Lara Croft returns once again in Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered! Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.
Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered Review Overview
What is Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered?
Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered is the remaster of the Darkness Trilogy consisting of Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, Tomb Raider: Chronicles, and Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness. The game features both classic and remastered visuals that can be swapped at will. Additionally, it also features two different control schemes, namely Modern and Classic (Tank). Lastly, Angel of Darkness, in particular, features cut content to be restored in the game as well as reworks to other features to make the game more palatable for the audience.
Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered features:
⚫︎ Three Games in One Collection
⚫︎ Classic Action Adventure Gameplay
⚫︎ Thought Provoking Puzzles
⚫︎ Real-World Locales and Settings
⚫︎ Restored Cut Content
⚫︎ Modern and Classic Control Schemes
⚫︎ The Iconic Lara Croft
 Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Steam |
 Epic |
 GoG |
 PSN |
 Switch |
 Xbox |
Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Graphics Upgrade Plays on 60 FPS One of the Better Photo Modes Still Faithful And Then Some |
Visibility Issues Modern Controls Don’t Help The Remaster Doesn’t Save The Weaker Titles |
Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered Overall - 68/100
While Aspyr has done a great job of enhancing the games to a modern standard, it still won’t shake the fact that the fifth and sixth games in the series were the weakest of the series. It does offer graphical enhancements, changeable control schemes, and faithful recreation and restoration of the second trilogy; however, it may not be enough to pull a newer audience.
Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered Story - 6/10
Collectively, the Darkness Collection is pretty decent in terms of its narrative. Specifically, Angel of Darkness takes on a different tone to Lara’s character, making it a little more interesting and refreshing to see that she’s more than just a tomb raider. That being said, it’s not great either, as the storytelling itself is jarring, to say the least.
Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered Gameplay - 7/10
If I could rate the faithfulness of how Aspyr remastered the game, it would be a 10/10. They went to great lengths to modernize the game with a new control scheme, an amazing photo mode, and added cut content.
However, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s a relic. The new control scheme doesn’t fit the original stage designs of the series, which doesn’t make it as helpful as it actually is. I will give them points on making Angel of Darkness playable; that is a feat of its own.
Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered Visuals - 7/10
Aspyr continues to wow the audience with their upgraded visuals. The visuals are the highlight of the remasters, especially since you can see the differences between the new and the old firsthand. The main problem is that the enhanced visuals worsen visibility, either making the scenery way too dark or making certain objects blend in with the ground or walls.
Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered Audio - 6/10
Other than the voice acting, the overall audio design of the series was never a highlight of the series. It’s noticeable in some of the music and the sound effects, but it still sounds dated. It does its job for setting the mood and the atmosphere, but there’s nothing much else that it adds.
Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered Value for Money - 8/10
For $30, you get three games, which is great value for those looking to play a classic action adventure game. This is undoubtedly the best way to experience the second trilogy of the Tomb Raider franchise, mainly because it makes the sixth game playable. Although all the enhancements and added content only make it a marginally better experience than it was decades ago.
Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered Review: Faithful, Pretty, But a Relic of the Past
Sometimes, you just want to reconnect. Be it either with people or with hobbies, we just have the urge to go back to what reminds us of the good old days. For video games, that’s where remasters and remakes come in, as they’ve been the gateway to fuel our nostalgia.
It’s been a year since Lara Croft’s first trilogy was remastered, and Aspyr has decided to right the wrongs of the past and release the Darkness Collection. While Aspyr has built a reputation for making good remasters, can they work their magic on the games that were considered the black sheep of the series? Sadly, no amount of fixes or enhancements can repair what was flawed to begin with.
Faithful and More
Let’s set the record straight. Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered is as faithful as a remaster can get.
Most of the existing content is merely brushed up visually and made to be a 1:1 recreation of the original games. Aspyr even went the extra mile to add more content to the games, on top of adding the existing enhancements they implemented in the first trilogy.
The game also runs at a perfect 60 frames per second with its enhanced graphics and 30 frames per second with the original graphics, with the option of toggling between either graphics mode.
Additionally, the remaster also carried over the new modern control scheme, which makes movement similar to newer action adventure games. Lastly, the game has one of the better photo modes compared to other games, where you have full control of creating scenes to your liking.
Some would call it a textbook remaster; some might consider it a company going above and beyond than simply porting the game to current and next-generation systems.
Visuals Are Great, But…
So similar to the first trilogy’s remaster, the game has tons of visual upgrades, and it’s entirely noticeable at first glance. But after a few hours in while delving into the tombs and caves, everything starts to get way too dark. Another thing you’ll notice is that some objects aren’t as visible because they blend into the environment. Sadly, this is a problem that carried over from the first trilogy’s remaster.
Thankfully, the remaster also retains the toggle between the 90’s filter and the enhanced graphics. This does alleviate the visibility issues, but it’s clear that this isn’t the intended way to address them.
