Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered (Nintendo Switch) Review

Like before, this remaster is mainly a visual upgrade. Aspyr has once more improved every single texture and model, but at the same time has kept the style of each game intact. Feeling kind of nostalgic? A simple push of a button toggles between the new and the original graphics - and now going back to the past doesn't include a dip in framerate, which is awesome. It's still helpful to go back to the old visuals for practical reasons, as some locales are substantially darker on the remastered mode, but Aspyr has done such a fine job that it's usually almost impossible to want to go "back."

Apart from the beautification of it all, this also includes some mechanical and quality-of-life improvements as well, like subtitles, unlimited saves, the option to change the controls scheme, as well as the option to swap between the default tank controls, and a "modern" system… which, in all honesty isn't the recommended setting, as the games were simply not made for that. Beyond all that, every single title in this collection is identical to its original version, so don't go in expecting a completely different experience, bar the odd fix here and there.

For those somewhat new to the franchise, or those lucky fellows who don't have a strong memory of it… its early days weren't that good. Despite its flaws getting more obvious with each passing decade, the classic original, remains one the best in the series. It was so successful, however, that Eidos pushed Core Design to pump out sequel after sequel, and that inevitably led to products that had plenty of issues. The culmination of that extended crunch time are the titles at hand, with The Last Revelation being the last true effort for a good Tomb Raider, Chronicles being developed simply because the folks who made it had to eat and pay the bills, and, finally, The Angel of Darkness being the one famous for killing Lara Croft at a time where she was Queen.

Here's a brief look at each of the three entries, starting with The Last Revelation. On one hand this is the first entry after 1996 that feels like what a Tomb Raider should feel, with its emphasis in solving puzzles while exploring ancient ruins. On the other hand, the team behind it chose to have the whole adventure take place in Egypt, making it a tad boring. Sadly, it gets worse. While one million times easier than Tomb Raider III when it comes to the platforming, and a lot less difficult than Tomb Raider II in terms of combat, it is the most challenging in terms of puzzle-solving, and not in a good way, as it revolves around some insane backtracking - and not only…

Chronicles, the middle child of the collection is… ok, but it is basically a "deleted scenes" kind of experience, rather than a thematically coherent, complete journey with a beginning, a middle, and an end. Lara seems to have died doing what she loved the most, and three of her friends reminisce on some of her most dangerous missions. It's an anthology of sorts, with no mission being connected to the one before it. Oh, and when it comes to the gameplay it's decent at best, annoying at its worst - pretty much like all Tomb Raider titles of the '90s.

…And then there's the ugly duckling than never turns into a swan during the 15 or so hours one needs to reach the end. The Angel of Darkness is still terrible. This remaster has improved this piece of software, slightly polishing the controls as well as the overall performance, and as a small bonus, some cut content has been refined and included here as well. Sadly, these aren't enough to fix this. Never mind the change in setting and atmosphere, the big issue here is how unresponsive and slow it controls. Quick save will become your best friend, as every jump can easily lead to death - done with the acrobatics? Well, it's now time to enjoy boring dialogue sequences between NPCs.

After all this negativity, it's important to note that this is still a solid recommendation - but not to just anybody. The target audience of this great collection of not so great games are those who are ok with owning a piece of video game history, even if that piece is mostly bad. It's a collection for collectors. If you are one who hasn't played these titles, and is just curious about how it all started, well then why settle for the black sheep? Go straight for the first bundle, and if you like what you see, wait for a big discount, and give this one a go as well.