Good news for Lara Croft fans. The Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered collection is coming and will be heading to PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox One this February 14.
The collection will include some not-so-fan-favorite games: The Last Revelation, Chronicles, and The Angel of Darkness.
Similar to the highly successful first collection, the second remaster compilation will come with shiny bells and whistles you've come to expect. These include the ability to switch between classic and remastered visuals, or classic and modern controls. You can even toggle boss health bars this time around.
The only real caveat fans have is the actual games themselves. The three games are far from considered the best in the franchise. In fact, two of them are in contention for worst in the series.
While The Last Revelation got okay reviews, both Chronicles and The Angel of Darkness did not fare that well. The former has a Metacritic score of 57, with outlets such as Edge magazine giving it a four out of 10.
click to enlargeAoD is in an even worse state. It holds a 49 on Metacritic with many prestigious outlets such as IGN, Eurogamer, and Game Informer tearing the game down when it released in 2003.
I doubt the Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered collection will fix any glaring gameplay issues. Having said that, considering the success of the previous collection, it's safe to say that Lara Croft has a strong dedicated fanbase willing to give those games a second try.
According to a report in 2023 by Embracer, the current Tomb Raider IP owners, the TR I-III Remastered collections exceeded expectations both in terms of sales and reception.
Plans are set in motion for more projects involving Lara Croft, including an ambitious AAA game that is set to surpass the efforts of Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal with the most recent trilogy.
If you're a new fan that started with 2013's remake, taking a trip down memory lane might give you context as to why the franchise needs reviving in the first place. It wasn't all Angelina Jolie's fault after all.
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