end up with a double jump to get to those hard to reach items.
Adventure games seem lacking if they’re without collectables and Lara Croft GoL is not shy in giving the gamer things to collect. Not only are there artifacts and relics which augment your character’s natural abilities, but within the level there are challenges that range from total points gained through shiny stones randomly placed around the map to collecting 10 red skulls hidden throughout the levels. Complete these tasks and you’re awarded with more powerful relics and artifacts in which you can equip to reign down judgment on all those who stand in your path. It would be impossible to collect everything in one playthrough, giving a reasonably high sense of replayability to the entire game. Given the fact that the game is addictively fun to play, this isn’t a bad thing at all.
The story itself is a bit contrived and cliché, but it fits well within the mythos surrounding the franchise. Xolotl is an ancient evil being that was sealed away in a mirror for eternity. While on an expedition, our heroine is ambushed by an ill fated group of mercinaries who inadvertently let Xolotl free. Spawned by the release of this demon, Toltec is brought to our realm from a stone guardian statue to put Xolotl back into the mirror before the next dawn or the world will fall under his evil reign. Aside from a few comic panel style cut scenes in between chapters, you’re not inundated with the story too often and left to enjoy the game and its wonderfully developed levels. Although sparse, the story works with the concept of the game and never feels like it’s lacking.
The sounds in the game are done relatively well with the only sore spot being the voice acting. Lara sounds as she should and the other two speaking roles of Toltec and Xolotl sound appropriate, sometimes the dialog comes off as a bit campy. Thankfully there aren’t too many interruptions from the voice actors throughout the game. A few snarky remarks from Lara every now and again are usually all you’ll hear mid-level.
In the end, if you’ve been holding off on the Summer of Arcade promo for that must-have game, your time has arrived. With online multiplayer support being added in along with the PS3 and PC release on September 28th, it is hard not to fully recommend this title for the brilliant way in which it draws you into the multiplayer co-op experience. While the heavy dose of platforming may not be for every gamer style, fans of this type of game will be pleasantly surprised by this new vision for the Tomb Raider world.
GrE Grade: A
Popularity: unranked [?]
