It was only a year ago that Eidos Interactive released
Tomb Raider, a game that had such innovative flare that it
defined its publisher as a formidable force in the gaming
industry. With its cavernous 3D environments and
charismatic protagonist - a hip English jet-setter named
Lara Croft - Tomb Raider pioneered new territory in
gaming. But can Tomb Raider II, which seldom strays from
the original formula, stand up to the new generation of
action games on the shelf? Definitely.
Taking its cue from the previous game, Tomb Raider II sees
Croft becoming embroiled in a brand new globe-trotting
hunt for treasure. Again, levels are lushly appointed with
colorful textures, taking you on a visual voyage from the
waterways of Venice to eerie subterranean catacombs, this
time in search of the Dagger of Xian, a relic that
supposedly bestows great power upon its bearer.
Once again, plot has little bearing on the Tomb Raider
experience. Most of Lara's activities still consist of
finding a key to open a door to find another key, with a
lot of puzzle solving in between. For example, in one
level a switch is thrown and a door opens in another part
of the level. When the door is finally reached, it's shut.
Solution: Drive a speedboat up to the door as soon as the
switch is thrown. There are also a host of "timed" traps,
where Lara will find herself having to charge desperately
through a labyrinth of encroaching spikes and collapsing
floors when she least expects it. It's the process of
finding the key, of getting to that particular door that
just opened, that makes Tomb Raider II a truly engaging
adventure.
Complaints about the
original, such as the tedium of levels and Lara's
sometimes erratic control, have definitely been addressed
in the sequel. Basic moves such as running leaps and grabs
are slightly easier to perform with the new and improved
heroine. Most importantly, this helps the levels stay
interesting. From the very beginning, each trap or
physical obstacle poses an extreme challenge, forcing you
to control Lara with the utmost adeptness. More often than
not, getting Ms. Croft from one ledge to another requires
that two or more specific moves are executed in series.
Performing a Hail-Mary leap only to cling successfully to
a far-away wall; figuring out how to execute that perfect
double-gainer back flip to get around a seemingly
impassable trap: These kind of activities become the most
rewarding part of playing the game.
Apart from being larger, the levels in Tomb Raider II are
also more geographically interesting. Lara is
exaggeratedly dwarfed in her surroundings, scaling the
enormous walls of a gangster hideout's vestibule during
one adventure, swinging from balcony to balcony in a
surrealistically proportioned opera house during another.
When dropped into these extremely spacious environments,
Lara becomes a sort of modern Alice in Wonderland with you
ultimately acting as guide. Featuring 18 massive levels,
it's probably safe to say that Tomb Raider II represents
more of an adventure than Alice ever had.
Tomb Raider was all about looks, and Tomb Raider II
continues that trend. When running the game with a 3Dfx
card, it's often tempting to simply sit back and take in
the view. Combining breathtaking landscapes, fluid,
Disney-like character animation, and (most importantly) a
nicely balanced procession of obstacles, traps, and
puzzles, Tomb Raider II is an excellent continuation to
the Lara Croft saga!!