Tomb Raider I (1996)

Still holds up. Took some work to adapt to the controls, but since there are rarely any time pressure, it didn't felt too bad. And nailing precise jumps felt really good

lara croft gyat 4K

I loved almost every level of this game, due to its intricate level design that encourages exploration and observation, and its linear structure was just what I wanted in a time when it seems like all games, even linear, try to be narratively complex. Many are turned away from this game because of its clunky tank controls and seemingly inconsistent jumping, but I felt as though the difficulty curve and reliance on execution made the platforming feel like a puzzle itself that needs to be mastered, bringing an added layer to gameplay. Playing this game 29 years after its release, which occurred 7 years before my own birth made me think the graphics would be jarring, but it looks really good for 1996, making me think it must've been the best looking game of its time. The animations are fluid, and both the shooting and jumping are very satisfying. The levels often feel like a metroid-vania, with branching pathways and several unknowns, but almost always conclude with the satisfaction that all obstacles have been resolved, and the level has been conquered by the player. I've noticed a lot of unanimous online criticism regarding the entire final 60% of the game, which confuses me. Some of my favorite levels were toward the end, but I'm very glad I stayed away from the internet during most of my playthrough, as I was able to enjoy the game without a bunch of people telling me what to think. That being said, the story is lackluster(not necessarily a flaw IMO), the camera can be very frustrating, and the last two levels were surprisingly underwhelming. I had a great time with everything leading up to, and even certain elements within these final two, but it seems glaringly obvious to me that this final section was either designed by someone else, or they hit a creative rough patch. These levels sometimes try to do things that don't quite work, while the rest of the game feels playtested to be linear and non-linear at the same time, as if the player is always where they're supposed to be. In the penultimate level, I entered one door to a certain chamber, but it looked as if I could jump to the platform in front of the second door from just outside the first. Sure enough, I made this jump with ease, and was met with an invisible wall covering the entrance to the aforementioned chamber, as if I was not supposed to be on this side. Moving away from the door, I arrived at a switch after a few jumps, which opened the progressive exit through the chamber. As I was leaving the area through this exit, I noticed an unreachable switch on a wall that I never used, making me start to think I did the area an unintended way. I died with little resistance shortly after, as I was curious to see what I missed. Upon returning to the chamber, I noticed that I was supposed to climb up to the switch, which would become unavailable after uncovering the exit. This opened the door with the previous invisible wall, allowing me to use the intended method of progressing through this section. This problem had never occurred throughout the game previously, so it was disappointing to find a very accessible method of cheesing a "puzzle." The final two levels are very simple with this being the only "puzzle," and the game spends way too much time after the climax, which weakens the weight of the plot in the end. The continued platforming and exploring after the final showdown is like if you were to fight the giant final boss monster in Resident Evil, only to continue collecting keys and solving puzzles for 40 minutes afterward. I know I spent way too much time describing the ending, but the whole rest of the game is fantastic, so it feels very odd all of a sudden. Overall, the amount of enjoyment I got from this 29 year old game is a testament to how great it is, and it should not be seen as just an influential game, but simply as a great video game, because the controls and mechanics often feel like stylistic choices rather than technical limitations of the time.

Come for the triangles, stay for Crofts uncanny ability to swan dive into oblivion and moon walk off cliffs.

Kinda good, kinda rough. If you wanna see where TR started from.

A Classic after the Books

Good game. Controls very different from most games but works really well.

my mom and i got a controller to play this game together. i havent uninstalled it ever since. its not a waste of space

Once you figure out the controls, this game brings that simple joy of gaming that I often miss from modern titles.

Grew up playing this game and will always highly recommend others play

The first Tomb Raider is where it all began, and it’s a must-play for anyone who loves the series or wants to experience a piece of gaming history. As the first game in one of my favorite franchises, it delivers an unforgettable mix of adventure, exploration, and puzzle-solving. A True Classic.

classic 90's video game boobs

Great classic game. Everyone should play it.

https://youtu.be/33rQcvCkH7Q

Thirty years later this PC title struggles to launch on modern hardware.

Habiendo el recopilatorio de los rework/remake de los tres primeros, esto ya no merece la pena ni de oferta!

crashes and fucks with my display settings when i try to play it in fullscreen

Tomb Raider Review

Overall Rating: 10/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Graphics: 2/10
Story: 7.3/10
Music and Sound: 10/10
Personal enjoyment: 10/10

Released in 1996, the original Tomb Raider revolutionized the gaming landscape and gave birth to one of the most iconic characters in video game history: Lara Croft. With its blend of action-adventure, platforming, and puzzle-solving, this game laid the groundwork for countless successors and left an undeniable mark on the gaming industry.

