PlayStation, Xbox, PC, Steam Deck and Switch tested.
The pitch is simple - this release seeks to deliver the first threeTomb Raider gameswith a range ofoptionalenhancements.
you’re able to enjoy them with enhanced graphics or stick with the original assets.
The first thing you might notice are the brand-new high-resolution textures.
Overall, I do think they’ve done a nice job with the textures.
The developers also deployed some really interesting tricks such as attempting to fake depth on ladders using parallax effects.
It can look a little weird sometimes, but it’s a neat addition.
Beyond these changes though, the team has also layered in additional 3D models.
t’s done just tastefully enough so not as to overwhelm and I think it greatly improves the presentation.
That’s a great touch.
Another key improvement lies in the lighting.
The original Tomb Raider uses a mix of static lighting and per-vertex lighting for dynamic objects.
As a result, the game not only more accurately portrays light and shadow, but also colour transfer.
This can make it more difficult to navigate certain sections or find objects you might need.
I didn’t struggle much with this myself, but new players might.
Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered is available on basically every current and last-generation platform.
What do I mean?
Well, let’s consider the weakest system - Nintendo Switch.
This one delivers either 1080p60 in docked mode or 720p60 in portable.
It maxes out the system’s display options, basically, and it does so without breaking a sweat.
In every situation, I encountered not even a single hiccup in frame-rate.
Xbox Series S is well represented with a 1440p60 release too.
This makes the game look and feel jerky, with additional judder, on every console.
Given this, I’d say classic mode basically demands a patch to get it up to snuff.
The PC version is perhaps even more interesting.
As expected, requirements are very low and it supports hardware dating back to 2012 without issue.
However, there are a couple oddities which deserve mention here.
Firstly, there are zero graphics options in this game and I mean that.
The larger issue, however, ties into how the screen is drawn.
When I first loaded it up, I was surprised at how jerky the visuals seemed to be.
I tried a bunch of things before finally stumbling on the solution.
It might sound strange, but give it a shot.
The game also runs excellently on Steam Deck, without the swapchain management glitches on PC.
