It’s likely many people have fond memories of playing the original Tomb Raider back in the day. Lara Croft’s first game was not only a great adventure but also a smash hit that started a franchise that continues to this day.
So it wasn’t a great surprise to many that a new Tomb Raider game was announced at the Game Awards last year. Tomb Raider: Catalyst will be arriving in the future and is a new mainline entry in the series. This is a game many people were expecting and long waiting for, since the last major game in the series came out back in 2018 (the same year the Tomb Raider movie starring Alicia Vikander hit cinemas).
In order to fill the gap until the release of Catalyst, though, publisher Amazon Game Studios will be putting out a remake of the original 1996 game. But the original Tomb Raider game already got a remake, many older gamers like myself could be thinking… Actually, developer Crystal Dynamics released a remake of the first Tomb Raider game titled “Tomb Raider Anniversary” back in 2007.
Nonetheless, it does make sense for Amazon and Crystal Dynamics to release a new remake of Tomb Raider, as the studio itself explained in a recent interview with gameindustry.biz.
“We felt that there’s no better time for us to actually bring this story, this adventure back into that mainstream consciousness than right now. It’s also an opportunity; this is a fantastic jumping-on point for anyone who maybe has not experienced one of the past term later games”, said Crystal Dynamics experience director Jeff Adams in the interview.
Here Adams was referring to the fact that it will be Tomb Raider’s 30th anniversary this year.
And it does make sense for Crystal Dynamics to want to get a new generation of players onboard with a new remake, as the 2007 Anniversary one is looking a bit long in the tooth new. But the US studio is not only modernizing the game’s visuals (which do look terrific judging by the game’s most recent trailer), but also its gameplay to bring it up to date with that of more recent games.
“That breeds a lot of room for us to ask: do we need to put a collectable in here? Do we need, like, a second puzzle that wasn’t in the present one? It is very faithful to the original while adding to it. We’re not trying to replace the original Tomb Raider. We’re not trying to make one version that’s better than the other. This is very much a love letter”, said game director Raul Siqueira.
Another interesting fact here is that Crystal Dynamics is partnering with Polish studio Flying Wild Hog to develop this Tomb Raider remake, which is a good thing in my book. Flying Wild Hog’s Shadow Warrior games are action-packed, over the top, humorous, colorful and fun (and personally I’m a fan of the series) so the Polish studio’s contribution to this remake could make it an even more fun experience to play through when it arrives next year.
But going back to the reasons why Tomb Raider is putting out another remake, there’s also the fact that Crystal Dynamics and publisher Amazon Game Studios are joining a wider industry trend of releasing remakes of much-loved video games from the past. Capcom has found success with this – its most recent remake (Resident Evil 4) sold gangbusters in 2023, while other companies like Square Enix are also jumped on the bandwagon with Final Fantasy, as Siqueira pointed out in the interview.
“You see the Final Fantasy series, Resident Evil… I can go on for hours about how many good touch points we have for what a good remake is and how we want to stand tall next to them. Just looking at what’s out there and asking what different companies are doing right and how we can make sure we get it right”, said Crystal Dynamics’ game director in the Games Industry interview.
Additionally, Arek Tomaszewski of partner studio Flying Wild Hog said: “You cannot just give them [the fans] a remake with the new technology; you need to add the flavour to it, you need to recreate and build on what’s been established in the past. That’s what we’re trying to do. Other franchises that did it well, they did exactly the same thing”.
The thing is, gamers in general and Tomb Raider fans will have to wait longer in order to play this upcoming entry in the series. This is because the game was delayed out of 2026, and as stated earlier, will arrive next year (February 12 to be exact). Nonetheless, judging by the previews we’ve seen so far, it looks like this reimagining of the original Tomb Raider will be worth the wait when it arrives early next year.