Classic Tomb Raider features a gameplay formula that is still appealing in its uniqueness to this day - I have no knowledge of any games that do this high-stakes platforming with an emphasis on exploration gameplay loop, and it's a shame because it's an idea with A TON of potential if you apply modern design sensibilities to it.

What we have here is definitely not modern, with tank controls and a clearly less than graceful dev cycle. I'm two games in, and I can already tell that Core's development pipeline for this franchise was absolutely insane (no doubt because of pressure from Eidos), and these games very much needed more time to breathe. Level design feels overtuned at times, with beginner's traps, and in the final couple of levels some incredibly awkward jumps, and I think it goes on for too long - It's 17 (big) stages plus an epilogue. The first level throws a trap gauntlet at you, that probably discouraged many players, the final boss requires you to do an action that isn't entirely clear, this game with fall damage thinks it's a good idea to have levels with springboards, among other things.

All of this is alleviated thanks to saving anywhere. I would have done that regardless with save states, because I've played TR1 as intended (i.e., you can only save on one-use crystals) and wow, what a fucking unhinged idea for this kind of game. I'm interested in revisiting TR1 with free saves now.

TR2's bigger emphasis on combat initially greatly annoyed me, but I just got used to it, and the game drowns you in ammo and health packs, and using Lara's arsenal is actually fun. Combat is mega clunky don't get me wrong, and armed enemies have god-like accuracy, but I didn't think it was a tragedy or a deal-breaker.

TR2 strikes an interesting balance between linearity, and key-scavenging exploration, and my biggest issue in solving puzzles actually ended up being the low quality of the graphics: multiple times, there was a switch that just blended into the background, or maybe it was too damn dark and underwater, and I simply didn't notice it. This game has some rather poor visual conveyance at times, the Floating Islands level is a great example of the clusterfuck pipeline behind this, it felt like a series of randomly placed platforms. It really is abundantly clear that Core Design did not have the proper structure to do annual releases for games like these.

And sorry to purist fans of the series, a game like this absolutely needs an in-game map, and it's mental that it doesn't have one - and I'm well aware that no game in the series has this feature. I can't stress how much better it would have been with a map, could even be a Hollow Knight-style map, where you fill it in as you progress through the level.

I've decided to go for the original PS1 release here, but when I get to TR3, I'll certainly just play the remake. The tank controls were kind of annoying at times, and the framerate dropped to some headache-inducing stuff.

Classic Tomb Raider is hella clunky and kinda rushed, but the still fresh concept and formula make the series interesting enough for me to continue my journey through the franchise.

This kind of a strange game, but its weirdness is appealing. It's notably the first game of the studio that would later develop Super Mario Galaxy, which is probably why Jungle Beat has such an appealing flair to it.

But ultimately, it ends up feeling more like a "prototype" to me. It's a fun idea, but I think DK is too heavy for this sort of free-flowing platforming the game is asking of you, the idea is to do tricks to build up your combo, which resets when you touch the ground, but it feels like a constant struggle to keep that combo counter running. I guess they expect you to replay it many times, which is fair, but not really my thing.

This was really apparent in one of the secret levels, this Asteroid Belt thing. I was gonna try to go for 100%, but this level in particular really disencouraged me.

Hey, now we're talking. An improvement on Returns on every way, Tropical Freeze is one of the most exciting 2D platformers out there. Levels are constantly changing it up, with frenetic setpieces, and unique and creative world themes, and the top-notch presentation is still here and even better - it is now a high-definition game of course, but that soundtrack man. Holy shit.

It does retain some annoying things from Returns though: I'm still not sure if I like only being able to control DK, and the other kongs just serving as power-ups, and fuck they are once again stingy with those kong barrells. The collection of bosses is so much better than Returns, but the last two bosses go on for sooooooo damn long... I like the polar bear, and DK's "are we the bad guys now?" reaction, but why. And the final boss, whyyyyyyy. There is a tiny window to hit them and if you miss, gotta go through another cycle motherfucker. I thought it was awful.

I also find bonus rooms to once again give me an empty feeling. They only reward me with bananas and puzzle pieces, which are completely worthless, not even counting towards 100% completion. Again. I don't get the point.

Speaking of which, I once again went for 100%, completing every level, which meant finding all the secret exits (a great addition) and KONG letters. Some of the secret levels were among my favorites, but I would ultimately say it's not worth it - the secret world is some trial-and-error do-or-die bullshit design, and getting some of those KONG letters in the last two worlds was a big oof.

DK again feels a little too heavy for my tastes, but the level design has such fantastic flow, for the most part, that I didn't care that much this time. Though being able to play as the other Kongs only in Hard mode (where you die in ONE hit, no thanks) is some bullshit.

I don't know if Tropical Freeze sits alongside Super Mario World or Rayman Legends as GOATs of the genre (I do have a feeling it'll end up growing on me in future playthroughs), but it's definitely a fantastic platformer.