Review
Played on: Xbox Series X
Released: 2025 (Remaster)
Original release: 2000 (PS1, Dreamcast & PC)
By the time Core Design reached the fifth Tomb Raider they were facing extreme exhaustion of yearly releases of the franchise. Having secretly kept the ending hidden from their publisher Eidos where they killed Lara at the ending of Tomb Raider: Last Revelation, review here, they were nonetheless forced to return for a fifth sequel in 2000.
It's a title which infamously buried the original franchise, synonymous with the PS1, for good. Although they would later hit rock bottom with TR6, Angel of Darkness, Chronicles was associated with substandard quality. That said, it did sell 1,5 million copies, so indeed the franchise was still selling well. Although it never came close to the 7 million Tomb Raider 1 & 2 had, each.
Perhaps unknown to many, Chronicles is the middle game of a new trilogy for Lara Croft. This trilogy is Last Revelation, Chronicles and Angel of Darkness. When you consider it in the light of this, it plays a bigger part than simply being the fifth in long run of sequels. To summarise; TR1 to 3 is a trilogy, while TR4 to 6 is another.
This is the final Tomb Raider missing from an entire playthrough of the main series for me, so I went in expecting little. Especially after the solid, back–to-basics, of The Last Revelation. I was expecting a bad game but didn't find one.
Let's take a closer look at Lars last box designed world!
With The Last Revelation being a welcome return to the loneliness and exploration of the original Tomb Raider, with a single Egyptian setting and ending with Lara's demise, Chronicles feels like an unnecessary release. That said, The Last Revelation had some confusingly large levels with loading dividing them. Positively, Chronicles goes back to the single loaded level design. Resulting in smaller areas to explore and overall fewer complex levels.
It sounds like a step back, but believe me after four Tomb Raider titles preceding it, with the same gameplay and level design, it's a blessing in disguise for my large playthrough. Allowing for a quicker, more to the point experience. I could imagine newcomers that somehow never had touched a Tomb Raider prior to this would find some difficulty relief here, although the whole story premise would be utterly out of context and confusing.
As a result, Chronicles doesn't outstay its welcome or become frustratingly hard. Positives its needs in its favour, as the overall impression is; this is a quick cash in and never needed to be released. Yet somehow it kinda works as a "best of Tomb Raider" release for those unacquainted to Lara. Lending locations and styles from all the previous four titles. But that's also where it stumbles; why would you jump in at this title. Just go play the first or second game for a far better experience.
The story is about friends of Lara reminiscing her life as she is presumed dead after The Last Revelation. Spoiler: she isn't dead, but the flashbacks allow for a lot of diversity of locations and various eras depicting the four Tomb Raider titles prior to Chronicles. There're even some earlier enemies of Lara showing up! It's a clever design choice when it comes to offering variation in its levels.
Mechanically, it's identical to The Last Revelation with some small new additions like infrared glasses and a balancing mechanic for crossing poles. Minor additions added to a well-tested formula. It gives way for some new gameplay features here and there in some of the levels.
With shorter and less complex levels the momentum at which the progression moves along feels more rewarding. I never find myself truly banging my head as to what I'd missed, where I had to go or where to even begin exploring. Overall, it's a far shorter game too, clocking in at half the time The Last Revelation took to complete.
There is a neat and varied selection of environments, each one corresponding to the story Laras friends are telling, with a handful of levels under each. Opening in Rome, it gives way for some rather classic Tomb Raider 1 designed ancient buildings to explore and even has a reunion with bad-guys Pierre and Larsson!
Following this is a neat snowy level at a Russian submarine base, which claustrophobically ends with Lara diving with the sub. Trouble ensues and the whole sub begins sinking and Lara even must put on a dive suit to explore outside it. Probably the best set of levels in the game!
Other settings are teenage Lara on a haunted island, which brings a creepier and darker atmosphere, with a tad of supernatural elements. The last levels put adult Lara in a skin-tight leather catsuit, exploring an office building, sneaking about unlocking doors with keycards, using infrared goggles and sniping. It’s probably the worst of the bunch, clearly Metal Gear Solid and Matrix inspired, reaching beyond what the engine is capable of.
Chronicles retain the slightly revamped engine from The Last Revelation; where size and shape of the level is increased but sacrifices some of the smaller detail. Luckily, Chronicles seems to refocus on featuring some more smaller detail with a lot of interior areas hold a fair amount of furniture and objects. Played in sequence, Chronicles feels mechanically and level structurally closer to Last Revelation, more so than comparing it to TR1-3.
Visually, we are treated to a varied colour palette and environments. I especially enjoyed the Russian submarine base and some of the more traditional Tomb Raider style ancient levels. The modern, office building levels at least varied in colour, but the design comes off as awkwardly box shaped because of the game engine. They also have too much stealth combat just doesn't work properly.
The remastered visuals do a respectable job to bring some modernity to the mix, without comprising the visual style and gameplay of the old title. For this title I feel the visual upgrades are mostly for the better, keeping the atmosphere of the original visuals. Some enemies are beefed up in polygon count which give them a better appearance than the original. Controller response is great with a super smooth 120fps and bonus points for having the orignal graphics running at a high framerate too.
By 2000 though, this engine was heavily outdated, and it shows in comparison with titles from the same era. I could imagine the frustrating limitations the team would face after a while, yet they pull off some impressively varied levels designs, nevertheless.
Although it adds nothing new, its placement in the TR4-6 trilogy isn't without some significance. For those wanting to find that completion of this second trilogy, it's a serviceable playthrough. However, it's a title kinda of written stone to fail; being the last in a worn-out franchise formula and with an even worse sequel that leaves little enticement to complete this one. Outside of TR4, which works fine as a standalone experience, this isn't exactly a good trilogy in comparison with TR1-3.
The downsizing of levels and the number of them, suit the title well and it's an easier playthrough at least. Avoiding repetition in environments and shortening its playthrough results in a fine but average experience. It's not bad but it just lacks anything the earlier game haven't already done, as such its reputation is perhaps not entirely deserved.
Time spent developing this title, on such and ageing engine, perhaps could've been put into making Angel of Darkness into a better title in hindsight. I'd rather replay Chronicles over AoD any time of the day if that puts a perspective on it. Finally, I reach the end of my playthrough of alle Tomb Raider games!