To this day, this game is still so much fun to play, you are given the ability to perform cool acrobatic moves, shoot enemies, and solve puzzles as the iconic Miss Croft herself. You control Lara Croft in a fully 3D environment, which was a novelty at the time. The game challenges players with complex and intricate puzzles that can take you hours to solve, and yet solving them feels satisfying and rewarding and truly makes you feel accomplished for solving them. The sense of exploration, coupled with the excitement of discovering ancient tombs and relics, without a doubt kept me engaged for hours.

The game has definitely shown it's age a bit in the last 29 years, for example the graphics are pretty rough by modern standards, the game features tank controls which will take quite a while to get used to, and it's easy to get lost in the large, maze-like level design, but it's all part of the charm of this game and what makes it such a memorable experience. Personally, I will forever hold Tomb raider close to my heart for not just being such an amazing game, but for creating the game franchise that I grew up with and helped me through some tough times by always being a series of games that I could hop onto and forget about my issues. Even if you are a more modern gamer who has trouble getting into older games, I highly recommend Tomb Raider regardless just to try it out, though, I suggest getting the remaster over the originals!

Tomb raider

The game that started it all.. and what a series of games it is.. 10/10 brilliant.

Played this on steam using TR1X, an open-source rebuilding of the game engine (for modern day OS support), they do a great job there you should definitely check that out, it brings natural controller support, visual updates, performance fixes, native linux builds, and more, a great project worth checking out, and its easy to install (drag and drop) to boot!!

Github - LostArtefacts - TRX

Classic of adventure games!

good game

While a classic game I can't really recommend this version. It doesn't run well out of the box and requires a little tinkering. Buy the remaster or the GOG version with the HD patch. This will do in a pinch on a stellar sale or if you want to keep your games in one place.

Great game!

In the beggining I was about to give this game a thumbs down, but it grew on me over some time. It actually has some interesting levels and puzzles, also controls are painful, but I like how much freedom over your actions they give to you. My only serious complaint is the combat, which is awkward and the OST, which is fine, but there are too little of it, and I already hate some songs, cause how often they played. Main theme is amazing though.

6/10.

Ignore Playtime, I used TombATI which bypassed steam

Tomb Raider 1 is an enjoyable classic, containing a good mix of puzzles, adventure, and action. There are plenty of secrets to find, and the graphics, while dated, are perfectly fine, as everything
has a distinct look. Each level can vary in the amount of time it takes. I usually averaged around 40-60 minutes as I often took time investigating many nooks for health or ammo. The game runs okay out of the box. Still, I recommend TombATI, which adds some nice quality of life, such as resolution changes. The only other modification I made was using the PlayStation cutscenes instead of the default ones, as they are less compressed. Note I did need to download some codecs for it to work.

I can easily recommend TR1 to anyone, though there is a remaster for people who prefer modern controls and updated graphics.

GENERAL TIPS
- Do not trust the game; there are many traps.
- The movement uses a grid-based system; experiment at the start of the game to grasp the distance required for run-up jumps and similar actions.
- I recommend using shift+movement when on pillars and similar to start, as a way to minimize falling.
- CTRL + down arrow (hold CTRL) is how you hang off ledges
- The camera can be tricky. Having your weapons drawn will tip you off to enemies that you may not be able to see while the camera catches up

DEFAULT CONTROLS
CTRL = action (climbing, grabbing, interaction, shooting and that sort of thing)
ALT = Jump (use in combination with arrow keys to effectively dodge and leap in different directions)
SPACE = Draw/Holster Weapon
ARROW KEYS = Movement
DEL = Shift left
PGDN = Shift right
END = Roll and face opposite direction

Ahead of it's time is the best way to put it. Age has hit it hard, but this was a pioneer.

First Tomb Raider, I need to say the best because of all the memories from the 1996. This game was first of its class.

A classic that didn't age that well... perhaps you should listen to other pplz advice and check the remastered version instead.

Like driving a Tank with two very large ballistic missiles pointed toward things like Bears and Tigers.

nice ass

I love this game!

Terrible control for today's standard, tried hard to go on this one but felt terrible.

