Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog showcased some gameplay from the upcoming reimagining of the original Tomb Raider – Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis. Throughout the gameplay demo, the developers spoke about how they wanted to find the right balance between being faithful to the original while also enhancing the title in ways that wouldn’t be possible back in 1996.
The main focus of the gameplay demo is the Peru level, where Lara Croft finds herself as part of her hunt for a tomb and its artifacts. The visual fidelity afforded to the development team is at full display in the gameplay demonstration, as well as the finer attention to detail in the game’s depiction of Peruvian ruins.
Lara finds herself in an area with a large environmental puzzle, the solution to which revolves around changing up the terrain. Along the way, she finds an entirely new area just in the process of exploring, and the developers have noted that this was a deliberate design decision to encourage exploration amongst players. Along with this, the team has also noted that all of the in-game puzzles have been designed to ensure that they make sense within the context of the environment.
Throughout the video, we also get to see Lara’s impressive traversal capabilities, and as the developers have noted, there is quite a bit of emphasis placed on making sure that fans of the original would still find its essence in Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, while newcomers also feel welcomed into the franchise.
After showing off more of Lara’s acrobatic moves, the gameplay demo seamlessly transitions into combat against some raptors. The fast-paced third-person shooter gameplay will allow Lara to use her slick dodging animations, and even kick off slow motion with well-timed dodges. We also get to see a set piece when a larger T-Rex pops in, forcing Lara to run for her life.
Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is coming to PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2 on February 12th.
