Tomb Raider 1-3 got the remaster treatment earlier this year, and surprise surprise, now Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered is on the way. That’ll include Angel Of Darkness, of course, the entry of the sexology that could most obviously benefit from some TLC.
The remasters are being handled by Aspyr in partnership with Crystal Dynamics, as per the original trilogy remaster. This new batch includes 1999’s Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, 2000’s Tomb Raider: Chronicles, and 2003’s much maligned Tomb Raider: The Angel Of Darkness. All three are playable with their original graphics or with higher poly models and more bloom, as well as new camera controls, quality-of-life updates, and photo modes.
The set are due to release on February 14th for £25, and they’re up on Steam now.
Core Design released the first five Tomb Raider games on a yearly schedule from 1996 to 2000, but The Angel Of Darkness was intended to modernise the series and make the leap onto PlayStation 2. Development was beset with problems, chunks of the game were scrapped to hit deadlines, and what was released was buggy and difficult to control. It sold reasonably well but reviews were dire and development of later Tomb Raider games moved to Crystal Dynamics. Core Design closed not long after.
Which, as I noted above, makes Angel Of Darkness perfect fodder for a remaster. I’ve seen others argue that there’s a hidden gem beneath its many faults, which I find difficult to believe, but it would be great were that true.
Katharine wasn’t entirely convinced by some of the modernisations in the last remasters, mind. You could play them as God intended, with tank controls, or with a new modern control scheme Katharine thought was a “travesty”.
The previous remaster had the odd, unwiedly name of Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft, whereas this one is just Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered. How am I to know if it stars Lara Croft or not if she’s not mentioned in the title? Most confusing.