LARA CROFT TOMB RAIDER: THE ANGEL OF DARKNESS REVIEW

From the off, you control Lara as she runs from the Police, framed for the murder of her old mentor, Werner Von Croy. The opening level is essentially a tutorial, teaching you the basic moves and actions.

The controls are, initially, unwieldy. Lara handles much like she did in previous instalments, with the key exception of perspective sensitive controls. This means that pulling back on the left analogue stick will move her towards the screen. Tapping L2 once will reduce Lara to a slower pace (walk mode), while holding down the button will make her able to sidestep, useful when lining up precarious leaps. The biggest advance is being able to run around in any direction with ease, without having to stop and monotonously turn. However, finer movements require tweaking and steady preparation, to a degree that some gamers will simply not accept.

If you can, a deeply rewarding and graphically splendid game awaits you, albeit with a few, unwarranted inclusions.

Lara traverses across a number of environments, most dank and dreary, to aptly convey the accomplished story. From the catacombs beneath the Louvre to the streets of Prague, the game offers a variety of interesting locales and characters, one of whom the player can control later in the game. The puzzles are genuinely intriguing, and at times offer level design that approaches mastery, with winning versatility. At others, they are simply derivative, but the graphical design and environment diversity often make up for it.

However, some areas are unnecessarily difficult, most notably those involving jumping to and from small platforms. These instances are unfortunately not rare, and require a degree of patience on the part of the player. The “save whenever you want” feature is a godsend, and should be frequently employed to prevent frustration.

Lara has finally learnt the lost art of conversation, such that she can now talk to most peripheral characters in the game. Doing so will present the player with the odd response choice. This element is quite gimmicky in truth, but provides a welcome enough diversion from the more traditional gameplay elements. Be warned though, the odd abrupt or rude choice can effectively seal Lara’s fate, in overtly harsh “do or die” instances. The voice acting is largely adequate, with a slew of stereotypical accents and demeanours.

The in-game audio is a pleasing orchestral score, which finally banishes the “bring your own music” requisite that accompanied previous instalments.

The biggest problem with Tomb Raider: TAOD is that it clearly was not ready for release. Unusual glitches and crashing are at times frequent occurrences, frustrating and nonsensical given the title’s time in development. Most can be overcome with frequent saving, but nonetheless tarnish what could have been a high quality production. AI is often poor, as enemies are more likely to get stuck on the nearest door than actually injure you. However, the game’s true challenge lies in its environments and such encounters are sufficient enough diversions.

Whether or not you like Tomb Raider: TAOD will largely depend on both your preconceptions and tastes. This isn’t a fast paced, 3D action game, demanding Ikaruga style reflexes or Jak and Daxter mobility. It is an accomplished, third person adventure, relying on a measured and cerebral approach, dissimilar to most games of its genre. If you can stomach the sticky controls, limited action and occasionally nasty bugs, Lara’s latest will not disappoint.