Review: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

Crystal Dynamics first entry into digital games makes Lara Croft relevant once again.

Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Publisher: Square-Enix
Platforms: X360/PS3/PC

Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider franchise have been around for what seems ages now. Much like Mario, Sonic and Master Chief, at one time Lara Croft was a video game icon that had star power second to none. Today, she’s no where near as big as she once was due to the dreadful PS2 days, but thanks to Crystal Dynamics they’ve managed to bring a bit of lime-light back to old Lara and her tomb raiding ways.

Square-Enix, now owner of the Tomb Raider IP have made no qualms about their intentions to bring Lara and the Tomb Raider franchise back to the forefront and Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is their first toe dip back into that big next-gen pool of trying to make Lara relevant again.

First of all this isn’t a Tomb Raider game. It’s in the title alone, this is Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. Yes, there are tombs to raid, plenty of them too but first and foremost this isn’t your traditional Tomb Raider game and it benefits for it. 

Guardian of Light is a top-down arcadey, Diablo like action game. You’ll collect weapons, loot tombs, solve complex puzzles and find relics that will give Lara some seriously powerful combat upgrades. All of this at times resembles something more akin to a top-down action/rpg than to any game that would have Lara associated with it, but there in lies the genius of it all. Even with all of the action, puzzles and completely different camera perspective it still feels like a Tomb Raider title, just one that’s actually… dare I say… fun.

I’ve never been fond of the Tomb Raider franchises combat. It’s always been dull, boring and just plain dreadful. Tomb Raider was a franchise I always believed would have evolved into something like Naughty Dog’s Uncharted, but never did. Now I’m no magical mystic that can see into the future, and who know’s what Crystal Dynamics has planned for Lara’s big full retail next-gen title but if Guardian of Light is any indication than for once Lara may be able to fend off more than a rabid bear.

Lara is fast, responsive and looks visually great battling monsters and solving puzzles in Guardian of Light. My one true gripe is that Guardian of Light is designed for co-op, yet wasn’t ready for launch. Like showing up to the prom with no date, Lara is ready for co-op action everywhere you look with the titular Guardian of Light - yet there’s no co-op partner to be found. Crystal Dynamics announced a week before launch of the title on XBLA that online co-op wasn’t going to be ready for release day and that only couch co-op worked; which in these days might as well mean no co-op at all.

Crystal Dynamics have promised that a patch will be ready in time for its September 28th release on Steam and PSN. But let’s be honest, by that time most of us will have moved on to other titles. 

Even with it’s half-baked co-op out the door, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is an incredibly addictive and thoroughly enjoyable digital title. And charmingly enough, one of the best games to feature Miss Croft in quite some time. If anything it gives me hope that Lara is finally in capable hands… let’s just hope that her next truly big next-gen outing is just as enjoyable. 

 By: Michael Torres