Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft Review Summary

Excellent remaster of the first three Tomb Raider games with dual controls, but the latest update breaks them and AI outfits disappoint, so wait for fixes.

Excellent remaster quality praised: Many reviewers appreciate the high-quality remaster, noting that it respects the originals and provides a faithful experience. The remastered visuals are frequently described as beautiful and well-executed.

Graphics toggle feature loved: The ability to instantly switch between classic and remastered graphics is a standout feature, praised for its nostalgia and flexibility. This option is available at any time, even during gameplay.

Improved graphics and visuals: The remastered graphics are a significant upgrade, with better lighting, effects, and overall visual quality. Many find the updated look gorgeous and a major improvement over the originals.

Classic tank controls preserved: The original tank controls are retained, which veterans appreciate for their familiarity and suitability. They are well-tuned for modern hardware and still feel appropriate.

Includes all expansions: The collection includes the three main campaigns plus expansions like Unfinished Business, The Golden Mask, and The Lost Artifact. Many of these were previously only available on PC.

Latest update breaks games: The most recent patch has rendered the games unplayable, causing widespread glitches and game-breaking bugs. Players report that a previously functional game is now completely broken, with minimal quality control.

AI-generated outfits criticized: New outfits added in updates appear to be AI-generated and are widely criticized for their low quality, blurry textures, and poor design. Many players find them worse than community mods and refer to them as 'AI slop'.

Update introduces many bugs: The latest patch added a large number of new bugs and severe issues, making the game worse overall. Players note that the update implemented more bugs than improvements.

Challenge Mode update problematic: The Challenge Mode update introduced a mode that does not fit the game and is riddled with bugs that break the experience. It also added poor-quality, out-of-place outfits that further detract from the game.

Bugs remain after patches: Despite repeated updates, many bugs persist or new ones are introduced, leaving the games in a broken state. Players report that the games are still unplayable or require further fixes.

Dual control schemes available: Players can choose between classic tank controls and modern control layouts, switchable in settings. This option is widely praised for accommodating both veteran and new players.

Includes first three Tomb Raider games: The collection bundles remastered versions of Tomb Raider I, II, and III along with their expansion packs. Many reviews emphasize the value of having all three classic titles in one package.

Toggle between classic and remastered graphics: The remaster allows instant switching between original retro visuals and updated graphics with a single button press. This feature is frequently highlighted as a key enhancement.

Precise platforming requires calculated jumps: Platforming sections demand careful lining up of movements, timed jumps, and ledge grabs. This precision-based design is a hallmark of the classic Tomb Raider experience.

Challenge Mode added via update: A challenge mode was introduced in a post-launch patch, offering new gameplay variations and rewards. This addition extends replayability for dedicated players.

Positive Performance Feedback: Many users report the game is optimized, loads fast, and runs beautifully and smoothly on PC, with low hardware requirements.

30 FPS Cap in Original Mode: The original graphics mode is locked at 30 FPS by default, which some find limiting. However, the cap can be removed in the options menu.

Steam Deck Performance Excellent: Multiple users report that the game runs perfectly on Steam Deck with good performance and battery life. This is a strong positive point for portable play.

Crashes and Softlocks: Players experience random crashes, softlocks, and game crashing in various situations, including the Steam version.

Audio Issues: Players report occasional music skipping, soundtrack cutouts when finding secrets, and music playing when it shouldn't.

Wait Until Bugs Are Fixed: A significant number of players advise not buying the game until the developers fix the issues introduced by recent patches. The consensus is to wait for a rollback or comprehensive fix.

Classic Tomb Raider Nostalgia Appeal: Fans of the classic Tomb Raider era and long-time franchise followers find these games highly nostalgic and worth playing. The remaster is particularly recommended for those wanting to relive or experience the original adventures.

Avoid Purchase Due to Issues: Many reviewers warn against buying the game due to unresolved bugs and problems. The recommendation is to not purchase it in its current state.

Good Remaster Quality: The remaster is widely praised for its quality and is recommended for anyone wanting to experience the classics. Overall, players express satisfaction and strongly recommend it to fans of the originals.

Must-Play Classic: Many consider this a must-play classic that everyone should experience at least once. It is strongly recommended for playing through.

