Introduction

Released in 2006, Tomb Raider Legend is the seventh game of the series. After the poor reception and general lack of interest generated by the previous title, Angel of Darkness, it was decided the IP needed a fresh start. First, reins were handed to a new developer. Second, Lara Croft's history was retconned and went from being only a blurb in the manual to featuring prominently in the plot. Finally, the game mechanics were reinvented to be more modern and streamlined. Most notably, the various moves allow for a lot of leeway which leaves the player free to fluidly move through a level instead of having to constantly worry about being optimal. The bottomless inventory is gone -- only 3 health packs, one secondary weapon and a limited amount of ammo can be carried at once. The game works on a checkpoint system to save progress through a level. There's significantly more combat than in previous titles. The puzzles are a lot more straightforward and more care is given to room layout and visuals. It's a pretty game that plays well, but it's not very long nor very hard.

What is Tomb Raider? Third person action/adventure with a focus on exploration, puzzle solving and the occasional (frequent in Legend's case) shooting of things. The artifacts Lara is after are always supernatural or ancient high-tech in nature, as are many of the enemies encountered. It's like Indiana Jones but with crazier shit going on.

Why start with #7? New developer, new canon, no need to know anything about the previous games to get into this one. It might as well be the first Tomb Raider ever. It's also the first part of a trilogy and it's modern and looks pretty.

Videos

• Intro
• Bolivia - Anaya telephoned today. She heard a rumor about an ancient temple in Bolivia that contains an ornate stone dais. It could be the one I'm looking for. I'm setting out first thing in the morning.
• Peru (part 1) (part 2) - Rutland implied a connection between the stone dais and the ruin near Paraíso. I hope Anaya will meet me there despite it all. We may not find anything besides a dozen corpses, Amanda's among them, but I have to know for certain.
• Japan - I haven't seen Takamoto in a long time. I doubt he misses me after our last meeting. If he still has the artifact, however, he'll lose more than face Sunday night.
• Ghana - The coordinates Zip provided are deep in the Ghana rainforest. I don't know what Rutland is after, but I'm sure he keeps that artifact close to him. I'll have to convince him to part with it.
• Kazakhstan (part 1) (part 2) - The sword fragment was taken to a secret Soviet laboratory decades ago, a facility rumored to study the paranormal. Alister is going to try to confirm the facts of the story while I'm en route.
• England - The map on the knight's shield leads to a site that claims to have unearthed King Arthur's grave, a distinction also claimed by countless others. But this particular site meant something to a knight one thousand years ago, so it may mean something to me.
• Nepal - The key to restoring Excalibur is also the relic my mother prized most, innocently given to her by my father in Ghana to replace the pendant she lost there. Once again I am compelled to go into my own past.
• Bolivia redux - It's time to return to Bolivia and finally learn what these ancient artifacts can do. Amanda must want to activate the stone dais as well. Perhaps she knows its purpose, or only thinks she does.
• Bonus: Croft Manor - Of the three Abbingdon estates my father left me, I consider this one to be my home.
• Bonus: QTE deaths and title screens