One of the games I have often enjoyed playing is Tomb Raider – an adventure game where the daring heroine, Lara Croft is an archaeologist in search of ancient artefacts. There are several installments of the game with varying storylines but the central goal and the course of action have remained similar – to collect clues and relics while fighting any enemies or supernatural monsters to unravel a mystery. Of the few different Tomb Raider games I have played, ‘Legend’ created a lasting positive impression with Crystal Dynamics taking over the franchise as developers, providing smoother graphics and controls. I’d like to examine some of the positives and negatives of this particular version using some of the lenses described in this course.

(Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htNsAW7YvvQ)

The game offers fluid motion and control, setting it milestones apart from the earlier versions where the movement of the character was confined to grids. This makes Lara more lifelike. Every action has detailed animation to resemble natural movements and expression. When using a console such as PS2, the player is able to feel the vibrations from falling objects and sometimes the character’s own movements, on the joystick. The ability to interact with several objects from the environments and use them as necessary makes the gameplay more interesting. A well-crafted storyline, concise dialogues and a carefully designed character profile add to the overall experience, keeping the player motivated to stay on the quest. (The Lens of Experience)

The main task of the protagonist in the story is to navigate through an unfamiliar environment and locate clues. Often, this requires good use of the available tools and objects in the surroundings. For instance, Lara may have to use her magnetic grapple where appropriate, to enable a jump. Or she may have to look for movable boulders, boxes, etc. to hold a door open or to prop in position for a climb. While sometimes it is very obvious what Lara must do next, at other times, the player could get stuck trying to figure out the same. Hence, the game is neither too easy, nor too difficult in this aspect, and this keeps the player interested in forging ahead. (The Lens of Problem Solving)

The flow in the story is gradual and consistent. With every level, a new part of Lara’s character profile or history is revealed and we understand her motives better. And at the end of each level, the player finds himself/herself inching closer to solving the mystery. Though there are discrepancies in the storyline when comparing with other versions of the game (for example, the age and the manner in which Lara lost her parents), there are no flaws within this installment of the game itself. (The Lens of Flow)

The game hosts a combination of Action and Adventure. However, it only requires a set of repetitive moves to tackle an enemy, regardless of the difficulty setting, making the Action part of the game far too easy. Besides, the game only allows third person shooting. And while the game’s real strength lies in the Adventure involved, the puzzle remains the same on all difficulty levels. Thus, it appears that these difficulty levels defined have no huge impact on the player’s experience. Only small portions of the game are timed (for instance, when Lara goes underwater, she may have to cross a specific area before she loses her breath) and the game overall has no sense of challenge or urgency. (The Lens of Challenge)

Throughout the game there are several unimportant rewards (Gold/Silver/Bronze) that Lara comes across. Collecting all of them at a certain level might, for instance, allow the user to change her outfit. This is not a particularly valuable reward and does not help Lara in any way in reaching her goal. In my opinion, this idea is somewhat distracting and brings down the seriousness of the story. According to several reviews, users are often focused on completing the game itself and simply ignore these rewards. Instead of letting the player unlock costumes, upgrading Lara’s equipment or giving her new assault tricks may have been more useful. (The Lens of Endogenous Value)

On the whole, the game offers a thrilling experience with its smooth graphics and intriguing environments. However, for the most part, it is a very easy game and is unlikely to make anybody want to play it more than once due to lack of a powerful challenge.

– Krithika Sundararajan