Community fair range: $15.00 - $25.00.

Game completion: 155.0h.

Story completion: 60.0h.

Session length: 3.0h.

Endgame: 12.0h.

Players report that the remaster is a slog to control at first, largely because the Lara's Home tutorial only covers the classic tank controls and leaves modern-control actions undocumented. Once the controls click for the player, the games become engaging and enjoyable, though some players never get past the curve and a few report the later pacing becoming tedious.

Reported time to anchor: 3h.

Nostalgic Original Trilogy Veteran: Toggles between original and remastered graphics, uses classic tank controls or modern scheme as preferred, plays the games in order, and appreciates the faithful recreation of the 90s experience. Motivation: To relive childhood memories and revisit the classic Tomb Raider levels with updated visuals while still enjoying the familiar feel of the originals. Stance: buy.

Curious Newcomer Exploring Gaming History: Uses remastered graphics and modern controls to ease into the older design, often plays in order, may use guides, and approaches the games as a piece of game design history. Motivation: To experience the classic Tomb Raider games for the first time and understand their historical importance or connect them to the newer entries. Stance: buy.

Disillusioned Purist Critic: Avoids the remaster entirely, plays the original releases with mods or launchers like TRX, and focuses on faithful gameplay and atmosphere over modernized visuals. Motivation: To preserve the original artistic intent and hold developers accountable, refusing to support what they see as a botched remaster. Stance: no buy.

Across the four Windows VRAM cohorts, higher-VRAM systems report smooth, stable performance, while the under-8GB VRAM cohort is dominated by severe frame-rate drops and input lag.

Windows <8GB VRAM: negative. This cohort mostly reports serious problems, including random input lag and frame-rate spikes dropping as low as 8fps, with only one reviewer able to mitigate stutter via a launch option.

Windows 12-15GB VRAM: positive. Reviewers here report solid performance, playing at 60fps in the remastered graphics mode with improved resolution, though the original visuals stay capped at 30fps.

Windows 8-11GB VRAM: positive. This cohort generally reports the game running well at the monitor's max refresh rate with remastered visuals, with the only recurring caveat being the 30fps cap in classic mode.

Steam Deck: The game runs seamlessly on Steam Deck with excellent performance, battery life, and out-of-the-box Linux compatibility. Users report no need for special Proton configurations or external launchers. However, there is a minor technical limitation where classic graphics are capped at 30fps and require modding for 60fps. Control scheme complaints (both tank and modern) are prevalent but are gameplay-related rather than a Steam Deck-specific technical barrier. Overall friction is low.

Linux and Proton: The Linux/Proton compatibility for this game is overwhelmingly positive. Users report it works out of the box without special Proton configurations, and others experience flawless performance with Proton-GE or Proton 9. A single note about an Nvidia driver tweak is not explicitly tied to Linux and does not indicate a widespread issue. No crashes, anti-cheat, or launch failures were reported. The consensus is that the game runs well on Linux and SteamOS.

External guides: The audit of classic Tomb Raider reviews shows a dominant external-data dependency centered on getting unstuck. Users repeatedly mention walkthroughs, guides, and walkthrough videos because level navigation, climb/jump cues, and general direction are unclear or punishing. There is no evidence of farming, drop rates, loot tables, inventory management, crafting requirements, quest outcomes, build guides, secrets, or explicit mechanics learning as the primary barrier. The main complaint is spatial navigation and progression, so the default Tier 4 classification applies.

Includes first three Tomb Raider games: The collection compiles Tomb Raider I, II, and III along with their original expansion packs. Many reviewers highlight that all three classic games and add-ons are bundled together.

Remastered by Aspyr: Aspyr is consistently credited as the developer or publisher handling the remaster. Some note that Crystal Dynamics is also involved.

Remaster, not remake: Reviewers emphasize that this is a faithful remaster with improved graphics and controls, rather than a full remake or reimagining.

Challenge mode added in update: A post-launch update introduced a Challenge Mode with arcade-style conditions. This adds new gameplay experiences for players.

Option to toggle classic graphics: Players can switch between original and remastered graphics at any time. This feature is widely praised as a boon for preservation and nostalgia.