Going through those empty corridors – hearing Lara’s boots echoing off stone walls – not knowing what the next room will bring (treasure, an ancient death trap) feels a lot like being 16 years old and walking through my Uncle’s old abandoned silver mine, and only having a flashlight and a whole lot of curiosity to guide you through.
The puzzle element also hooked me — although, I’ll admit, many of the puzzles in Tomb Raider were frustratingly difficult, and I spent 45 minutes trying to figure out that water room in the first tomb. But I didn’t mind — in construction, we’re always figuring out solutions to problems — finding ways to get materials to the third floor when the crane breaks down; finding ways to pour a foundation when the weather isn’t cooperating. These tomb puzzles were essentially the same.
What was surprising to me about playing Tomb Raider, with no nostalgic feelings attached to it, was how well the designers’ original concept has held up. Get rid of the dated graphics (those old models looked terrible even back in 2011), and you’ve got a fundamentally good game. The controls were clumsy compared to what exists today, but they were precise. Lara died because I messed up the jump, not because the game cheated me.
In the end, I consumed the entire original trilogy that winter — Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider II, Last Revelation — and my friends at work thought I’d finally gone crazy. “Tim is going through a midlife crisis,” they would say. Maybe I was, but at least it cost less than buying a Harley.
Getting used to the character of Lara Croft was probably the biggest adjustment I had to make. I’m a 40-something-year-old guy with a 20-something-year-old daughter, so I wasn’t sure what to make of her initially. The early marketing of Tomb Raider focused on…let’s call them her physical attributes…in a very immature way to me. However, once I started playing the games, I realised that’s not what makes her appealing. She is capable. Fearless. Does the job without complaining. Reminds me of some of the better construction workers I’ve managed over the years — people who see a problem and solve it.
Once I finished the 2013 reboot, I was all-in on the series. I liked the reboot for reasons that were entirely different than I liked the older versions. The production values of the reboot were clearly much better than the originals, but I think the rebooters refined the exploration mechanics of the older games without sacrificing what made them unique. The island setting of the reboot felt like an actual place with an actual geography. Working on a number of mountain construction projects, I appreciated how the environments in the game were geologically correct.
I also liked the survival crafting aspects of the reboot. I’ve been in countless situations where you’ve had to use whatever materials you can scrounge up to build something to help you survive — jury rigging a piece of equipment with spare parts, etc. Using scrap metal to make arrows and upgrade Lara’s gear felt like something I would do if I were in a survival situation. It was basically just common sense.
The reason I became interested in the modern Tomb Raider games was how well the developers did a balance of the different gameplay elements. You have exploration and platforming (which gave me that same feeling of exploring old buildings), you have combat that is fun and doesn’t overwhelm (I don’t want to spend hours proving my reflexes to teenage gamers online), and you have puzzles that challenge you to think without making you search for 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, full stop. Each game built on the last one, building on the formula and telling a cohesive story of Lara’s progression from a survivor to a confident explorer. Since I missed Lara’s development in the original 90s games, I was able to experience the new version without any of the baggage about how things “had” to be.
As I wandered through the Peru areas of Shadow of the Tomb Raider a couple of years ago, I was struck by how cinematic the whole experience had become. The levels reminded me of a documentary I saw on Machu Picchu — the same sense of wonder at what ancient civilisations could accomplish with minimal tools. As a guy who builds stuff for a living, I have a great deal of respect for those old engineers.
Something the modern Tomb Raider games can do that the originals cannot — make you feel the physical toll of Lara’s adventures. All that running, jumping and fighting takes a toll on her physically, and the games show it. Watching someone go through fatigue and injury to complete their job…that’s just another Tuesday for many of us in the trades.
In conclusion, Tomb Raider turned out to be the perfect introduction to serious gaming for someone like me. It provided exploration, problem-solving and enough action to keep things interesting without devolving into a twitchy mess. The environments of the tombs captured my lifelong fascination with how things are built and why they stand. And the overall archaeological theme tied in with my interest in history — something I hadn’t been able to pursue during my busy young years.
Currently, I am collecting nearly every Tomb Raider game ever made, including a number of the handheld versions that are pretty bad, but I bought them anyway for completion. The series has shown me that video games can be more than entertainment — they can be actual adventures that stimulate your brain and test your reflexes.
My daughter enjoys the fact that Tomb Raider was my entry point into retro gaming. “I told you these old games were worth playing,” she says every time I start a new retro series. Of course, she is right. Without Lara Croft showing me what an interactive adventure could be like, I may never have discovered the world of gaming.
The Tomb Raider franchise taught me something valuable about entering the world of gaming later in life — you don’t need to have childhood nostalgia to recognise good design. Good designs work regardless of when you first experience them. The original Tomb Raider was successful because it recognised what made exploration exciting, not because it was innovative for its time. The underlying principles are still valid today.
Whether you are navigating ancient ruins or managing construction teams, the key principles are the same: be aware of your environment, approach problems methodically, and don’t be afraid to take calculated risks. Lara Croft just made it a lot more fun than my job.
Tim’s 5-Star Tomb Raider Review
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Summary: I didn’t play the original Tomb Raider game in 1996, however, the series introduced me to what I now consider serious gaming in 2011. From the beginning, I loved the original game’s exploration-based gameplay, which felt very realistic to me as a professional contractor. The game’s ability to give me a sense of discovery and exploration in virtual tombs was unlike anything I had experienced prior to that.
While I had played other games before and enjoyed them, I had never considered myself a serious gamer. I didn’t enjoy the fast-paced, twitch-based action games that are so prevalent in the gaming community. Tomb Raider changed that for me. I subsequently went through the entire original trilogy (Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider II, Last Revelation) and thoroughly enjoyed each of them.
The modern Tomb Raider series evolved the original formula and built upon the success of the original. The 2013 reboot of the series gave me a fresh perspective on the Tomb Raider franchise. The reboot successfully transitioned the game from a slower paced, puzzle based game to a faster paced, action-adventure style game. The reboot attracted a new audience to the franchise and solidified my love of the games.
The series’ ability to evolve and grow while continuing to improve in the area of storytelling and exploration has been impressive. The modern Tomb Raider series has firmly established itself as one of my favourite gaming franchises.
Recommendation: I highly recommend the Tomb Raider franchise to anyone that enjoys exploration, puzzle-solving, or action-adventure games. Even if you are a casual gamer, I believe you will enjoy the series and find it to be a compelling experience.
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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