The remainder of the music in levels is ambient, which helps craft the abandoned and desolate atmosphere that comes with tomb raiding. The music was provided by in-house composer Nathan McCree, and apart from the main theme and cutscenes, is only used incidentally at certain points to certain points to enhance the cinematic feel, which it does with great effect. The secrets reward exploration with extra medipacks, ammunition, and even new weapons to add to Lara’s arsenal. There are also secrets to be found, accompanied with a distinctive chime sound effect. This is a very frustrating system, as the crystals are few and spread out far between each other, so given the trial-and-error nature of the platforming, the player will probably have to replay large chunks of the level over and over. The game also uses a “Save Crystal” system, where there are floating crystals at certain points during the level that act as single-use checkpoint. It was frustrating at the time but for a modern player, it will probably feel absolutely archaic. It’s functional for leisurely exploration but is restrictive and frustrating when dealing with one of the game’s many death traps. Unfortunately in practice this feels pretty rough, particularly due to the tank controls for turning movement.
This should, in theory, lead to Lara fluidly moving around each level, negotiating her dangerous surroundings with ease and finesse. Functionally, it’s similar to how movement works in the original Prince of Persia games.
This allows the player to use the grids to learn and judge the distance of a far away ledge before taking a jump. This was from before the era of analog controllers, so it made some kind of sense at the time. To maximize the use of Lara’s move set effectively, the developers based all of the game environments on a 3D grid system. She can run and jump vast distances, vault, grab ledges, backflip while using firearms, swim and hold her breath underwater for long periods of time. Lara also has an expansive move set and small arsenal to help her navigate these dangerous environments. The game was a massive leap forwards in gaming technology and allowed the player to explore large detailed 3D environments in search of lost artifacts, all while solving puzzles and avoiding death traps. Apart from its heroine, the game is notable for its cinematic and atmospheric level design and gameplay. The original Tomb Raider is a third person 3D action adventure platformer originally released for the Sega Saturn, Sony PlayStation and DOS in 1996. Lara herself appeared on the cover of non-gaming magazines and starring in commercials for various products, as well as two successful films starring Angelina Jolie.
ILLBLEED HARDCORE GAMING 101 SERIES
Under their stewardship, the series spawned five direct sequels, two Game Boy Color games and an N-Gage port of the original game.
The franchise was created by British developer Core Design, previously known for platformers like Chuck Rock and Wonder Dog, who in the mid-to-late ’90s were on top of the world thanks to their creation. Beginning in 1996, it was not only one of the first stellar 3D action games, but it also starred a charming leading lady in the form of Lara Croft. Tomb Raider is one of the most well-known franchises in all of video gaming.