Tomb Raider Underworld Review

Another fine adventure for the chesty archaeology enthusiast!

Since the reboot of Tomb Raider: Legends and the revamp of Tomb Raider: Anniversary, Lara's outings have become something to enjoy once more, each game taking us further away from the awful Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness. Does Underworld live up to our expectations, or is it a trip to titular Hell?

Luckily for Lara fans it's another fine adventure for the chesty archaeology enthusiast. Carrying on the storyline from the more recent games, Tomb Raider: Underworld finds Ms Croft still searching for clues to the whereabouts of Avalon, and by extension her missing and presumed dead Mother.

Simply stunning locations and moves

This time her quest begins in the Atlantic Ocean, before taking her to Thailand, Mexico, and the Arctic Circle via various other locations. Each area is simply stunning to behold, with the jungles of Thailand and temples of Mexico standing out as highlights. Foliage moves around Lara as she creeps though the undergrowth, and architecture and organic structures are more realistic than ever.

Lara herself looks pretty damn good as well, with the best-looking character model she's ever had. With the introduction of proper motion capture for the first time in the series, Lara moves with real grace and character too, and it really brings her to life on screen. She even gets mucky after she's been rolling around in the dirt for a while. Which is nice, if you like that sort of thing.

She doesn't just look good either, she moves well too! The game engine has been refined further than ever before - no more mistimed jumps and awkward platforming here, as the game puts you in control like never before. The camera still does it's best to hinder you unfortunately, but the tight controls help in some way to counter that. New rock climbing abilities and acrobatic skills also come in useful, as does the ability to finally use a gun when hanging from a ledge or wall.

Speaking of guns, unfortunately the combat is still the series weakest point. You never really feel connected to the action, simply tapping lock and fire as you jump around to avoid any attacks or gunfire. The "adrenaline headshot" system returns, but it just feels tacked on, and doesn't add much to the gunplay.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it

Fortunately the series mainstay of exploration and puzzle solving remains as strong as it's ever been. Levels are often vast, with multiple puzzle sections to figure out, as well as some dizzyingly vertiginous platforming. Puzzles form the usual find artefact X to fit into statue Y formula for the most part, but that's just how things work in Tomb Raider.

The motorbike returns, but actually comes in useful this time around, particularly in the Mexico level. Featuring a series of temples spread out across a large area, the bike not only gets you from A to B quickly, but it can be used to trigger floor switches that you otherwise wouldn't be able to control. Finally it feels central to the gameplay, and not just an extra section added because someone in Marketing asked for a vehicle level!

Storywise the game is pretty nonsensical, but let's face it, any game series featuring winged gods, ancient civilizations that can make machines from stone, the undead, and a seemingly indestructible posh bird with a Baywatch body was never going to win any prizes for plot!

All in all, a great new adventure for Lara Croft, and one that any fan of the series will have a whale of a time blasting through. The camera and combat are still a let down, but the sheer size of the levels, the impressive visuals and atmosphere, and the solid Tomb Raiding gameplay all combine to make a fine game. It's just a shame that it's over fairly quickly, and there's no real immediate replay value other than to collect any treasures you may have missed on the first go round. Still, it's great fun while it lasts!

GAME's Verdict

• Incredible atmosphere
• Fantastic controls and animation
• Huge levels

• Limp combat
• Annoying camera
• No real replay value

Review by: Ian MacDougall
Version Tested: Xbox 360
Review Published: 12.12.08