Tomb Raider: Underworld Review

Tomb Raider has always been one of gaming's most iconic series. When Crystal Dynamics took over the reigns of the franchise it received a much needed overhaul after the lacklustre Angel of Darkness. 

Underworld follows on from both Legend and Anniversary, however completing both isn't essential to understanding the story and a handy recap is available should you need it. The plot follows Lara's search for her mother after her disappearance when she was a child, which as usual involves globetrotting to some impossibly attractive locations.

The visual design and graphics are nothing short of stunning; this is easily one of the most striking games of 2008. The environments are well chosen and intelligently designed with a nice variety to help keeps things interesting. At times the game is breath-taking as you traverse huge drops in coastal Thailand or navigate the treacherous caverns underneath Jan Mayen Island in the Arctic.

Continuing Crystal Dynamic's reimagining of the series, Lara comes with several new moves. The grappling hook now plays a greater role, especially in many of the puzzles. Lara can rappel down cliffs, wall run and use it to knock over objects making it a widely used addition which feels like a natural extension of Lara's skills.

The crux of the gameplay is still firmly split into platforming mixed with exploration and combat. The platforming generally works well mainly thanks to the competent and thoughtful level design. For the first time in a Tomb Raider title, there are different routes which can be used to reach your goal, though these usually are merely a slight deviation from the standard route. The game presents you with a seemingly impossible selection of ledges and traps, often over a huge area which is initially daunting. However, as you work your way through, the path ahead gradually appears giving you a sense of achievement when you reach the end.

There are times when the game will present you with an overly fiddly challenge which can quickly turn into a serious annoyance. There were several occasions when one tricky jump or wall run had me replaying it in excess of a dozen times. This was made worse by the difficulty being increased by a camera which has a tendency to suddenly jump wildly around. There were several locations where I managed to be inches away from a checkpoint with one easy jump left, when suddenly I was faced with a close up of Lara's shoulder as she plummeted to her death.

At times the controls also feel a little too sensitive and temperamental which is worrying when you are trying to carefully navigate a ledge 50ft above the ground. However, these factors rarely become major issues, but they do diminish the sense of achievement when you finally complete a tricky section smiling with gritted teeth.

The combat is pretty basic in comparison to the platforming and in typical Tomb Raider fashion holding down fire whilst jumping rarely fails. The targeting frequently ends up aiming at the tiger/jaguar/giant spider on the horizon rather than the one in front of you removing your arm from your body. There are two "adrenaline" special moves which are fiddly to pull off but allow you to inflict huge damage on your enemies. I found myself rarely using them, instead preferring to do things the old fashioned way with pistols. There are a limited range of weapons, which can make things easier including a tranquiliser pistol presumably forced on the game by animal lovers after the series' exterminating most of the world's endangered species.

Puzzles are also an important part of the game and thankfully the range and variety will keep you busy. Some are fiendishly tricky and many are combined with platforming making them difficult but never impossible. It seems that too often games spoon feed you the correct route or solution but here Underworld can offer you hints if you need them, but doesn't patronise you with them. I would encourage you not to use them as it really turns the game into one more reminiscent of the early titles.

The game is incredibly polished with careful attention to detail helping it to really stand out from the crowd. Lara's weight on poles pulls them down slightly, water glistens on the steps of temples during a thunder storm and enemies' bodies stay where you killed them. At times this polish is undone when you die from a tiny fall leaving your corpse bouncing or when you end up facing hordes of tarantulas in an English manor house.

Despite these annoyances Underworld is never less than a compelling action adventure, which is what a Tomb Raider title should be. The game is challenging and at times downright difficult, especially during the final confrontation. The designers listened to feedback and have removed the tedious boss battles from the game, replacing them with a devilish puzzle and platforming finale. Crystal Dynamic's also manage to turn the inevitable driving sections into acceptable set pieces and they were nowhere near as bad as I had feared.

The game is short, has the kind of awful British stereotyping I despise (we do not say "bloody hell" in every sentence) and has the cheek to recycle two sections of the game but still manages to be a competent and above average action adventure. The polish and understanding of its genre helps Underworld to be satisfying, challenging and impressive. I never expected to be playing Tomb Raider games over a decade on and still enjoying them. It's a testament to the developers that the series is still relevant, testing and most importantly enjoyable.