Lara Croft Go Review

Lara Croft has been a part of the gaming universe for 20 years, running from T-rex and raiding tombs. Now after the release of Rise of the Tomb Raider on the 20th anniversary, we have been treated to a new look at the skilled adventurer as we take on the turn based puzzle venture filled with peril. With a strong release on IOS and Android in 2015 the game was brought to Vita, PC and PS4 in late 2016.

You are greeted with a quirky menu screen allowing you to see the treasures you acquire on your travels, change Lara’s outfits to some of her most well-known as well as a cameo from some of the other big Square Enix titles. This new mystic world of adventure is revealed to you through simpler puzzles allowing you to get acquainted with the controls while you find collectables on you journey into the depths.

Lara Croft Go is a turn based puzzle game, there is a pattern laid out on the floor denoting the area in which you are able to traverse. With tiles that disappear and the local snakes, spiders and lizards looking to dampen your treasure hunt, you need to always think one step ahead for yourself when it comes to the native wildlife. Each puzzle is more complex than the last needing you to think of even more fiendish solutions on your adventure. As you progress from level to level you are getting closer and closer to the pot of gold at the end of the proverbial rainbow.

Lara Croft Go is made up of 115 different puzzles split over 7 different chapters giving you a wealth of gameplay. One of the things I find so great about the game is the replayability, it’s something that I bang on about in every review I’ve written but with Lara Croft Go I’ve already found myself going back to previous puzzles to collect anything I’ve missed. You won’t take too long to finish Lara Croft Go but you will find yourself replaying it over and over. One feature that I think was a smart addition to the game was the ability to reset the game, it’s option in the settings at the start menu and it allows you to completely restart the game, all the collectibles will be available in each level. This makes for a great way to continue enjoying the game, it’s also handy for those times you have friends round and you want to show them what they are missing out on.

Don’t go into Lara Croft Go expecting the same stellar graphics from its AAA bigger sister. Lara Croft Go utilises a modern take on the graphic capabilities of the tomb raider’s early outings, the simplistic graphics in no way degrade the game in any way, in my personal opinion I feel it adds to the whole experience. In a period in which a lot of games are being remastered or remade, to allow us to relive the best parts of our younger lives as adults we see these games looking amazing but we also remember them looking better than they actually did. We remember the games of our past though retro tinted spectacles (stay with me there is a point coming I promise) and to me Lara Croft is exactly that, it looks exactly like Tomb Raider I remember from when I was a young gamer. Square Enix have made a modern game with retro tinted graphics.

The soothing soundtrack is more than needed while you are racking your brains to find out where you’ve gone wrong and what you need to do next, it’s a guiding light in the turn based temple as you run from puzzle to puzzle collecting treasure evading what can only be assumed is the guardian of this sacred place. If you wish to listen to the soundtrack outside of the game the Lara Croft Go team have assembled the soundtrack on Soundcloud or you can listen on the Lara Croft Go Website, here.

Lara Croft GO is a must for anyone who is a lover of the Tomb Raider franchise. With Lara’s movements from the original games coming to life once more (none more apparent than the slow ledge balance handstand thing) it’s nostalgia in-game form. As I write this now I find myself playing the game, I’ve thought of a solution to a puzzle I was stuck on and I just had to see if it worked. Lara Croft Go has so much appeal for such a small game and with the dangling carrot that is a platinum trophy right there ready to be grabbed you will find yourself spending more and more time with Lara as you too try to collect the ultimate shiny object.

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary Sony Playstation 4 code was provided to Brash Games for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to editor@brashgames.co.uk.