Eidos is ready to unravel their next entry in the Tomb Raider series in the form of Tomb Raider: Underworld. While the popularity of the series has waned in the last half of this decade, the quality of the titles has not. Tomb Raider: Legend was widely successful and Tomb Raider: Anniversary was a great remake of the original – so when Eidos announced the eighth title of the series, ambitions arose of what could come from Crystal Dynamics’ third Tomb Raider game. Underworld does what most other Tomb Raider titles in the past decade could not; drive the player to finish the game and to explore as much as possible during their time in the game world.
Starting off in Thailand, players will dive right into the deep blue sea as Lara in search for an ancient temple that she believes is linked to Viking lore. After swimming around the ocean that has a few sharks lurking, players will find a ledge to climb up onto and begin their platforming/exploration adventure. This is where Underworld shines, the platforming is absolutely worthy of the Tomb Raider title. Players will be able to jump back and forth between two pillars to get to a higher location. Matter of fact, it’s all here; rock climbing, jumping from ledge to ledge, balancing on beams, swimming, and so much more that’ll tinkle your fancy. The Indiana Jones style adventure is actually quite interesting, with a story that will keep you interested up unto the last minute of action. Tomb Raider: Underworld’s story will steer Lara Croft into multiple different environments, each having it’s own unique feel (beach, jungle, snow, and dirt).
One portion of the gameplay that didn’t strike me as remarkable was the gunplay. The only enemies you’ll encounter throughout the demo happen to be large Bengal tigers. Sure there are spiders and birds that do their best to annoy you, but they aren’t anything too difficult to take down. Players can dual wield and even execute head shots, but for the most part, it isn’t as strategic or tactical as it could be. To perform a headshot, players have to get close to their target and press the X button after filling up their adrenaline meter. After pressing the X button, Lara jumps on the tiger’s head, performs a backflip and then fires a shot into the tiger’s skull. Not only is it unnecessary, but the majority of the time I missed and lost the opportunity for a headshot.
The graphics of Tomb Raider: Underworld are a mixed bag with a gorgeous ocean to explore, lush environments full of foliage and mediocre models. What bothered me were the Bengal tigers that looked like Saber-toothed tigers – their art design was not to my liking. The new design for Lara wasn’t half bad; though it’ll take some time to adjust to. Lara now sports a dark halter-top with black shorts (outfits do change throughout the game) and a ponytail rather than her traditional blue top, khaki shorts and braids. If there’s one thing to take away from Underworld as impressive, it would be the animations – they’re smooth and sleek.
The puzzle solving elements in Tomb Raider: Underworld aren’t as tough as nails, at least at the beginning, but there’ll be times when you are left scratching your head on what to do next. Luckily the developers included a little hint system to help you when you’re stuck. Never once did I want to quit playing as each exploration is more fun than the one before. Overall, Tomb Raider: Underworld is an exotic game that offers an adventure of a lifetime, right on par with the Playstation 3 exclusive Uncharted. What other game would you be in search for Thor’s Hammer? Don’t let Tomb Raider: Underworld go under your radar, there is plenty of things to do with Miss Lara; including a future promise of exclusive downloadable content for the Xbox 360.
