I have very mixed feelings about this game. Overall, I had a great time, but the road to the finish was definitely very bumpy.

The gameplay as a whole was fun, and very satisfying. I specifically enjoyed how predictable the platforming controls were. The consistency in what you know is possible with the various ways to jump, climb or traverse around the levels means that most of the time, any failure feels like your fault. This means it is rarely frustrating, with the exception of forgetting to save for a while and having to replay lengthy sections.

Some of the puzzles made sense, and were fun to solve - and the environments were interesting to explore. I especially liked the non-linear level design - it was very fun to explore a new area for the first time, seeing areas further into the level that are not yet accessible, and then progressing and finding your way to these secrets.

My biggest gripes with this game all came down to pacing, and the combat. A lot of the time, I'd be having fun with a tight platforming puzzle, enjoying the consistency of the controls, to be interrupted by tedious and annoying combat. The gunplay never really felt like I was fully in control, and the randomness of the enemy AI meant there were times where you'd easily get stuck with no way out of a situation. This wouldn't be a problem if combat could be avoided, but it is a huge part of the game, and never added to the fun of the game for me.

I also found the camera very frustrating. It was often difficult to see where to go in tight spaces, and this game seemed to love tight corridors with hidden platforms near impossible to see. I try to play games with as little help or guides as possible, and I had to look up solutions or directions various times throughout this game. While this may just be my own failing with my own abilities, most of the time when I was stuck or confused, it was due to not being able to physically see where I was supposed to be going.

This game of course is incredibly ahead of its time, and any of these failings are just examples of trying something new, which is always a messy road. The platforming is still satisfying all these years later, and you can easily see how this game has stood the test of time as a classic.

I'm intrigued to player further into the series to see how the gameplay develops - and I'm hoping to see the formula tightened and improved as things advance.

Finished this on the Switch version of the Remastered Collection, but I don't feel like logging the whole collection as only one game. I played it with classic graphics, so it counts.

This was really good! I think it really excels at the planned platforming, deciding what jumps work where and executing that plan. The sense of exploration is also something you don't see in modern games anymore, some would say for the better but I disagree. Tomb Raider doesn't hold your hand, and your sense of curiosity can walk you into an instakill trap. Still, that idea of looking at your surroundings and planning your moves in what feels (but ultimately isn't) a very open ended tomb ultimately nails the premise the game is selling.

Where the game falls a bit flat is the combat. It's too simple to really be engaging, and it's not really dependent on your equipment hording skills since you're given oodles of everything even without looking for too many secret areas. When the game tries to push the combat the most is when it's frustrating, although when you get the uzis and begin just mowing things down it does regain some dumb fun. Quick reaction sections can also be a bit frustrating since the inputs can be somewhat complicated, so doing them on a dime can feel a bit unfair when a boulder rolls at you in the middle of a complicated jump section. That being said, it's still a lot of fun and it really rewards mastery of the platforming with shortcuts and being able to survive those quick reaction encounters on the first try.

Overall I can see how it's a classic, but I am definitely worried about how the formula is pushed in the millions of sequels. There's some room for improvement, but I worry that as I play them the devs may mistake tedious segments for challenging ones. The idea of punishing the player with time is interesting, but wore thin by the final third of the game (as seen by my sudden increase in save scumming... of the 220 saves, 120 were in the last third of levels in the game).

The plot is pretty bare-bones, but for what it is it works well. I do like the twist on the theming of the final level quite a bit.

Overall a fun time, although definitely something difficult to recommend to those not as comfortable with the clunkiness or visual presentation of early 3D games.

Queria ter zerado de fato, mas acho que o 1º Tomb Raider não é para mim. Meu maior problema foi o imenso dano de queda; ele acaba sendo um jogo de plataforma mais realista do que outros da época.
Nos 7 níveis que joguei, tive muita frustação pelos controles estranhos; os pulos são calculados por blocos, o que demorei para entender como realmente funcionavam. Foram incontáveis mortes.

Por outro lado, é interessante a sensação de exploração. Nadar nesse jogo é estranhamente satisfatório...
A música tema e o som dos secrets são memoráveis. E é bem divertido fazer piruetas enquanto se atira nos inimigos homens.

Tomb Raider '96 has been on my bucket list for a few years, and it feels great to check it off the list! It's a thrilling cinematic platformer, with presentation I honestly feel still stands up overall, and still feels good to play! Platforming is the star, here; the combat is serviceable, though clearly an afterthought. This does sort of feel like Mario 64's estranged older sister. This is Core Design's answer to the "movement in 3D space problem", though with a d-pad, instead of an analog stick. It's honestly way too long for its own good, but other than that, I don't have any major complaints. Not a must play, though if you're curious about games from a historical perspective, I think this one is definitely worth checking out.