Review: Tomb Raider Underworld

A sigh of relief echoed worldwide when developer Crystal Dynamics resurrected the Tomb Raider franchise after Angel of Darkness had Lara Croft fans vowing to never play again.

Crystal Dynamic's first effort, Tomb Raider: Legend was a bland, self-proclaimed learning experience with simple puzzles, short levels, and uninspired gun-play; but gamers’ favorite heroine Lara was back.

Anniversary, Crystal Dynamic’s second franchise release showcased new context-animations, and a time-bending battle system aimed to innovate gameplay. Despite the merit of these new features, Anniversary was plagued by messy level layout that was intended to expand on the levels of the first Tomb Raider. Crystal Dynamic's collaboration with the original developer, Core Design, was evident in the puzzle-design of Anniversary. It was decidedly more difficult than Legend and generally recognized as superior game.

Tomb Raider: Underworld picks up the story where Legend ended. Still searching for her mother and seeking vengeance for her father's death, Lara sets out to confront her demons and enemies once and for all.

Graphically, Underworld is stunning. The Thailand and Mexico levels set a new standard for exploration games. Absent a timer, leisurely exploration is heartily recommended. The attention to detail in the environment is at an high point in the franchise. Lara herself seems to have her weight distributed more evenly, too; she has gained some meat on her bones by trading in a few sizes on her “northerns.” Her athletic shape is maintained but with more earthly, less distracting dimensions. Still, Lara ends up in enough compromising positions to keep interest.

The audio of Underworld is not as interesting. The game relies on a limited soundtrack and environmental noise. You hear birds, screaming animals and Lara's wails of horror as she plummets to another date with the Grim Reaper. That's about it.

The puzzles presented are tough, but solvable without resorting to guides. There isn't a "right way" to solve many problems. The route through a level is up to the player. Unlike earlier episodes, it's impossible for the player to be painted into a corner. The latest feature is the "What Would Lara Do?" system. The backbone of WWLD system is the PDA, which Lara uses to talk to the player. This provides two levels of clues. The first level is vague advice on what could be done and the second is captain obvious. The player is advised to be very cautious with the PDA, as it might take away from the game-experience. Not only does Lara herself provide spoilers in the hint-department, the PDA logs journal-entries ahead of time which can give away what lies ahead.

The battle-system underwent another innovation called, "Adrenaline," or “Lara-time”. As long as the player damages an enemy, a gauge fills. When that gauge is topped off, pressing "X" enters Adrenaline mode and the action goes into slow motion. As the slow motion meter runs out the player must complete an on-screen maneuver with the right trigger, after which Lara will kill her enemy with a satisfying headshot. Unfortunately, the kill-cam is less-than-advanced and often pans away from the action, hiding the indicators to trigger the animation. This results in disappointing wasted "Lara-time."

The context animations introduced in Anniversary were greatly improved in Underworld. Lara will hop over low obstacles, brush foliage aside, stagger at the edge of rock or protect herself when the player is about to steer her headlong into a wall. These animations give the player that feeling that Lara is interacting with the environment without cues from the controller. When Lara is left to her own devices she'll cross her arms, put her hands on her hips, do little stretch-exercises, groom herself or adjust her utility-belt. When it works as intended, it's awesome.

But the animations have a flaw – they rely on where Lara finds herself at any given moment. When the player’s intentions are clear, like jumping to an obvious ledge, all is fine. But when Lara stands in a cramped spot with too many obstacles she might enter a jumping context animation off a cliff to her death when the ladder nearby would have been preferred. Fortunately learning to time jumps differently takes some frustration away.

While the context-sensitive animations are in need of a tweak, the real enemy of the player in is the camera. It has a mind of its own and doesn't take kindly to being manipulated to benefit the player. In most cases the camera is responsible for many "leaps of faith," an ailment known from old-school side-scrolling platformers. Most failed jumps are due to the camera since directional input is relative to where the camera is looking. The unruly camera adds a hit-or-miss element to the gameplay that becomes infuriating. Fighting with Underworld’s camera is an absolute low-point in the franchise, the likes of which we haven’t seen since launch titles for the 180.

Underworld is not a bad game. It's an awesome brainteaser and Lara goes on a grand adventure that's worth experiencing. Lara herself, apart from her more girl-next-door dimensions, has moved away from the Angelina Jolie stigma by being less gung-ho, more easily angered and remarkably more emotional. Lara is no longer perfect. She has become an individual with a good and a bad side, making her more believable as a lead character - one which the player will want to see more of in the future.

Bottom line - Tomb Raider: Underworld gets a solid 7/10. The lackluster audio and crippling camera hinder the player far too much for the game to be truly amazing. Underworld is not for the easily angered. Beware!

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