They capture that feeling better than any other game I’ve played since. Going through those empty corridors — hearing Lara’s boots echoing off stone walls — not knowing what the next room will hold (treasure, an ancient death trap) is a lot like being sixteen and walking through my uncle’s abandoned silver mine with nothing but a flashlight and a whole lot of curiosity.
The puzzle element hooked me too — although, I’ll admit, many of those puzzles were frustratingly difficult. I spent 45 minutes trying to figure out that damnable water room in the first tomb, but I didn’t mind. In construction, we’re always solving problems — finding ways to get materials to the third floor when the crane breaks down; finding ways to pour a foundation when the weather won’t cooperate. These tomb puzzles were similar. Study the problem, think about the mechanics, try different approaches until one works.
What really surprised me about playing Tomb Raider without any nostalgic feelings was how well the core design has held up. Remove the dated graphics (and, oh boy, those polygonal models were rough even in 2011) and you’ve got a fundamentally good game. The controls were clunky compared to today’s standards, but they were precise. Lara died because I messed up the jump, not because the game cheated me.
I ended up consuming the entire original trilogy that winter — Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider II, Last Revelation. My friends at work thought I’d lost my mind. Here’s this middle-aged foreman coming to work each morning talking about pyramid puzzles and underwater mazes as if he’s a gamer teenager. “Tim’s having his midlife crisis,” they joked. Maybe I was, but at least it cost less than buying a Harley.
It did take some getting used to the character of Lara Croft herself. Coming to the games as a 40-something-year-old guy with a 20-something-year-old daughter, I didn’t know what to make of her initially. Early marketing of Tomb Raider focused on… let’s call them her physical characteristics … in a very immature way to me. However, after playing the games, I realised that’s not what makes her appealing. She is capable. Fearless. Finishes the job without complaining. Reminds me of some of the better construction workers I’ve supervised in the past — people who see a problem and fix it.
When I finished the 2013 reboot, I was fully invested in the series. The new version impressed me differently than the older ones. The production values of the reboot were obviously far superior to the originals, but I believe they refined the exploration mechanics without losing what made them unique. The island setting of the reboot felt like an actual location with real geography. As someone who’s worked on mountain construction projects, I appreciated how the environments of the game were geologically accurate.
The survival crafting aspects of the reboot spoke to me as well. I’ve been in numerous situations where you’re forced to improvise using whatever resources are available to you — jury-rigging equipment with spare parts, etc. Seeing Lara create arrows from scavenged metal and salvaged parts to upgrade her gear felt familiar. That’s just practical problem-solving.
What really drew me to the modern Tomb Raider games was how well the developers balanced the different gameplay elements. You have the exploration and platforming (which scratched the same itch as wandering through old buildings), combat that is enjoyable without being overwhelming (I’m not looking to prove my reflexes against teenage gamers online), and puzzles that challenge you to think without being so obtuse that you require a walkthrough every five minutes.
The reboot trilogy — that’s the 2013 game plus Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider — were among the best gaming experiences I’ve had, period. Each game improved upon the previous one, improving the formula while providing a cohesive narrative about Lara’s growth from a survivor to a confident explorer. Missing Lara’s original development in the 90s games, I was able to experience the new version without any baggage about how things “had” to be.
As I walked through the Peru levels in Shadow of the Tomb Raider a few years ago, I was struck by how cinematic the whole experience had become. The levels were reminiscent of a documentary I had seen about Machu Picchu — the same sense of awe at what ancient peoples could accomplish with primitive tools. As someone who builds things for a living, I have a great deal of respect for those old engineers.
One thing the modern Tomb Raider games can do that the originals cannot — make you feel the physical strain of Lara’s adventures. All that running, jumping, and fighting takes a toll on her physically, and the games show it. After 30 years in construction, watching someone endure fatigue and injury to complete their task… that’s just another Tuesday for most of us in the trades.
Overall, Tomb Raider turned out to be the ideal introduction to serious gaming for someone like me. It provided exploration, problem-solving, and just enough action to keep things interesting without turning into a twitchy mess. The environments of the tombs appealed to my lifelong fascination with how things are constructed and why they stand. Additionally, the overall archaeological theme connected to my fascination with history — something I had no time to explore when I was young and working nonstop.
Nowadays, I collect almost every Tomb Raider game ever created, including several of the handheld versions that, quite frankly, aren’t great, but I bought them anyway for completion. The series demonstrated to me that video games can be more than simply entertaining — they can be actual adventures that engage both your mind and your reflexes.
My daughter likes the fact that Tomb Raider was my gateway to retro gaming. “I told you these old games were worth playing,” she says every time I start another classic series. She is correct, of course. Without Lara Croft demonstrating what interactive adventure could be like, I may never have found everything I was missing.
The Tomb Raider franchise showed me something important about approaching gaming late in life — you don’t need to have childhood nostalgia to appreciate good design. Well-designed games work regardless of when you first play them. The original Tomb Raider succeeded because it knew what made exploration engaging, not because it was revolutionary for its time. Those fundamental concepts still apply today.
Regardless of whether you are navigating ancient ruins or supervising construction crews, the primary concepts remain the same: be aware of your surroundings, approach problems systematically, and don’t be afraid to take calculated risks. Lara Croft just made it more enjoyable than my job.
Tim’s 5-Star Tomb Raider Rating
Rating — 5 stars
Summary — Although I didn’t play the original Tomb Raider game when it was released in 1996, the series introduced me to what I now consider serious gaming in 2011. I was immediately engaged by the original game’s exploration mechanics, which felt authentic to me as someone who has spent my career in construction. The game’s ability to provide me with a sense of exploration and discovery in virtual tombs was unlike anything I had experienced before.
Although I had enjoyed other games previously, I had never really considered myself a serious gamer. I didn’t enjoy the twitchy, fast-paced nature of many action-oriented games. Tomb Raider changed that for me. I went on to consume the entire original trilogy (Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider II, and Last Revelation) and thoroughly enjoyed each one.
The modern Tomb Raider series continued to evolve the formula established by the original game. The 2013 reboot provided me with a new appreciation for the Tomb Raider franchise. The reboot successfully transitioned the game from a relatively slow-paced, puzzle-focused experience to a faster-paced, action-adventure style experience. This transition helped draw in new fans to the series and further solidified my enjoyment of the games.
The series’ ability to evolve and continue to improve while maintaining a strong focus on storytelling and exploration mechanics has been impressive. The modern Tomb Raider series has truly cemented itself as one of my favorite gaming franchises.
Recommendation — If you are a fan of exploration, puzzle-solving, and/or action-adventure games, I highly recommend checking out the Tomb Raider franchise. Even if you are a casual gamer, I believe you will find the series to be engaging and enjoyable.
John grew up swapping floppy disks and reading Amiga Power cover to cover. Now an IT manager in Manchester, he writes about the glory days of British computer gaming—Sensible Soccer, Speedball 2, and why the Amiga deserved more love than it ever got.
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