Plays The Same For Better or Worse
The gameplay remains the same as the original and is untouched in the remaster. This is good for the most part until you realize just how dated the gameplay is. There are two issues that this opens up: the awkwardness of the modern control scheme and the game’s actual gunplay.
For context, the classic controls function similar to a tank, which is why you can’t freely move diagonally when trying to move around. This is mainly because the games’ level design was based off grids, hence the precision needed to pull off certain actions. In my playthrough, I had to relearn the classic controls since the modern controls just weren’t cutting it.
Another issue is the gunplay that the game has. Despite Lara’s appearance of being a badass that dual-wields pistols, it actually feels quite bad to shoot enemies in-game. This feels even worse when playing with modern controls since you’re quite literally going to run around in circles just to hit enemies with bullets. Of course, you could just get used to it, but it feels like a missed opportunity to make the gunplay an actual thing in the remaster.
Makes Angel of Darkness Playable But Its Still Bad
For the uninitiated, Angel of Darkness is considered to be the worst game of the Tomb Raider franchise. There are a lot of reasons as to why this came to be, but to make things short, the game was supposed to be the start of a new trilogy that never materialized. So, the biggest question that the remaster has to answer is: did they improve on Angel of Darkness? Well, yes and no.
First off, the game is actually playable. No more of the crashes that fans used to suffer during its initial release. Second, the remaster actually overhauled a couple of features in the game, especially with Kurtis Trent and his mechanics. In addition to the overhauls, tons of cut content like voice lines, items, and more to help explain the story a bit more.
So why is it that the game isn’t an improvement then? The mechanics that made it infamous still exist in the remaster. One of the biggest issues of the game is its pace; everything just runs slower for some reason. Animations of opening drawers, climbing, and more just look and feel sluggish when you play the game.
Another issue is that you have to meet a certain strength check to progress in certain areas. What do I mean by this? You’re actually forced to explore areas where you have to shoulder tackle doors to become strong
enough to push something. This feels completely out of place considering that this is Lara Croft we’re talking about, and for a concrete example, you could simply push a stone block in the first game.
Lastly, the game has a stamina bar. This is another weird restriction to the player, especially since the game was built around you hanging on ledges, swinging from bars, and climbing rocks for extremely long periods of time. Running out of stamina while climbing also means that you fall to your death, which feels really bad considering that everything moves slowly.
Sadly, it’s still as bad as it originally was, and frustratingly so. A full remake is needed to make Angel of Darkness good, as you can’t build a house with a foundation of sand. At least this time, you could actually finish it without crashing the game.
Forever An Icon, But In Need of a Refresh
One thing that the remaster reminded me was that the fatigue definitely kicked in with the way it panned out for the series. It was clear that it was harder to innovate the game outside of choosing a different place in history for Lara to explore. After Angel of Darkness, she sort of faded from the spotlight, quite poetic from someone who simply disappeared after the final battle.
Despite Lara Croft fading from the mainstream in the action-adventure genre, she’s still one of the biggest and most popular icons in gaming. While she did have a comeback of her Survivor trilogy, it’s been a while since we’ve seen more of her, and I think we’re due for a comeback. The remasters of both of her trilogies do solidify the legacy of her games, but there’s definitely a lot more that can be done to explore her character.
Hell, one of the biggest dreams I would have would be an Uncharted and Tomb Raider collaboration where Lara Croft and Nathan Drake just race each other in finding a treasure. Or if you want to make a continuation, maybe Cassie Drake can meet someone related to Lara Croft and just go raiding some tombs? One can only dream.
Is Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered Worth It?
Only For Lara Croft Fanatics
Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered is a decent remaster, but certain titles in the collection were lacking from the get-go. The remaster adds tons of new additions like achievements, restored cut content, and even modern controls. However, it’s clear that the remaster is more for those who love the series and want to revisit the journey of Lara Croft. It’s the best way to play the Darkness Collection, mainly because it’s the only way to play some of the titles without crashing.
| Digital Storefronts | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam |
Epic |
GoG |
PSN |
Switch |
Xbox |
| $29.99 | |||||
Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered FAQ
Will Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered Have Physical Editions?
Aspyr and Crystal Dynamics have not confirmed the existence of physical copies of Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered. However, if it’s similar to the previous trilogy’s remaster, then it will most likely release on the fourth quarter of the year, specifically September.
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Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered Product Information
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|
| Title | TOMB RAIDER IV-VI REMASTERED |
|---|---|
| Release Date | February 14, 2025 |
| Developer | Aspyr, Crystal Dynamics |
| Publisher | Aspyr |
| Supported Platforms | PC(Steam, EGS, GoG), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch |
| Genre | Action, Adventure, Puzzle |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| ESRB Rating | 17+ |
| Official Website | Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered Official Website |
