I should begin by stating I have a strong bias towards Tomb Raider II Remastered as it lovingly overhauls the first game I picked up with a PlayStation One near the end of 1997. I played it exclusively for months, learning the ins and outs of every level, finding every secret – and all without a memory card that we could only afford the following year alongside a copy of Resident Evil 2! It was an incredible time to get into gaming for the long haul. As a consequence, even if it’s not the best game in the long-running series, Tomb Raider II is by far the most important to me as I associate it with my first real taste of console ownership and starting a video game library.
Returning to it by way of Aspyr’s smart and respectful Tomb Raider II Remastered, I was surprised at how easy it was to sink another 15 hours into completing it yet again. It was never the perfect sequel – losing much of the original’s feeling of oppressive isolation – but I’d argue, on balance, it’s better than the first. It’s a more consistent game when it comes to the quality and flow of levels – at least when they don’t involve burning through ammo and health packs while dealing with hordes of human enemies wielding hit-scan weapons.
By 1997 standards, CORE Design had outdone themselves by doubling the number of locations Lara visits, increasing the sense of scale by including more outdoor spaces, adding more texture variety, more enemies, more weapons, more music, and even a handful of vehicle sections. By 2024 standards, Tomb Raider II feels iterative, built on the same gameplay foundations and even reusing some narrative themes. Hardly a surprise though, given it was developed and released within a year during a very different time in the industry. That said, from the moment you fire up Lara’s iconic mansion training level, it becomes obvious a handful of new mechanics – think zip lines, ladders, and timed switches – will allow for more interesting traversal, puzzling, and combat scenarios.
Lara still uses her rigid, grid-based move-set – based around jumps, grabs, shimmying, and timing – to navigate handcrafted grid-like environment; sort of like navigating a world made of LEGO pieces, in which Lara’s moves correlate to a specific number of blocks in length or height, with no leniency given. The bulk of your time is simply spent figuring out how to get from A to B in one piece, picking up actual keys or key items along the way, and engaging in clunky gunfights while jumping and rolling to either keep auto-aiming at an enemy, or to break their lock on Lara. To encourage exploration, secrets were overhauled with three dragon figurines to find in each level, rewarding you with an early weapon drop or stash of powerful ammunition if you got them all. In contrast to modern third-person action games, many of which have become bloated amalgamations with dozens of half-used mechanics, Tomb Raider II feels refreshingly simple and focussed.
Unfortunately, simplicity does not mean ease-of-play. Despite several patches, the “modern” control scheme offered in these remasters is still awful. It’s so imprecise you’ll spend half your time falling to your doom, while the rest of the time you’ll benefit from climbing assists that undermine Tomb Raider II’s core appeal: mastering Lara’s move-set to skilfully navigate treacherous environments and avoid taking too much damage in combat (particularly from fire sources that can now set you alight). I’d strongly advise you use the tank controls, as while there’s a learning curve, they’re intuitive and function perfectly in games when environments and puzzles are built around them.
What I love most about Tomb Raider II though – even if the basic gameplay loop is much the same as its predecessor – is how it offers both traditional ancient tombs and makes terrifying tombs out of more modern, familiar spaces. And I’m not exaggerating when I say “terrifying”. Much like classic survival-horror games, Lara’s slow and clunky movement makes the sudden appearance of an enemy or trap potentially lethal, while the environments are often designed to ensure missing a grab or a jump is followed by a scream and sickening crunch as Lara hits the ground or something spiky. The difficulty is mitigated somewhat by the ability to save anywhere (and not just in one slot like the original PlayStation version), but Lara’s slow reactions and those dramatic death animations kept the stakes high and my nerves on edge.
That constant fear of a single misstep, coupled with a handful of labyrinthine levels, meant frequent roadblocks for my younger self – yet Tomb Raider II was always compelling enough to pull me back. Lara returns in pursuit of an ancient dagger, rumoured to turn anyone into a powerful dragon if they’re is brave enough to plunge it into their heart. After an exciting opening level takes you both above and below the great Wall of China, Lara discovers the key to the dagger’s tomb was stolen from a Tibetan monastery by fanatical Venetian cultists decades ago. This kicks off a journey that takes her from the canals of Venice, to the sunken wreck of luxury ship 40 fathoms deep, through a monastery in the mountains of Tibet, to the ancient catacombs beneath it, and back to the Tomb of Xian. As with the first game, a mix of stylishin-game and CG cutscenes are used for storytelling, but it’s the prospect exploring new levels that remains the greatest draw.
Tomb Raider II Remastered still offers up some incredible levels, both epic in scale but built around the gameplay mechanics. Bartoli’s Hideout turns an old mansion and library into elaborate platforming sequences with classical music in the background, while the subsequent decrepit Opera House is as terrifying as any ancient tomb. The drilling rig is the world’s most illogical workplace, but this is followed by the wreck of the Maria Doria levels that see Lara enter an overturned section ship through an anchor port; explores upside down engine rooms, corridors, and luxury quarters that have somehow retained a breathable atmosphere; before she enters a massive subterranean cavern housing the prow of the ship and passenger decks. In Tibet, she explores the sprawling Barkhang monastery to find five prayer wheels hidden behind deadly traps, all the while helping the monks fend off Bartoli’s goons and trying not to aggro them by mistake. After that, it’s familiar territory as she explores elaborate frozen catacombs filled with Yeti, before traversing the lava-filled Temple of Xian and faces off against mythical foes.
Now, I still love the elaborate tombs in the first game and would recommend it if you only have time to play one, but it was the relative familiarity of many spaces that made Tomb Raider II so special – especially as it was much easier to immerse myself in a game-world when I was younger. As an adult, I’m still impressed by the tight gameplay and thick atmosphere CORE Design achieved by combining that aforementioned sense of peril with blocky facsimiles of reality, unsettling ambience, and perfectly timed music cues. There are some obvious caveats – like how illogical and out of place most puzzles feel in modern locations, and the vehicle sections are an uncontrollable mess – but I’d never say no to another excuse to explore and master Tomb Raider II’s best levels, and fully intend to do so for another 27 years if I can.
Tomb Raider II Remastered was reviewed on Nintendo Switch using a code provided to gameblur by the publisher. It is also available on PC, Xbox One/Series S|X, and PS4/5.
Tomb Raider II Remastered Retrospective Review
Tomb Raider II Remastered Retrospective ReviewThe Good
- Classic Tomb Raider II gameplay
- Traditional tombs full of terrifying jumps, traps, and deadly creatures
- Several levels that rework familiar, modern spaces into equally perilous tombs
- A smart and respectful remaster that doesn’t compromise the original vision
- Video game preservation!
The Bad
- Classic Tomb Raider II gameplay
- The tank controls have a learning curve and the alternative controls are still terrible
- Gunfights with hit-scan human enemies feel like an exercise in resource management