This game has some great moments and is overall an enjoyable experience, but get used to save-scumming... a lot. There is a difference between placing hazards the player can see beforehand and plan ahead vs. hazards that come literally out of nowhere. You might avoid one and feel accomplished, only for seconds later be steamrolled by a boulder, burnt to a crisp by flames, or fall to your death after inadvertently standing on the wrong tile.
The game thankfully tones down the amount of action (i.e enemies with guns) featured in Tomb Raider II, while also not making it a pure exploration game, as there is still plenty of guns to collect and enemies to shoot.
For the most part, the levels in this game were enjoyable and straightforward enough that after a fair bit of exploration, you could find the next piece of the puzzle you needed to progress without feeling totally lost. The London section in particular houses maybe the worst level in the original trilogy: Aldwych, a level so convoluted an maze-like, it took me nearly 3 hours to finish in a game where I was averaging maybe ~1 hour per level.
I still recommend this game primarily since if you're looking into it, you've probably already played the first two, since it doesn't make much sense to start here. Story or gameplay wise since the developers definitely expect you to be familiar with these games by now leading to a punishing game more often than not.
tl;dr
Playing the games in order? Good game, don't skip it.
Sitting in your library? Start with 1 and 2 first to ease into the series. If they're not for you, 3 100% will not be and just move onto the LAU games.
The game thankfully tones down the amount of action (i.e enemies with guns) featured in Tomb Raider II, while also not making it a pure exploration game, as there is still plenty of guns to collect and enemies to shoot.
For the most part, the levels in this game were enjoyable and straightforward enough that after a fair bit of exploration, you could find the next piece of the puzzle you needed to progress without feeling totally lost. The London section in particular houses maybe the worst level in the original trilogy: Aldwych, a level so convoluted an maze-like, it took me nearly 3 hours to finish in a game where I was averaging maybe ~1 hour per level.
I still recommend this game primarily since if you're looking into it, you've probably already played the first two, since it doesn't make much sense to start here. Story or gameplay wise since the developers definitely expect you to be familiar with these games by now leading to a punishing game more often than not.
tl;dr
Playing the games in order? Good game, don't skip it.
Sitting in your library? Start with 1 and 2 first to ease into the series. If they're not for you, 3 100% will not be and just move onto the LAU games.