•
Rating:
It was back in Christmas of 1996, and on that cold morning, waking up in a hurry to open presents under the decorated tree... I fell in love for the first time.
I was barely a kid, just starting middle school, yet when I saw that cover emerging as I unwrapped one of my multicolored packages, I felt a little thrill. It wasn't really love, but more of an empathetic connection so strong it left me shaken. I had always been a huge fan of Spielberg and his Indiana Jones, so much so that I would dress up as the great archaeologist for Carnival and invent hypothetical relic hunts in my backyard... Yet that beautiful girl, who immediately brought Indy to mind... Had a much greater hold on me...
I can't claim it with absolute certainty, but perhaps this type of feeling, which may have been repeated in millions of homes, is the reason behind the success of Tomb Raider or rather, of Lara Croft.
I only know that trying that game became my priority, and I made a fuss, raising God knows what commotion, to bring the PlayStation to my grandmother's where the usual lunch with relatives took place.
And once I turned on my gray little box a new myth was born for me. Period. From then on, there was no turning back. Even though I was passionate about many of the masterpieces that later came to Sony's machine, and despite the evident decline this saga has experienced over the years, Tomb Raider has always held a place in my little gamer's heart that I have rarely reserved for other titles.
Tomb Raider was indeed for me, as for the entire world, a radical change in the gaming industry.
But above all, it was a media breakthrough. Never before had a female character been able to capture attention in the way Lara Croft did. It didn't take long before the media elevated her to an icon of Pop culture of the '90s, and even those who had never ventured through the polygonal mazes of the video game knew who she was. Lara was a different approach to the female figure, no longer a character to be saved or, at most, one to share the scene with, but an absolute protagonist capable of ridiculing and destroying the macho figure that had always characterized the global video game landscape of action games, armed with great charisma and an incredible boldness. And infinitely more beautiful to look at during our digital tomb wanderings compared to any muscular Indiana. Lara was the affirmation of Girl Power that was so fashionable back then, even in a sector where girls had never been very participatory.
But this is, in the end, only the most marginal aspect of a product that at the time turned out to be technically impeccable.
The game was an action game inviting us to explore a series of ancient tombs and temples forgotten by time, fully realized in three dimensions, and practically boundless in size. Every environment was structured according to a block scheme, which formed the entire jumping system at the core of one of the most beautiful aspects of the game. Indeed, Tomb Raider was a mix of elements... A little platform, a little adventure, a little action, it was an almost perfect cocktail, capable of capturing attention for hours on end in a crescendo of jumps, somersaults, shootouts, dives, and puzzle solving.
The most beautiful thing about this title was undoubtedly the environments and the actions linked to their exploration. Penetrating within an environment and seeing ancient ruins emerging as the music rose high and evocative as ever, perhaps just after surfacing from the water, was priceless, nor was there anything like it around. Analyzing the environment to conclude that one had to climb onto that platform and then perform a double jump to another, then slide on that surface, before grasping that ledge... Well, it was a deductive process not easily achieved, forcing users to often go by trial and error. Initially, then, if one did not understand the block jump scheme, it was difficult to figure out how to move. Indeed, the actions were very precise, and the dizzying jumps were calculated to the millimeter. It was necessary to immediately memorize that a standing jump equaled one block, that one with a run equaled two, and so on and so forth, leading the player to a full understanding of Lara's physical abilities, and what she could or could not do in relation to the surrounding environment, thus offering an interactivity never seen before. But such knowledge did not save our heroine from continuous deaths. I must have seen her land on the ground, with the consequent macabre sound of breaking bones, at least a million times.
Even the puzzles were truly challenging. Although most could be assimilated to "find the key to open the door", the challenges presented were nevertheless compelling, constantly playing the suspense card. Collecting a key from underwater tunnels with scarce oxygen, or seeking the right lever among the depths to open a door or making a leap toward a crack in the wall where that seemingly unreachable switch was hiding, were elements injecting adrenaline at full speed. To this type of puzzle solving was added the creation of passages or platforms through moving countless boulders or blocks, a less frenetic phase, but excellent for catching one's breath. Another significant element from this perspective was the vastness of the environments.... Try finding a single key in an entire Inca temple, especially considering that for the first time levels were layered on multiple floors!!!!
The action component was instead minimal, yet sufficient to force the player to keep their eyes wide open during their wanderings, ready to defend against a myriad of ferocious beasts or humanoid beings with bullets and somersaults. Considering that the atmosphere was a key point for this product, relying on a sense of solitude and disorientation, it is impossible not to notice how some attacks could almost shake one like a survival horror (Did someone say the T-Rex?!?). The targeting system was automatic (Lara targeting the nearest enemy), allowing her to keep the enemy always aimed at, regardless of the jumps and somersaults she performed to escape the opponent's shots.
Graphically, the game was a spectacle for its time (except for Lara's breasts, which were two rather threatening triangles :) ). Everything was perfectly modeled, and perfectly believable, with an extremely good study of textures, although often these would disappear if examined too closely or appeared pixelated and grainy. Lara's animations were sublime, something absolutely unimaginable, enough to pleasantly surprise me even now if I compare this title with some of its contemporary big games (Resident Evil, for example). Perfectly "human," perfectly in line with the character. Even the story was excellent, capable of instilling the right curiosity necessary to push the gamer forward to see what might happen next. The musical part was outstanding, with engaging and evocative music that perfectly highlighted each passage.
Few are the flaws. One of these was certainly the save system, executable only at very rare points within the game. This aspect made every passage a real problem in the event of a premature end. Indeed, having to redo large portions of the level was quite frustrating, but personally, this only pushed me toward more calm planning and calibration of jumps and dives.
The other notes that could be leveled at Core Design's creation were surely the annoying getting stuck of Lara in some elements of the scenery, the frame rate that sometimes dropped, and some general rendering smudges at a graphic level (like the two-dimensionality of objects for example), but nothing that would affect the splendid experience that the Eidos title offered.
Personally, I know well that Tomb Raider is one of those titles that has changed the concept of the video game itself. But I also know well how many people have hated it in every incarnation. Personally, I find it a milestone in every aspect, and the rating I have given it can only identify the love I have for this product. The only thing I can say with certainty is that it must be tried. Anyone who has never had this opportunity MUST have contact with Lara's world. They may then turn disgustedly toward my review and send me to hell... But at least they can say they have played a piece of history..
Loading comments slowly
