Although it veers away from its element, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light proves that the girl has still got it.
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light spins the story of a sacred artifact known only as the Mirror of Smoke. It is said that ten thousands years ago in the Yucatan peninsula, the Guardian of the Light imprisoned the dark spirit Xolotl within the Mirror of Smoke after a fierce battle, and entombed himself along with it so as to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. In effect, the Mirror of Smoke was believed to have been lost forever. That is, until our heroic archaelogist Lara Croft finds it (rather effortlessly, as if she were shopping for a candy bar in a convenience store)---because, in her own words, nothing is truly lost forever. Unfortunately, mercenaries that had trailed her all the way to the site of discovery seize the opportunity to grab the Mirror for themselves, unknowingly releasing Xolotl from his ethereal prison. With the dark spirit freed, the world faces the threat of destruction. Fortunately, it wasn't only Xolotl that was released----Totec, the Guardian of the Light, has also awakened. Realizing what has happened, he reluctantly places his trust in Lara Croft despite holding her responsible for this unfortunate transgression. The two must put aside any differences and work together if they hope to stand a chance against Xolotl. And thus, another adventure of a lifetime begins, spread across an expanse of fourteen different levels filled with enormous challenges, fun platforming elements that hold true to the Tomb Raider spirit, and hordes of really ugly monsters.
You can go at alone as Lara Croft, or tackle the adventure together with a friend who will take the reins as Totec (as of this writing, online multiplayer has yet to be released as DLC, so local multiplayer is the only option for now) Everything is arranged in an isometric view that is appropriate in tandem with the nature of the game, because you will often contend with groups of enemies that will attack you mercilessly. And there are a lot of them lurking around. Crazed shamans, disgusting spiders, murderous lyncathropes; they're all here, they're all angry and they're all looking to tear you limb from limb. Good thing Lara's got weapons, and the girl's got a handsome array of them at her disposal. The right analog stick is used to aim whatever weapon you have on hand, using the Right Trigger to fire (no pun intended). With the exception of her default dual handguns, weapons expend ammunition but tend to be more powerful against large enemies and even larger enemy groups. And switching between them is as easy as holding down the Left Shoulder button. In addition to her impressive firearms, Lara also possesses an ancient Spear of Light when playing solo (during multiplayer sessions, it will be Totec's default weapon for player two.) Not only is the Spear a deadly weapon in its own right, it can also be used as a tool when thrown against a wall to negotiate hard-to-reach elevated ground levels, and wide gaps that cannot be solved by jumping alone---even with Lara's seemingly superhuman athletic abilities. This is one example of the various tools you'll have on hand to help you, as each of the game's fourteen environments are littered with platforming challenges of nearly every size and measure. The game itself doesn't try to downgrade what makes the franchise so memorable in the first place, but the emphasis on cooperative arcade action is readily apparent, and Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light succeeds in this endeavor to a foreseeable fault.
Even with all this arcade action taking center stage, it isn't without the trajectories of clever puzzles and dangerous traps. Some of the puzzles are optional (i.e., when finding artifacts, weapons and upgrades), while others must be solved in order to progress in the story. The majority of them aren't all that difficult and can be solved by the most observant of gamers. Others may take some time to figure out, yet they are nowhere near the level of controller-throwing frustration. In either case, solving puzzles can be a lot of fun (especially if you're playing cooperatively) , and it is nice to see that they are not so much brain-racking impossibilities that linger to the point of utter interference. Then, of course, there are the numerous traps to avoid as well. From collapsing floors to shooting spikes and even the occasional wheel of spindling fire, Lara Croft must sidestep these environmental hazards without so much a scratch on her body; the worst of which will kill her instantly if she's not careful. Fortunately, you can restart from a reasonable point for each and every time you die with unlimited continues. Like puzzles, traps aren't exercises of frustration provided you have the willingness to learn from mistakes, but they are pretty challenging to say the least. Still, all this is a referendum to what makes the Tomb Raider franchise so successful and, thankfully for fans, none of it is truly compromised.
And if you find that the main adventure isn't enough for you, consider the optional challenges and achievements that you'll come across in every level. Ranging from the disarmament of a fire trap within a window of only 30 seconds to the discovery of ten Red Skulls, the game gives you a great incentive to replay any and every stage that you've cleared. Even better, the successful completion of objectives will not only go towards a nifty achievement, but the earning of artifacts, weapons and character upgrades that will prove invaluable during the game's later stages. (You can also find these rewards scattered throughout the environment----you just have to know where to look for them.) The artifacts themselves are unique items that award weapon and character bonuses, but the only downside is that you're only allowed to equip three of them or so at a time, and you must weigh the benefits and disadvantages of each item to determine whether or not it's worth using---even when facing challenges ahead. Still, despite all that, the use of items and artifacts adds a considerable degree of depth to the game---something that both fans and newcomers will duly appreciate.
The visual style of Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is certainly a sight to behold----much of the action takes place within jungle thickets and temple corridors. To that end, they've never looked better. The music is dynamic and immersive with some memorable tunes; likewise sounding all the more so with well-equipped, full-blown stereo speakers. Online Leaderboards are available for players to upload their scores and level completion times to determine their place in the rankings, giving you yet another incentive to replay the game, which may take upwards from eight to ten hours to complete altogether.
Lara Croft has been on many adventures in the past two decades of her virtual existence, and this latest journey might very well be one of her most engaging and thrilling outings yet ---that is, until another Tomb Raider comes along. For all intents and purposes, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light succeeds in the overall transition from the traditional trappings of its source material; broadening its appeal to those outside of the Tomb Raider fanbase and likening this particular story to a mere spin-off of an existing arc. However, afficionados of the franchise will very much appreciate what it offers; as it familiarizes them with many of the gameplay elements that they know and love while introducing an entirely new experience that is quite sure to please in more ways than one. Whichever category you happen to find yourself in; be it a fan or a newcomer, there's a lot of like about Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. Because after everything is said and done, this is one Tomb that is absolutely worth raiding.