No Tomb Raider games have been released for Nintendo Switch. The last hit for Nintendo devices was Tomb Raider: Underworld, released in 2008 for both Nintendo DS and Wii. Things have changed a bit with the publication of The Lara Croft Collection by Feral Interactive.
I say “sort of” because these aren’t actually Tomb Raider branded games. These feature Lara Croft, but are not set in the typical third-person action style of his classic Tomb Raider games. Instead, the action is presented in a top-down isometric view, similar to dungeon crawlers such as Diablo and Nine Parchments. More importantly, both games in this collection are co-op oriented. 2010’s Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light supports his 2 local multiplayer, while Lara Croft and Temple of Osiris supports up to 4 local players.
As you can see, both games are excellent. Both can be played by themselves, but they are not very fun. Solving puzzles and avoiding traps with your teammates is much more thrilling than stumping through puzzles alone. Enemy difficulty (actually quantity) scales based on the number of players. I mean, you could let Lara go through it alone, but she’d rather be with someone. However, please note that there is no option for her multiplayer online.
Each game comes with a perfunctory story that offers more than setting and incentives. In Lara Croft and the Guardian of the Light, the archetypal villain unwittingly unleashes Xolotl, the Keeper of Darkness. Well, Lara and (in multiplayer) the ancient Mayan warrior Totec must catch him before dawn. Of course, you can’t unleash the Dark Keeper without unleashing its countless minions. As such, there are plenty of giant beasts for Lara and Totec to fight as they chase Xolotl through numerous tombs and ruins.
In “Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris,” Lara travels to Egypt to confront an evil god named Set. This time, our heroes have even more companions, joined by treasure hunter Carter Bell and the handy gods of Isis and Horus.
Honestly, neither game needs anything more than a setup. These are meant to feel like co-op arcade action games (remember Gauntlet?), throwing you right into frenetic action and staying there. Both are successful to varying degrees.
The pace in both games is great. Most of the gameplay centers around getting from here to there, with the challenge largely determined by the rewards on the other side. All characters have different abilities and players must work together to overcome obstacles. For example, Lara has a grappling hook that she can attach to things to cross caves or pull her friends up a ledge. Totec has a shield that can safely pass through arrow traps or provide Lara with a higher platform to jump on. Entering a tomb to discover an artifact slows down the game, giving players time to tackle treasure-blocking environmental puzzles such as spiked platforms, trigger traps, and unreachable ledges.
Combat is required to get to most places, though. Weapons (mainly guns) are acquired as the game progresses and can be assigned for use using the directional pad. Of course, certain weapons are more effective against certain enemies, but unlimited ammo is the only default. Thankfully, both games offer extensive ammo pickups and health packs/areas.
Combat unfolds like a twin-stick shooter. Players move the character with the Joy-Con’s L stick, aim with the R stick, and hold down ZR to shoot. You can drop and explode bombs with the Y button. Characters also have the ability to evade and roll around enemy attacks and traps. Most of the time there is a target to snipe, and hordes of enemies are unleashed in quick succession at various times.
Between combat and puzzle-solving, multiple levels seem to pass much faster than they actually are. My son and I were often surprised that it took him over 30 minutes to complete a level. So it was a bit embarrassing to find out that one of his challenges was to complete these levels in under 5 minutes.
These challenges are important as they provide most of the motivation for multiple playthroughs. It is highly unlikely that you will pass the time challenge on your first run. Of course not while trying to get all artifacts. For example, one challenge in the level of “The Guardian of Light” is to collect all 10 red skulls, one of which has to go into a river to get there. At the same level there is also the task of crossing the river without entering it. Does that require two playthroughs of him, or is there a solution we haven’t found?Neither game is very long, so replayability is a welcome factor. “Guardian of Light” can be completed in 7-10 hours, while “Temple of Osiris” is even shorter, 5-8 hours.
This era is just the right time to play games released in the early 10’s in a modern way. After all, Feral Interactive hasn’t stepped up either title. I got these games as they were released, and in this case that’s fine. The arcade action and puzzle-solving are very well done, and he’s perfect for beating a level or two at a time. Controls are simple and precise. The graphics are a little dated, but they are well detailed and bearable even on a large screen. Handheld mode loses the element, but prioritizing multiplayer means you shouldn’t be playing on the Switch screen anyway. Graphics perform well no matter which screen you choose.
The Temple of Osiris can occasionally have issues or become blurry, but rarely enough to affect gameplay.
These games serve as a welcome Switch debut for Lara Croft. Action gamers will have a lot of fun if they have one girlfriend or three girlfriends to play with. The Lara Croft Collection The Tomb You Know He may not be a Raider, but it’s sure to remind you of what you loved about the original game.
