Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (X360, PS3) (2010)
Developer: Crystal Dynamics

Review by Faididi and Co.

Tomb Raider Arcade

Story: Average

The adventurous archeologist, Lara Croft, treks deep into the jungles of Central America in search of a fabled relic. When an unscrupulous warlord tries to steal it first, he unwittingly releases a dark spirit, who promptly slaughters all the intruders except our heroine and then escapes. Totec, a mystical warrior known as the Guardian of Light, also awakens from his magical slumber, and Lara must work with him to stop the villain from destroying the world. The story is simple, straightforward, and works just fine.

Gameplay: Excellent

Released as a downloadable game, Crystal Dynamics' Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is an unusual entry in the Tomb Raider series for many reasons. Unlike its single-Player predecessors that has the camera following behind our heroine, this is a 2-Player overhead action platformer. (The 2-Player mode is originally offline only, but an update adds online support.) While exploration still plays an important role, fast-reflex climbing challenges are the main focus here, and the option to play with a friend allows for new approaches (and humorous accidents) never before possible in the series.

The expanded inventory system is another major highlight. Lara and Totec, the latter of whom has no problem adopting modern firepower, each wield a default projectile weapon that has infinite ammunition, along with an infinite supply of remotely detonated bombs. In addition, they can gather over two dozen special weapons that dish out damage faster, and they can equip accessories that grant bonuses, like automatic stamina recovery, increased offensive strength, and wider bomb blasts. Our heroes have infinite lives, and the only penalty for respawning is a loss of points and time (which matter solely for acquiring certain upgrades).

Although the bad guys consist mostly of a few repetitive types of monsters, the platforming action is kept fun by the varied stage and puzzle designs. In a rarely seen move, the puzzles change depending on whether you're playing with a friend or not. With 2 Players, Totec is the one who can throw magic spears into walls to provide stepping platforms for Lara, while Lara has a rappelling cable that's used to swing from hooks and to help Totec climb up to her. If you're playing alone, Lara can also throw Totec's spears by herself, and the puzzle-related objects are adjusted to suit the solo experience. (The areas otherwise remain identical in layout, and they neatly accommodate those who switch between solo and duo play.)

For either number of Players, the 14 levels are paced well, and they continuously present different takes on the spear-jumping, hook-swinging, bomb-triggering, and boulder-rolling challenges that are easy to learn but require a little practice to master. Some levels are very linear, while others contain several optional areas that hide bonuses. Some levels are lengthy and take much time to explore, while others are brief, like the boss scenes that can be completed in a few minutes. When the levels are replayed, the upgrades' permanent nature allows Lara and Totec to use their improved abilities to muscle through the same areas more quickly, thus helping them earn even more power-ups, and that's a fantastic way to encourage the thorough exploration of the levels.

Controls: Above Average

The controls are generally responsive, if not flawless. The jumping is a bit inconsistent between standard surfaces and the magic spears, because Lara can magically soar three meters upward to climb onto a spear, but not onto a regular ledge. The auto-aiming is unreliable, as Lara often fails to latch onto hooks if she shoots out her rappelling cable while leaping over a pit (instead of while standing still on the ground).

Graphics: Excellent

The visuals are pretty, from the characters' fluid animations to the nicely decorated environments. More importantly, the camera maintains a clear view of things, and the colorful interactive objects are usually easy to see.

Audio: Above Average

The audio is a mix of strong sound effects with less impressive music. Except for the vocalized tune at the swamp level, the music is generic and unmemorable. Luckily, the gunfire is loud, the bombs explode with ear-shattering force, and the voice acting is solid (as long as you don't ask why Totec speaks amazingly modern English for a two-millenia-old dude).

Overall: Excellent

Not the typical Tomb Raider game, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is an exciting 2-Player overhead action platformer that adds plenty of enjoyable twists. Its permanent upgrades greatly encourage exploration, its energetic level design keeps the challenges varied, and its puzzles even differ depending on the number of Players. Those who've always wanted a Tomb Raider experience that can be enjoyed together with a friend will have a wonderful time here.

Expansion: Average

Guardian of Light has an update whose most important change is the free addition of online support for the 2-Player mode. It also adds a new menu devoted to the downloadable content, of which there are three level packs and two character packs.

The level packs each consist of four stand-alone, higher-difficulty levels (for a total of 12) that are designed for those familiar with the core game. One to two levels in every pack are new survival-type scenarios, too, where Lara and Totec try to beat as many of the infinite bad guys as possible before they get wasted. However, all these extra levels are very brief compared to the original levels (none of them have maps on the subscreen), and they don't contain additional weapons or upgrades. Except for a single level in the second pack, they reuse old switches, traps, and even a boss.

The character packs let you change Lara and Totec's appearances to those of Raziel and Kain, from Crystal Dynamics' own Legacy of Kain series; and to those of the dudes from Io's Kane and Lynch (this latter pack being free as part of a promotion). Available only for the original levels, these strictly cosmetic changes are meant to be comedic; the characters play the exact same (right down to Raziel and Kane using Lara's athletic female motions), but the extra heroes' original actors provide all of their vocal effects, along with hilarious replacement dialogue in the cutscenes. (Xolotl's lines remain unchanged, leading to greater absurdity.) Both pairs maintaining their love-hate relationships, Raziel and Kane keep making fun of the bad story that has thrown them into Lara's world, while Kane and Lynch swear so much that nearly every other line contains an expletive that must be censored under this game's younger audience rating.

In summary, the extra levels are short and contain no new upgrades, while the extra heroes play the same as Lara and Totec, if adding unexpected humor with their new dialogue. The update's online support for the 2-Player mode and Kane and Lynch's character pack are cool free bonuses, but the purchasable perks don't expand on Guardian of Light in any truly fantastic way.