Ah, Tomb Raider. A videogame icon worthy of the identify, I do not find out about you, however I have been traipsing via tombs, ruins, and caves because the ’90s, that means I’ve performed nearly each Lara Croft sport on the market, together with those most followers consider as being ‘unhealthy’ or ‘subpar.’ As soon as such journey turns 22 years outdated as we speak, as a substitute of calling Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness a ‘unhealthy’ sport, I name it an underrated one.
Now, I am not out right here to say that Angel of Darkness is among the greatest Tomb Raider video games as a result of, fairly frankly, it is not. Nevertheless it’s a part of a trilogy of Lara Croft adventures that will get fairly a nasty rap. Admittedly, The Final Revelation, Chronicles, and The Angel of Darkness aren’t the top, however they’re nonetheless a enjoyable time, and I feel Angel of Darkness is the most effective of the three.
Sure, critics rightly referred to as out the unique 2003 PS2 motion sport for its quite poor controls and efficiency points, however the launch of the Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered Assortment fixes that, so new gamers ought to play the sport in 2025 to expertise my favourite factor about it with the improved controls. The story of The Angel of Darkness is among the many greatest in Tomb Raider historical past, to me not less than.
22 years in the past, our heroine discovered herself combined up in a ‘who achieved it’ state of affairs, when individuals falsely imagine she’s accountable for the homicide of her former mentor. It gives one thing barely darker and extra pressing than a few of the different video games within the sequence. Admittedly, Lara, it does look a bit sus in case you’re the final particular person to see the sufferer alive, I am simply saying. Nonetheless, your journey is all about Miss Croft occurring the run, making an attempt to clear her identify.
Total, The Angel of Darkness shifted 2.5 million copies, which is fairly respectable for a PS2 sport, and it is definitely not the worst-performing Tomb Raider sport commercially; that prize goes to Tomb Raider: Anniversary with 1.3 million, whereas The Angel of Darkness’ predecessor, Tomb Raider: Chronicles, offered simply 1.5 million copies.
Nevertheless, in case you go to Metacritic, Chronicles is forward with a rating of 63, in comparison with 52 for The Angel of Darkness. I will not dispute the rating as a result of efficiency, digital camera, and management points, however keep in mind, I am right here for the story, and the latest remaster fixes these issues, for probably the most half.
With the {hardware} enhancements of the Nintendo Change 2, I’ve hope that after we see a new Tomb Raider sport, it’s going to arrive on the platform, however till then, enjoying video games like The Angel of Darkness on it should do. Should you suppose I am being optimistic about something apart from extra remasters for Lara Croft, you need to take a look at our Nintendo Change 2 assessment and Cyberpunk 2077 Change 2 assessment to see precisely what the brand new console is able to.
