Following the success of final yr’s Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered, the pure subsequent step for the developer would have been to convey over Core Design’s remaining classics. Whereas it might make sense from a historic perspective and permit current-gen gamers to correctly take pleasure in the complete authentic collection with revamped visuals, it nonetheless appeared odd.
In any case, Tomb Raider 4: The Final Revelation is the place the event crew lastly had sufficient of Lara Croft and determined to kill her off, making it the final title within the collection. That didn’t final lengthy, although, as Eidos Interactive mandated extra Tomb Raider titles, leading to two new video games. The primary was Tomb Raider: Chronicles, an anthology of standalone tales meant to honor Croft’s legacy by milking it for extra money.
Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness is the opposite – a sequel/tender reboot that noticed the return of Lara in a approach that so many followers demanded: A stealth action-adventure title with one other playable character. Alongside Chronicles, it’s thought of absolutely the lowest level of the collection. Whereas critics and followers mercilessly panned it, at the very least it catalyzed Crystal Dynamics to take over and reboot every part with Tomb Raider: Legend.
A remaster of both title, not to mention each collectively, simply doesn’t appear perfect, and but, the developer goes by means of with Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered. Launching on February 14th for Xbox One, Xbox Sequence X/S, PS4, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Change, the compilation contains a number of new options like a fly-by digicam, an choice to skip cutscenes, and an ammo counter. There’s even some restored content material in The Angel of Darkness, which offers “extra context” for the story.
Above all else, the most important attraction of those remasters is the visuals, and the developer, fortunately, continues killing it in that regard. Let’s dive into every title and examine their visuals to the unique video games to stipulate all of the enhancements.
Tomb Raider: The Final Revelation – Authentic vs. Remastered
Even with the event crew at Core Design feeling completely burned out on the franchise, Tomb Raider 4 upped the visible high quality in quite a few methods. Character fashions felt extra pure due to further facial options; ranges sported improved lighting and 3D structure – the PC model even had bump mapping.
Its presentation felt extra fluid and seamless, particularly with how gamers communicated with one another in cutscenes. In fact, as endearing because the character animations and environmental design, the lighting was additionally commendable, particularly with mild shafts by means of home windows at particular factors.
The remaster improves on all that in some really unbelievable methods. First off, the character fashions are rather more detailed, proper down to raised faces and extra pure reactions. The prologue can also be the proper showcase for the revamped lighting and shadows, with extra pronounced beams that extra naturally illuminate Lara’s environment.
In fact, the environmental textures are fully overhauled and brimming with new particulars, together with new foliage, sharper tree textures, and extra. That skeleton on the bottom at first? It’s now rather more detailed, with the colours extra becoming the environmental tones. Even the leaves dangling from above are individually outlined and rendered to look pure and fewer like clumps of inexperienced.
Maybe the one draw back is that some sections can look just a little washed out in comparison with the unique’s vibrancy. It’s effective when wandering by means of darker sections, particularly with the muzzle flash from Croft’s weapons naturally lighting up the environment. However some locations undoubtedly really feel extra subdued in coloration tones than the unique.
Tomb Raider: Chronicles – Authentic vs. Remastered
Because it was constructed for the PlayStation One and meant to name again to the earlier titles’ gameplay, Chronicles didn’t sport a lot of a graphical leap for the collection. It nonetheless sported some attention-grabbing lighting and texture work, although the previous didn’t precisely really feel like probably the most real looking. The environmental textures additionally felt a bit uneven and fewer seamless in locations, which isn’t the case within the remaster. As soon as once more, they’re fully overhauled, from the beautiful pavement with extra discernible cobblestones to correct door arches and window sills.
The hanging foliage can also be offered but once more with particular person leaves, wanting much less messy than the unique. Such is the readability of the environmental textures that the indicators are extra imminently readable and fewer fuzzy. It’s additionally value noting the lighting enhancements, which might rework a room the place Lara would possibly tight-rope stroll right into a sequence the place environmental options are extra simply discernible. Total, every part inherent in Tomb Raider: The Final Revelation’s remaster is simply as pronounced right here, even when the areas aren’t essentially as detailed.
Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness – Authentic vs. Remastered
As terrible as the sport was, you need to give credit score the place it’s resulting from Core Design for the unique visuals, even when the artwork course and general constancy have been removed from top-notch on the time. This being the primary Tomb Raider developed from the bottom up for PlayStation 2, it sports activities noticeable upgrades to the lighting and shadows, together with starker tones to match the general edgier environment. The environmental textures and property sport larger polygon counts and particulars, whereas atmospherics like smoke and fog additional add to the temper. Lara’s mannequin can also be a step up in virtually each approach.
Its remaster is maybe probably the most stunning improve but by way of sheer high quality. The rain within the opening stage is rather more pronounced, proper right down to its hitting the ground, and the multitudes of various lighting really feel rather more pure, particularly within the shadows created. The textures are extra detailed by leaps and bounds, higher fulfilling the dingy and darkish tones that Core Design probably sought.
Conclusion
Although it maintains a lot of the animation work and cutscene course of the originals, Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered does extra than simply radically rework the environments, lighting, and shadows for contemporary platforms. It additionally ensures a uniform design for Lara Croft’s mannequin all through, guaranteeing she appears to be like the identical in The Angel of Darkness as she does in The Final Revelation and Chronicles whereas nonetheless presenting immaculate particulars.
Environmental objects which you purchase even sport extra detailed 3D fashions, becoming in with the remainder of the revamps. And, in fact, all of it runs at a silky easy 60 frames per second all through, with nary a body drop in sight on PS5.
So, you might debate the need of bringing Tomb Raider 5 and 6 again in remastered kind, even when the developer mentioned it simply didn’t really feel proper to solely remaster the fourth sport in. Nevertheless, there’s no denying that Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered is one of the simplest ways to expertise these video games. Possibly it’s within the sheer quantity of options and high quality of life modifications, or lastly studying what the heck is happening in The Angel of Darkness. Both approach, they’re a vital a part of historical past and full Croft’s authentic journey stunningly.
