Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation
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| Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation | |
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| Developer(s) | Core Design |
| Publisher(s) | Eidos Interactive |
| Designer(s) | Peter Connelly (music) |
| Engine | Tomb Raider III |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation, Dreamcast, Mac, Microsoft Windows |
| Release date | PlayStation: November 22, 1999PC: November 24, 1999Dreamcast: March 25, 2000 July 19, 2000Macintosh: December 31, 2000 |
| Genre(s) | Third-person shooter/Platform/Adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: T (Teen) |
| Media | CD-ROM, GD-ROM |
Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation is the fourth video game in the Tomb Raider series. It was developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive. It was released on PC, PlayStation and eventually to the Sega Dreamcast with exclusive graphical and sound enhancements.[1]
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[edit] Storyline
The story begins with Lara's teenaged tomb raiding origins, accompanied by her former mentor Werner Von Croy. They travel to the temple of Angkor Wat, Cambodia in the hope of finding the mystical "Iris." However, the trip is cut short by an accident where Lara is forced to abandon her companion in order to save her own life. Back in the year 2000 Egypt (the entire game takes place in one country, unlike other installments in the series), Lara Croft uncovers an ancient tomb where a fearsome Egyptian God Set was once imprisoned. She unwittingly unleashes him and finds herself in a deadly race against time to restore the god to his resting place before an apocalypse befalls Earth. Unfortunately, Von Croy becomes Lara's new rival as he is possessed by Set himself and he makes things considerably more difficult. Lara travels across Egypt to collect the pieces of Horus's armour in order to defeat Set. They are found in Pharos, Temple of Isis, Temple of Poseidon and Cleopatra's Palaces. She combines them (with the Amulet of Horus) in the Temple of Horus to finally defeat her enemy. However before Horus can be summoned, Set arrives and destroys the armour, knocking the amulet into the water. Lara quickly recovers it and exits the Temple sealing the entrance shut with the amulet. She must leave it in place to keep Set imprisoned for eternity. As she reaches the exit of the temple, badly injured she is confronted by Von Croy. Fearful that he may still be possessed she is reluctant to hold onto his hands and so falls into the darkness
[edit] Gameplay
[edit] Features
The game features many new moves. Lara can now grab hold of ropes dangling from the ceiling and swing from them. These can be used to cross large gaps. She can climb up and down ropes and poles also. She can now shimmy around corners unlike previous titles.
Lara herself in this instalment has a smoother, more refined appearance prior to the previous instalments. This is due to moving and flexible joints between meshes. This creating a more realistic approach to the heroine.Media:Larajoints.JPG
In this game, Lara has the ability to return to some previous levels, with some levels taking place in a non-linear order. She also has the option of taking various different routes through some of the levels, each with their own set of challenges.
Instead of the old item "ring", the inventory screen places the items into a "line." There is also a compass in the lower left hand corner of the inventory screen, but it is only important to activate cheats or to help solve a puzzle in the Citadel level.
Also, when in the inventory, some items will have the word "combine" in its menu. Selecting it will cause a second item line to appear. The player must then select an item to combine it with to form a new item.
A new weapon, the revolver, can be used in this game. Though it does not appear until late in the game, it is very powerful and effective at stopping enemies. When combined with the laser sight, which lights a red dot at the point where the bullet will strike, the player can use it to shoot specific small targets. The player can also attach the laser sight to the crossbow.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Reception
While widely considered to be the best of the Tomb Raider sequels by fans[citation needed] and critics, The Last Revelation was praised for its more dynamic and central plot than any of the previous installments, and the fact that most of the explorable levels were reverted to being classical tombs and temples once more. The critical response was somewhat mixed with gaming review sites such as GameSpot saying: "The Last Revelation is far and away the best of the sequels"[2], while other critics complained how the game's mechanics remained practically untouched, along with what some felt was frustrating camera positioning and similar graphics engine. Critics argued, similar in the case of Tomb Raider III, that the originally excellent premise of Tomb Raider was becoming stale and that the game simply hadn't moved along with the times. Many also thought the game would have made a great Tomb Raider II, as the changes that happened in the game should have been made a long time ago, and the series has been criticized for adding small changes over a long period of time which made not too much difference in terms of gameplay and looks until the last revelation.
The game was also met with much public scorn because of its ending, as it was believed by most players that Lara was dead, as the game ended with Lara trapped inside a collapsing pyramid and her fate unknown. The game's title, The Last Revelation, added to this impression. This, however, quickly subsided when the sequel was released.
The "classical" Lara would wrap up loose ends in the Tomb Raider Chronicles before the series received a long-awaited design overhaul, including graphics as well as game control, towards the next generation of Tomb Raider games.
[edit] Music
The music was composed, produced and arranged by Peter Connelly.
The main theme of the game is an electronic-like orchestra work with Egyptian influences, playing mostly the same notes of the first three main theme songs but completely re orchestrated. During the game, we can hear variations of the main theme with specific instruments for every level.
[edit] Voice actress
Jonell Elliott replaced Judith Gibbons as the voice of Lara Croft. She would voice Lara over the next three installments before Keeley Hawes took over in Tomb Raider: Legend. Judith Gibbons voiced Lara in both Tomb Raider II & III.
[edit] Level editor
In 2000, Core Design released their level editor for Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, as part of the PC CD version of Tomb Raider Chronicles. This is the only release so far of in-house design tools for any of the Tomb Raider series.
[edit] References
- ^ Sega and Eidos Interactive Partner to Bring `Tomb Raider: the Last Revelation' to Sega Dreamcast; Lara Croft Comes to a New Videogame Console, Sega Dreamcast | Business Wire | Find Articles at BNET.com
- ^ Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation for PC - Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation PC Game - Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation Computer Game
[edit] External links
- Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation at Stella's Tomb Raider Site - Walkthroughs, strategy and savegame files.
- Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation at Tombraiderchronicles.com - contains images, walkthroughs and media related to the game.
- Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation at Tomb Raiders Traveler's Guide - contains walkthroughs, strategy, and other relevant information.
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