Tomb Raider Chronicles
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| Tomb Raider Chronicles | |
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| Developer(s) | Core Design |
| Publisher(s) | Eidos Interactive |
| Designer(s) | Peter Connelly (music) |
| Engine | Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation |
| Platform(s) | Sega Dreamcast, PlayStation, Microsoft Windows and Mac |
| Release date | November 24, 2000 |
| Genre(s) | Third-person shooter/Platform |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Teen |
| Media | CD-ROM, GD-ROM |
| Input methods | Gamepad, keyboard |
Tomb Raider Chronicles is the fifth game in the Tomb Raider series and the sequel to Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation. It was developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive. The game was originally released in 2000 for PC, Sega Dreamcast and PlayStation.
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[edit] Storyline
Tomb Raider Chronicles opens just days after the events of The Last Revelation. Lara is still missing and presumed dead. A memorial service at Croft Manor brings together three old friends of Lara: Winston, Charles Kane and Father Patrick Dunstan. While the rain outside is pouring, the three reminisce about Lara's earlier adventures. Meanwhile, hundred of miles away Werner Von Croy coordinates the frantic dig searching for answers buried deep beneath the Egyptian desert.
[edit] Gameplay
[edit] Features
The gameplay of Tomb Raider Chronicles is closely tied to that of The Last Revelation. In terms of movement, the only new additions to Lara's skills are the ability to walk on a tightrope, the ability to grab and swing on horizontal bars and the ability to drop from a ledge forwards while crouching. Several weapons from the previous game have disappeared but the MP5 submachine gun from Tomb Raider III and the revolver from The Last Revelation have returned. A new tool takes the form of the grappling hook, which is used to latch on certain areas of the ceiling and swing across vaults. Only one vehicle (of sorts) appears: a high tech diving suit designed to penetrate deep waters.
The game consists of four sub-adventures and takes Lara to Rome, a Russian submarine base, a haunted island called the Black Isle in Ireland, and a high-tech building in New York. Secrets in Tomb Raider Chronicles are represented by a golden rose (much like the dragons in Tomb Raider II). In total there are 36 scattered throughout the game and when the player has found every one of them, a new special features menu is unlocked from the Options screen.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Reception
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Although graphically praised as one of the best instalments in the series, the game was subject to numerous criticisms, primarily due to its lack of originality. Many[who?] felt that with The Last Revelation, the Tomb Raider formula had been stretched to its limits, and that a sequel would offer nothing new. In addition, the game still used the engine from the original Tomb Raider, which despite improved tweaking began to show its age with each subsequent game. Reviewers complained that the series were out of touch with contemporary game development.
The PC version of the game is notoriously problematic with level bugs. In the last stage "Red Alert" loading certain save points may cause key items to disappear. Sometimes specific events will not be triggered at all.
Some of the puzzles were also criticised, although trying to have a more modern approach than the typical Tomb Raider puzzles including things such as pushing blocks, some of them were extremely hard due to how well Lara can interact with the environment not being made clear at all, Lara could perform new moves but they varied and players of the game were not told and they had to somewhat figure them out while stuck on a puzzle. Items you had to find were also a lot more well hidden, blending in with the environment, and due to some of their small sizes made them extremely hard to find. An example of this is the level "Old Mill", where a coin that has to be picked up from a spot with a yellow background, it blends in almost completely and the player cannot progress until it is picked up, but if the player goes forward a short distance away from the coin a cutscene occurs (that cannot be skipped), and Lara is spawned in a different location, confusing players and due to such problems some parts of the game are extremely difficult without a walk-through or a player with a good sense of locating items. On the same level, a stick to light a fire with is in a dark room and the stick is of a brown colour, it makes it almost completely impossible to see and is very well hidden.
The return of Larson and Pierre was also subject to scorn as gamers decried their use as "comic relief" characters, while creating plot inconsistencies with that of the original Tomb Raider (theoretically Lara could have known Pierre Dupont, but she had not previously met with Larson).
However, the game did not receive completely bad press. The Official PlayStation Magazine gave it 10/10, and its lower difficulty level compared to other games in the series managed to attract people who thought the series to be too challenging.[citation needed]
Although Core Design admitted that Chronicles was not intended to revolutionise the series, they[who?] felt it was necessary to wrap up the plot of The Last Revelation before moving on to a more ambitious project involving Lara Croft. That game would become Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness.
[edit] References
- Erikson, Peter (2000). "Some girls just don't know when to quit...". Retrieved February 9, 2006
[edit] External links
- Tomb Raider Official Website
- Tomb Raider Chronicles at MobyGames - info sheet on all ports of the game.
- Tomb Raider Chronicles at Stella's tomb Raider Site - Walkthroughs, strategy and savegame files.
- Tomb Raider Chronicles at Tombraiderchronicles.com - Contains images, walkthroughs and media related to the game.
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