Tomb Raider is still widely considered to be one of the most influential video game franchises ever created, with its original PS1 entry redefining the action-adventure genre back upon its 1996 debut. Though it's occasionally taken a brief year or two hiatus, the Tomb Raider franchise has continued to pump out new entries fairly consistently over the last almost three decades, ranging from mainline titles to reboots and remasters and even some mobile spin-offs.
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Tomb Raider is still a renowned franchise with an impressive, well-known legacy behind it, but it's long past its golden era. That said, Tomb Raider has actually had a surprisingly busy year, and its new Embracer Group owners shouldn't waste the franchise's recent resurgence.
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The Tomb Raider Franchise Has Had a Big Year
Lara Croft Has Made Her Way Around The Gaming Industry in 2024
Over the last few years, Tomb Raider's Lara Croft has quickly become one of the most prolific characters in gaming, having appeared in a wealth of games as a cameo character or skin. 2023 saw Lara Croft appear in Fall Guys, Magic: The Gathering, The Walking Dead: Survivors, and Call of Duty, and the illustrious Croft Manor even made an appearance in PowerWash Simulator.
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Lara Croft's tour around the gaming world has continued throughout 2024, with the iconic adventurer appearing in Hero Wars, State of Survival, and Naraka: Bladepoint. But by far Lara Croft's most memorable cameo this year came in July, with the hero appearing as a new playable Survivor in the asymmetrical horror game Dead by Daylight alongside some unique Perks that reference her distinct tomb-raiding abilties.
Lara Croft's Own Ventures Have Done Well
Alongside all of her cameos, Lara Croft has also starred in a few of her own franchise projects. The Aspyr-developed Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered launched back in February of this year, taking the beloved original Tomb Raider trilogy and giving it a fresh coat of paint, some revamped controls, some quality-of-life improvements, and a handful of new gameplay mechanics and features.
Just last month, Lara Croft received an animated adaptation, with Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft hitting Netflix in October. This 8-episode series takes place in the same continuity as Crystal Dynamics' Tomb Raider Survivor Trilogy, taking place shortly after the events of 2018's Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Hayley Atwell – of MCU fame – voices Lara in this adaptation.
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While Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered received a solid 75 on Metacritic, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft didn't fare quite as well, with the animated Netflix series sitting at a 65 on the same site. That said, both Tomb Raider projects seem to have been successful enough, as Aspyr is getting ready to release a Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered trilogy for next year and The Legend of Lara Croft has been renewed for a second season.
Amazon is also developing a live-action Tomb Raider series, with Sophie Turner allegedly in the running to play Lara Croft.
The Tomb Raider Franchise Should Strike While The Iron is Hot
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After all of Lara Croft's cameos over the last few years, and after the recent Netflix show and remastered trilogy, it feels like Tomb Raider is slowly creeping its way back into the spotlight. But it isn't there yet, and while Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered will likely do a good job of keeping the franchise in the public consciousness, it's going to take something a bit bigger to give Tomb Raider the push it needs to enter a new golden age.
Back in 2022, Crystal Dynamics announced that a new Tomb Raider was in development and that it would attempt to unify all of the franchise's timelines. Earlier this year, the studio revealed its new design for Lara Croft. But there's still no official reveal on the horizon for the next Tomb Raider entry, and this recent resurgence is the perfect opportunity to finally deliver one.
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Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered Starring Lara Croft
Action-Adventure
Systems
- Top Critic Rating:76/100 Critics Recommend:54%
- Franchise
- Tomb Raider
- Platform(s)
- PC , PS5 , PS4 , Switch , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , Xbox One
- Released
- February 14, 2024
- Developer(s)
- Aspyr , Crystal Dynamics
- Publisher(s)
- Aspyr
- Engine
- tomb raider engine
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Intense Violence, Suggestive Themes
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