+ can softlock
+ can unintentionally skip half of the level
+ cutscenes don't work
+ janky controls and camera
+ unforgetable experience
it's all there

Its a good old game but the controls suck
Buts its tomb raider 1 so its not a bad game and there are blocky boobies

great game ahead of its time

I do recommend this, because it's fun, but with a big caveat. This game has a lot of platforming and it uses tank controls. It is not very easy to get into if you're used to modern games. But if you have the patience to get used to the controls the game is a ton of fun!

Great game, a true wonderful classic.

I see they have time to remaster these games, but... why not give us controller support? I get the nostalgia value, yes, leave them keybinds alone for those who want it, just tack on some idk... maybe the controls from like OpenLara.

I love a girl who knows how to raid a tomb or two.

Good game. but this is unplayable.

The music, the atmosphere, the nostalgia ! Lara can grab a ledge .

Don't bother with this one.
Buy the remake "tomb raider: anniversary" which is the same game, but better everything and with mouse control too.

buy the remastered cos the originals have awful controls

(I would recommend getting the remaster instead of this version. Even though it still runs well, there are some minor bugs)

I'm going to be honest and say that I am biased as this was one of the first games I ever played (around 20 years ago), and the first game I ever owned, but I’ll try to be as objective as I can. I played it now again for a personal project where I play all the Tomb Raider games in order. This review is written after I finished Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

Let’s start with the obvious. The game is old and there wasn’t any standard for how a game should control back then. They added a few well-needed additions to the movements in the sequels, but we’re not talking about them right now. The game was designed around how Lara (the character that made you like women) controls. So because of this it never feels like the tank controls hinders you in any way. Well except in one case, but we’ll get there later.

To play this game today, you almost have to remap the keybindings or play with a controller (Recommended, but you have to use something like Xinput).
But when you get an understanding of the controls, there’s nothing else like it. Because of how the levels are set up, you always know if you can or cannot make a jump.
This game also doesn’t help you like newer games. You pressed the buttons, you made the jump. There wasn’t any magical magnet that pulled you to the edge or anything like that. You did it yourself and should be proud. Especially as some of the secrets require some very precise movement.

The level design (most of the time) feels very natural. I personally really like that, but because of this it’s really easy to get lost. There’s no goblin that goes in before you and paint random spots yellow to show you where to go. Even the puzzles will not always be obvious. Sometimes you have to stop and look around to see if anything looks out of place or if you missed something. There’s no shame in looking up hints online if you really get stuck (but it won’t feel as nice, Kevin).

As you might understand, this is a platforming and puzzle game first and foremost. But, there’s also combat and it’s... ok? This is where the tank controls really shows it’s ugly side. It’s very obvious that the combat isn’t the main focus. It’s there to give you some variety and nothing else. It’s clunky and you’ll just try to get through it as fast as possible. That’s all I have to say about the combat 😊

Honestly, I could talk for hours why I love this game and it will never do it any justice. If you feel even a little bit interested, just play it. Just remember that it won’t hold your hand, so save often.

Honestly, I forgot how janky this game is. I'm sure it was great at the time, but it just feels like there are so many things wrong with this, and I'm not referring to the visuals. If you want to play this, then I recommend Tomb Raider: Anniversary.

Some classic games have a bad time on Steam but this isn't one of them. Runs with no issues whatsoever.

Recommended if you're a masochist...

Solid one, it's not the strongest in terms of story but the rest of the game really compensates everything. Since it's an old game the controls are a bit hard to figure out at first but once you get the hang of it, it becomes pretty easy. Not the game tho, this one is hard and I mean it it's one the hardest games i've ever played.

BUY THE REMASTERED VERSION THO.

I thought about skipping the first parts of the Tomb Raider franchise, because they were too old and I wouldn’t get used to them. And then I thought, maybe I wouldn’t understand the story line or I’d miss the first impressions of the franchise, so I bought all the parts of Tomb Raider... And I didn’t regret it. At first, it took me a long time to get used to the controls of this old game, because, firstly the game didn’t have WASD controls by default, I had to set them up manually; secondly there’s no mouse movement of the camera. But then I got used to it. The gameplay and music were a lot of fun, a great feeling. I also liked the graphics, considering that they are 2.5D, and the game is from 1996. But I didn’t understand the plot. I’m glad that my acquaintance with the franchise started off great!

How can I adjust the video settings for maximum resolution and widescreen?

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