Tomb Raider: Chronicles

aka: TR 5, TRC, Tomb Raider 5: Chronicles, Tomb Raider Chronicles: La leggenda di Lara Croft, Tomb Raider V, Tomb Raider: Die Chronik, Tomb Raider: Sur les traces de Lara Croft
Moby ID: 2969

Windows version

Buggy unoriginal sequel

The Good
I liked the idea of making a sort of intermission between Lara's latest epic adventure and her next one. This game chronicles some of her most challenging adventures as told by her closest friends (and played by you) while in the Egyptian desert Von Croy searches for answers and for the body of the presumed dead Lara Croft, his arch enemy.

This installment is short and fast, and while the formula and the gameplay aren't very original I give the game this: it's not boring. Like all TR games, the fun is by default.

The game looks good. The graphics and models are nice. The movie sequences are incredibly well done. The missions and characters found have versatility. The game also has some of the toughest and most cleverly made TR levels ever with some cool creative ideas applied in the designs (specially in her latest mission).

The Bad
It's not very original, the engine is the same, the weapons are the same as in the previous games (well, it does have some new toy but it isn't much). Some levels are just too basic and lame.

But the worst part are the bugs. The PC version is known for having bugs that can make the game impossible to complete. In the last level (which is also the hardest) if you save your game in certain points some items and enemies may disappear or some events will not be triggered.

Some puzzles are very obscure (like in the previous game) and some key items are very well hidden. More than challenging, this game can be annoying and frustrating. I personally don't like to use walkthroughs, but the bugs and the stupid puzzles can make this game really difficult without one.

The Bottom Line
An uneven unoriginal sequel with some serious problems. Play it if you already played the previous games and if you are a fan of the series. I don't recommend it to newcomers.

by Czar Husk Qi (27) on July 28, 2008

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