RipTen Review: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (XBLA)

Square-Enix and Crystal Dynamics’ most recent entry into the Tomb Raider franchise is a significant departure for the series; even the name has changed from Tomb Raider to Lara Croft. Fans of the series will notice the change the instant the title boots up, with a menu screen styled after a graphic novel. The game retains that graphic novel feel throughout.

This game is beautiful. The environments are alive with motion, every level has a rich backdrop. You’ll travel from underground tombs, to ancient swamps, to lava-filled caverns, and each one has a unique style. Fire, water, and magic effects are impressive, and fill the screen with no slowdown or choppy framerate. Killing enemies provides you with a gratifying explosion of light, and by the end of the game 10+ enemies on-screen at a time isn’t unusual. Check out the gameplay video below to see what I’m talking about (SPOILER ALERT):

The story, on the other hand, is easily forgettable. Really, it’s just an excuse to have Lara crawling through a temple fighting a bunch of supernatural baddies. You’re chasing some ancient, evil Aztec God, but other than yelling about how you’re going to die in the occasional cutscene, he really does very little. Really, though, it doesn’t seem to matter. Playing as Lara Croft will be enough for most gamers in this case, and that’s ok.

The isometric style view lends a completely different feel to the game than previous Tomb Raiders, but it works and works well. The puzzles are designed to fit into the view, there’s never any annoying point where you can’t see what you need to see. The camera also aids in the more casual feel of the game, as it’s much easier to see around you and gaps are easier to judge. The viewpoint actually reminded me a lot of dungeon crawlers like Gauntlet or Diablo 2, a feeling that is backed up by the overall style of the game. Lara can level up, which is accomplished through collectibles. Through various side rooms, you’ll get access to artifacts that boost attributes. You can only have 2 of them equipped at a time, so choosing which artifacts to use can be very strategic.

Puzzles in Co-op are inventive as well

The weapons in Guardian of Light are fun to use. They vary from Lara’s trusty dual pistols to a a chain gun. Let me say that again: a CHAIN GUN. And yes, mowing enemies down with a chain gun is incredibly fun. Ammo is handled well in the game; there are primary weapons (Lara’s pistols and this divine spear thing) and secondary weapons. Primary weapons have unlimited ammo, while secondaries have a blue bar next to Lara’s health. All secondary weapons pull from the same ammo, so ammo management really is a non-issue. Lara also has bombs, which are unlimited and very useful in combat. One move I found particularly useful was to use the roll ability through a crowd of enemies and drop a bomb in the middle of them, then detonate the bomb. This is a great crowd buster, but never felt overpowered.

Because of the different viewpoint, controlling Lara is completely new. The left stick is used to control movement, while the right stick aims. It takes a little getting used to, but after about five minutes you’ll be running around and dodging monsters with ease. There’s a bit of an aim-assist as well, so not having a precise targeting system is fine. Lara moves from one action to the next fluidly and with the grace expected of the acrobatic heroine. I never had any point in the game where the controls seemed to get in the way at all, and that’s how a game is supposed to be.

This Lara Croft is focused a bit more on action than puzzles. There are still plenty of puzzles, but they are fairly quick and easy to solve. Puzzle design is well-done and varied, though, so each one feels fresh and new. The game changes pace often, and every few minutes you’ll find yourself surrounded by enemies in an epic battle. Each enemy has a different power, and a different way to fight them. Each battle was exciting and new.

The visual style has been changed up for this game

In the end, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is a great game, and definitely worth a playthrough. It’s easily got 10+ hours of gameplay, and you’ll find that it’s addictive. In addition, on September 28th Crystal Dynamics is releasing a patch for online co-op, which will extend the play value even more. While reminiscent of previous Tomb Raider titles, Guardian of Light is a lighter, leaner game. I actually had the feeling that the game would not be completely out of place in an arcade. I’d recommend this game to any fan of the series, as well as newcomers to Lara Croft.

The Rundown:

+Smooth Controls

+Beautiful Environments

- Easily Forgettable story