2 hours ago
Tomb Raider is back. Again. Lara Croft is back. Yet again. This time, her characteristic is positioned betwixt nan "Survivor" trilogy of nan past decade and her iconic debut successful 1996. Yes, 30 years ago.
Legacy of Atlantis is simply a remake of that very first adventure, centered connected Atlantean mythology, tomb raiding and, well, a fewer dinosaurs. At Summer Game Fest 2026, Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog shared nan first gameplay demo, pinch Unreal Engine 5 adding vivid item and lushness to Lara's travails.
The developers made a clever choice, centering nan demo connected an early portion of nan original game. Set successful nan Peruvian mountainside, my playthrough included a elephantine cog puzzle I retrieve from playing nan original. There were besides respective shootouts pinch a herd of dinosaurs, nan aforesaid vivid reddish velociraptor-adjacent creatures from Tomb Raider (1996).
Retreading nan original game's crushed gives a clear objection of really Legacy of Atlantis will elevate nan crippled from nan original, making a comparatively insipid cog puzzle (find nan elephantine wheels, bring them together, interrupt nan waterfall to make a path) into a much exploratory, breathtaking experience. Yes, you tin swan-dive into nan waterfall excavation whenever you want.
Lara tin cod and usage treatment packs betwixt fights, gathering resources from trees and caves, arsenic good arsenic mythical curios and humanities objects. Not each nan modern gaming changes are welcome: I'm not peculiarly thrilled pinch nan inclusion of collectible hunting. The Assassin's Creed bid has mostly moved connected and I deliberation a batch of gamers person done nan same. Some collectibles, for illustration fangs, tin beryllium converted into accomplishment points, meaning I will consciousness obliged to scour for objects.
Lara's PDA (love it: that's immoderate 1996 nonsense) combines encyclopedia entries for everything you find, on pinch nan existent task. It besides includes a scanner that tin beryllium utilized intermittently to connection immoderate tips connected what to do next. I did get mislaid astatine times, and that was owed to my not paying capable attention. Legacy of Atlantis leans into verticality a lot, and beautiful overmuch each clip I mislaid my way, nan way guardant was either virtually supra my caput (grappling hooks!) aliases nether my feet. (Of course, there's a cave down that mini waterfall.)
A grappling hook and climbing axe information retired nan instrumentality loadout, drafting inspiration from much caller Tomb Raider titles. Besides swinging crossed chasms, nan grappling hook tin besides beryllium utilized to propulsion objects towards nan subordinate and is important to solving nan cog puzzle.
After scaling nan mountainside and unlocking a way done nan waterfall, nan demo jumps a small farther forward, heavy into nan jungle. Dinosaurs soon situation Lara, and she doesn't moreover blink. While I wasn't capable to sprout 2 targets astatine once, OG Tomb Raider style, I wouldn't beryllium amazed if that's immoderate benignant unlockable accomplishment successful nan afloat crippled — accomplishment trees were blocked successful this demo.
Crystal Dynamics
While there's nary shared improvement core, parts of nan crippled reminded maine of different caller crippled pinch a relationship to nan Amazon business intermezo complex: 007 First Light. It's not conscionable nan elaborate environments and quippy British lead but a caller accomplishment for Lara. Focus, erstwhile pressed during gunfights, slows time, helping you to sprout pinch much precision aliases move to a distant target. Oh, she besides does truthful while doing an aerial (a benignant of hands-free cartwheel), reminding maine of Max Payne, immoderate of The Matrix's spin-off games and galore others. Thankfully, Lara's dual pistols person infinite ammo and it was easy capable to down nan battalion of dinosaurs, though not earlier they gored maine a fewer times.
Not agelong after, a T. rex enters nan segment and we're locked into a high-speed group portion arsenic I effort to flight nan dinosaurs without falling to my death. I'm relieved that Legend of Atlantis plays much for illustration nan original action-adventure titles, while integrating immoderate of nan much precocious crippled mechanics of nan past fewer games. Lara isn't invincible, but she's now made of sterner stuff.
Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis launches connected February 12 2027, connected PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Steam and Nintendo Switch 2.
