The Digest: With the Tomb Raider moniker done away with, so is most of what you would expect from your typical Lara Croft title.  Longtime fans may be put off by the concept, but this latest venture breathes new life into the series.  Extremely unique environments and puzzles with exciting combat will keep you occupied for hours on end.  This is one Summer of Arcade release you need to get your hands on.

THE FACT SHEET

RELEASE DATE: August 18th, 2010
PUBLISHER: Square Enix
DEVELOPER: Crystal Dynamics
ESRB RATING: “T” for Teen
GENRE: Action-Adventure

PRODUCT OVERVIEW:

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is a brand new Lara Croft experience in which players take control of Lara and her unlikely ally, Totec, in an isometric adventure through beautiful landscapes, hazardous puzzles and boss battles on a grand scale. Using Crystal Dynamics’ proprietary gaming engine, Guardian of Light offers both single and cooperative play, as well as new additions to Lara’s arsenal such as the ever-handy grapple hook and Totec’s spears.

PRODUCT FEATURES:

• First ever co-op multiplayer action/adventure experience featuring Lara Croft
• Coop-petition – Earn points as you blast your way to Xolotl
• Get two different experiences in single player and cooperative mode
• Isometric View
• Freedom of Choice – unprecedented level of freedom to choose their own solutions.
• Diverse, sprawling environments with no load-times and unbelievable vertical gameplay
• First downloadable only title from Crystal Dynamics and Lara Croft game.

Lara Croft has always been a full retail release.  With Guardian of Light, however, things were changed as Crystal Dynamics decided to forgo this and try their hand at a downloadable title in the form of a top down shooter.  As this is uncharted territory for Lara Croft, this was certainly a risky endeavor.  However, I can safely say that the move has clearly paid off with a game that delivers on nearly all fronts.

The game starts off with Lara being ambushed by a mercenary named Vasco.  He steals an ancient Artifact called the Mirror of Smoke and releases the evil spirit, Xolotl, into the world.  Xolotl takes the artifact and escapes with the intent of plunging the world into darkness.  This awakens Totec, the Guardian of light, and it is from here that you must take down Xolotl.  I honestly didn’t pay much attention to the story and will admit that I would have forgotten the story if I did not reread the game premise online.  It doesn’t help that the voice acting was rather poor for the fairly rare occasion that dialogue was present.  None of the cutscenes were particularly memorable either.  While this may turn some of you off from the game, don’t let it deter you.  This story was never meant to be the next great chapter in Lara Croft’s many adventures.  As a downloadable title, it focuses on gameplay and does it extremely well.

Using the same graphics engine as the last Lara Croft title, the visuals are nearly up to par with a AAA developed title.  Most games using an isometric camera have a very flat level design.  This is certainly not the case here as elements of platforming are spread throughout every level.  There is a lot of verticality as you scale across the ancient ruins, climbing up temples and venturing deep underground.  The one gripe I have with the camera is that due to the fixed position, some areas are blocked from view.  It’s a relatively minor annoyance that will occasionally crop up.  There are some really great effects and eye candy for everyone to enjoy.  The lighting is also superb and the destructible environments add a nice touch.

Lara will start off with her classic dual pistols while her partner, Totec, will be equipped with spears and a shield.  Each level has a unique weapon that you can obtain.  You must either accomplish a specific challenge or come across a weapon cache to add it to your arsenal.  There are probably more guns than necessary spread throughout the game, which is always a good thing in my book.  Each gun will have 3 stats tied to it: power, rate of fire, and ammo consumption.  Your default weapon will be unlimited while the others chew through your ammo reserves, so stick with your starting weapon when possible and conserve ammo for the tougher ones.  It is also well worth unlocking some of the higher tier weapons as they can reduce the strongest of enemies into cannon fodder in seconds.  My personal favorite was the chaingun, but I missed out on about half a dozen weapons that I would have loved to have had at my side.  Both Lara and Totec will also have an unlimited amount of bombs that they can set and explode at will.  Aside from being a potent offensive weapon, the bombs are also used to occasionally help in solving a puzzle and clearing away objects.

As you explore, you’ll come across various relics and artifacts.  You can equip up to 2 artifacts and 1 relic per character.  Each of these items has a unique benefit and some may also even come with a negative attribute.  For example, one relic may boost your speed, but your maximum health may also take a penalty.  You can mix and match each of these to your own play style.  These also give you more incentive to further explore the environments and figure out different puzzles/routes in order to obtain more.

Online co-op has been disabled for a later date, but those of you with a friend to play with locally will certainly enjoy the unique experience offered.  You rely on the character specific moves and advantages each player has to offer.  Totec’s spear can be thrown into a wall and used by Lara to reach higher platforms, but is not strong enough to support his own weight.  This is where Lara’s grappling hook comes in handy as she can grab onto Totec and pull him up as he climbs a wall.  Lara can also latch onto gold rings, which she can use to either swing herself across a long gap, or setup a tight rope for Totec to run across.  Totec’s shield is also quite versatile.  Aside from blocking attacks and deflecting them back, he can also prop the shield above his head and Lara can balance on top to reach difficult to reach surfaces.  You’ll also find yourself in a friendly competition with your partner to rack up kills and grab as many gems as possible.  With point thresholds rewarding extra weapons, stealing that kill from your partner or cutting in front to grab a gem is not considered taboo.

Puzzles are clearly one of the major focuses for the game and they are cleverly designed.  Playing with a partner drastically changes the way you must approach these situations.  While some are fairly straight forward, there are many that will require some careful thought and a lot of trial and error.  The game comes with a learning curve, starting you off easy and then setting up puzzles that will require you to use your accrued experiences to complete them.  The really difficult ones may frustrate you initially, but the satisfaction from finally completing them is very rewarding.  If you’re playing solo, the levels are lightly tweaked in order to allow you to beat them by yourself.

Conclusion: While sales numbers will ultimately reflect on the chances of seeing more Lara Croft in downloadable form, the strength behind the gameplay and design is reason enough to go down this route once again.  With different experiences playing solo/co-op, tons of items/weapons to collect, and various level specific challenges to complete, it has enough replay value to keep you coming back for more.  Just make sure you grab a friend and embrace the challenges presented in completing a puzzle rather than letting it frustrate you.  The final showdown, while quite taxing at times, is one of the best boss fights I’ve played in quite some time.

Single Player: 5/5 | Multi-Player: 5/5

Special thanks to Crystal Dynamics for providing us with a copy of the game for review.