Tomb Raider is a famous computer game in the action/adventure genres, developed by Core Design and released by Eidos Interactive back in 1996. The game was released on PC/Mac, PlayStation, and Sega Saturn.
Few know that Tomb Raider is largely the game that initiated the development of the third-person shooter genre. Third-person shooters? Pfft, no one is surprised by that nowadays, but back in 1996, such an approach was considered innovative. The game gained immense popularity, not only among players but also among game developers, who rushed to imitate Tomb Raider, creating projects similar to the creativity of Core Design. Tomb Raider marked a new milestone in the gaming industry – this can be said with complete confidence. What can we say – at this point, there are simply no gamers who don't know what Tomb Raider is and who Lara Croft is.
In the 1996 Tomb Raider, one can find plenty of puzzles, tombs, and mysteries, meaning all the elements that would later be utilized in all subsequent games of the series. There are only four chapters, while there are fifteen full game levels. During her epic journey, Lara Croft visits various countries, be it Peru, Greece, Egypt, and Atlantis (if we can indeed consider it a country). Her main objective is to find pieces of the so-called Legacy, which is the key to unraveling the mysteries of ancient Atlantis. But the Legacy is hunted not only by the heroine but by many other characters, including Natla – once one of the rulers of Atlantis.
Once, Natla was imprisoned for eternity in a so-called "ice prison" because she betrayed the interests of humanity, deciding to replace them with a more progressive race of monsters that she personally created. But after centuries, Natla breaks free and decides to take power over the world into her own hands, but for that, she needs the very Legacy that is in the clutches of Lara. As you can well understand, Croft is not the kind of person who easily parts with a valuable artifact. Simply put, Natla didn't succeed.
But before putting an end to the long-standing dispute over the possession of the Legacy, the heroine must go through fire, water, and copper pipes, fighting numerous enemies: wolves, bears, centaurs, mummies, mutants from Atlantis, and even real dinosaurs. She also has to solve various puzzles and deal with deadly traps. But Croft wouldn't be Croft if such "minor inconveniences" could stop her.
At the time of its release, the game featured quite charming graphics, although now, of course, the visuals look quite shabby. Even back in those distant times, players noted that all levels and locations were structured on the principle of division into blocks and squares, and this was noticeable to the naked eye. But this is the peculiarity of the engine used in the first Tomb Raider, on the basis of which all the games in the series were created until 2001. It should be noted that in 2007, a remake of Tomb Raider titled Tomb Raider: Anniversary was released. The game underwent little change compared to Tomb Raider, with only slight gameplay modifications and modern graphics added. If you, dear friend, want to acquaint yourself with the progenitor of the famous franchise but are afraid that you might feel nauseous at the very first sight of the graphics in Tomb Raider, Anniversary will be a good way out.