Does the remaster finally allow Classic Lara’s later adventures to shine?

Or is the original trilogy still the superior way to play as this dauntless explorer?

We’ve got the comparisons laid out for you below.

Split image of Heather Mason, Leon Kennedy and Lara Croft.

At best, they serve as a backdrop for Lara Croft to be badass.

They’re excuse plots,rich in atmospherebut light on dialogue.

The villain is only introduced so that you’ve got the option to have a final boss.

Rise Of The Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider Legend and Tomb Raider Underworld.

Apart from Lara herself, all side characters in the original trilogy are caricatures.

That’s not true at all for Tomb Raider 4-6.

These games had substantial storylines, especially the fourth and sixth entries.

Game art from Genshin Impact, Final Fantasy 14 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

Does the remaster fix it completely?

But it makes it somewhat better.

The Last Revelation, on the other hand, had a genuinely good story.

Lara with her arms crossed in Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation.

This was 1996, remember.

A lot of design philosophies taken for granted today simply hadn’t been conceived back then.

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A collage showing Joel from The Last of Us, Batman from the Arkham series, and the Prince of Prince of Persia’s Reboot.

The Last Revelation and Chronicles are the most satisfying that classic Tomb Raider has ever felt.

Just compare how many more fan-made levels were made in the Tomb Raider 4 engine than the previous entries.

The Last Revelation is a triumph of precision platforming, provided you have the patience for it.

Lara looks at the Temple of Karnak in Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation.

In comparison, the first two Tomb Raider titles are well-designed.

They lack the trial-and-error design and antagonistic, non-telegraphed traps of the following two entries.

From Tomb Raider 3 onwards, it felt like Core Design hated its fans.

Lara Croft atop a raised platform in Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation.

The first two TR titles, however, have great level design: difficult, but intuitive and satisfying.

4Difficulty

Difficulty is always a part of the equation in classic Tomb Raider.

These games are extremely challenging, and only the most dedicated fans can stick it through to the end.

Lara Croft faces a big boulder in Tomb Raider 3.

You won’t get far in Tomb Raider playing casually.

It turns out these tombs are tough for completionists.

Tomb Raider 1 and 2 are extremely difficult, but do not cheat against you all that often.

Tomb Raider Remastered - Lara running across a rickety bridge.

Overall, the original trilogy has more balanced and fair difficulty.

In that regard, the original trilogy wins.

Its visuals have been overhauled to be on par with a late PS2 title.

Lara Croft fighting a giant scary mummy man with six swords.

Some video games practically require multiple playthroughs and these particular selections really pack in the replay value.

Most fans have only beaten The Last Revelation once, if at all.

Even fewer think that Chronicles and Angel of Darkness are anything but lame cash-ins on a rapidly weakening brand.

Tomb Raider Remastered - Lara yeeting herself off a waterfall.

All in all, the original trilogy has far more replay value.

Chronicles, though underrated, is simply the forgotten middle child of the series.

Unfortunately, TR 4-6 Remastered comprisesworse gamesgiven the same treatment as the better ones.

Tomb Raider Remastered - Lara Croft about to shoot a dog.

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