Review: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

It's been years and years now since my first Tomb Raider game. It was excellent. One of my fondest gaming memories is taking the motorboat around the Venice channels, running over gondolas and shooting bad guys. Games weren't a very well developed medium back then, and you could largely get away with anything story wise.

The years went by, and many more Tomb Raider titles were released. But as the gaming world around them caught on, developed their franchises and generally improved, the Tomb Raider games were strictly "paying tribute" to earlier times. After a few years of playing catch- up to more developed franchises, the company now holding the licece did the only sensible thing, and did something completely new.

This is where Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light comes in. The game is an isometric- 3D inspired coop stick- shooter released for PSN, XBOX live marketplace, and PC. It's a good 5 our playthrough for 10 bucks, and I guarantee you that you'll have fun from start to finish

The game consists of largely two elements. Puzzles and gun- combat. These are mixed up, so that sometimes you'll be under pressure when doing the thinking, and sometimes the enemies can be a right puzzle.
 For those of you who hates puzzles, the harder ones are put in special crypts that you can choose to enter. There is always a price for those of you willing to try your mettle at some of the more difficult puzzles. And for those of you who love to go in guns blazing, or roll through the level with incredible speed, there are treasures in wait for you too.

Despite some puzzle areas being optional, the game is excellently paced. Both in minute to minute play, and in the change of tasks and scenery. The game takes you through multiple variants of the "dungeon setting" and throws in some more open spaces for good measure. A problem one often encounters with the "dungeon to dungeon" game design, is that to create variation the developer gives you some small trinket with a few gameplay elements tucked onto it, which you then overuse for that dungeon, and then forget.
Instead you learn all your tricks within the first five minutes of Lara Croft, and then spend the rest of the game combining these in new ways. This is very demanding for the level developers, because they have to make sure they introduce new concepts slowly, and at the same time make sure everything stays interesting.

Even though you basically use the same skills as in the beginning of the game, by the end of Lara Croft, you'll be rolling, tossing bombs and changing weapons on the fly without even noticing. And when you look back at that first noob hour you'll be laughing your younger self in the face for his puny skills. That is, if he was there. (Why not invite a friend over).

If there is anything negative to say about LCTHEGOL, it is that the music is somewhat generic, and the story virtually inexistent. However, many would view this as a plus, as lengthy exposition is much frawned upon in certain gamer- circles.

The puzzles work nicely both when you play in single player and with a friend. But sharing the gameplay experience with someone witty and generally likable is in order of magnitude more fun.

Now we'll just have to wait and see if this game gets the ultimate sign of approval. An extencive speed run community.

Verdict: Buy