Lara Croft and The Guardian of Light Review

Much like Tomb Raider‘s far-flung locales, Lara Croft’s career has been filled with both resplendent peaks and austere gorges. Over her fourteen-year reign, the charismatic  archeologist has starred in nine games, as well as comic book and film franchises. Yet, like many figures who’ve spend an extended interval in the public eye, Lara has also garnered a fair bit of criticism. Everything from 2003’s bug-laden Angel of Darkness to a reliance on convention  has plagued the iconic protagonist.

To answer detractors, recent release Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light has forgone many of the expectations associated with an entry in the Tomb Raider franchise. Beyond the abandonment of a disk-based delivery, the title presents players with an omniscient, overhead isometric perspective. This change in viewpoint isn’t just cosmetic- it allows Guardian of Light to move at an exhilarating pace, elevated combat and adds intriguing cooperative possibilities. It’s been years since Lara’s exploits have felt so charmingly effervescent; perhaps our beloved protagonist uncovered De Leon’s fountain of youth in a post-Underworld venture.

To accommodate the presentational changes, Guardian of Light offers a intuitive new control scheme. Taking a cue from twin stick shooters,  players move protagonists around with the left stick while a push of the right stick draws weapons and aims in a direction. Depending on which type of ammo is selected, a push of the right trigger releases a projectile- which range from pistol rounds, penetrating (but limited) machine gun rounds, and even spears. The game’s javelins are particularly useful- when they are shot into a wall they become perches for Lara to climb, allowing players to build precarious pathways to lofty treasure nooks.

In a single player excursion, Lara is granted the use of the spears, whereas in a cooperative game the lances are exclusive to Totec- the impetus for the game’s subtitle. Beyond the two-thousand year old Mayan’s uncanny proficiency with M-16s and flamethrowers, the warrior can also utilizes his trusty shield to protect Lara from incoming fire. Drawing inspiration from another ancient civilization, Totec uses the shield to give the archeologist a slight boost, as well. Currently, joint excursions through Guardian of Light are local-only affairs, although the game promises online matches in September. Although the two player game is undeniably enjoyable and requires a gratifying amount of collaboration, it also presents the game from an even higher perspective forgoing some of the game’s graphical details.

Visually, each of the Guardian‘s fifteen stages are adorned with impressively rendered environments and evocative shadows, while explosions display impressive particles effects. Although the game’s fixed perspective can infrequently obscure small sections of the environment, only rarely did this cause the death of one of the game’s protagonists. Aurally, the title’s soundtrack straddles between tribal rhythms and ambient washes, complementing the game’s exotic locales. Less successful is the voice actor for Totec, who fails to capture a Mayan vibe.

Unlike most downloadable titles which are completed then left to fester on hard drives, Guardian of Light‘s healthy quantity of supplemental content lend the game to multiple playthroughs. With in-game trials, challenge rooms, weapons, and artifacts to tempt gamers hidden in the title, completionists will have their hands full until the three additional content packages go live. The one potential downside is Guardian‘s size- at a whopping two gigabyes, owners on an original 20GB drive, might have to clear some room for Lara.

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light isn’t just a great downloadable title- it’s an altogether impressive gaming experience which shouldn’t be missed by series fans. As the concluding entry in Microsoft’s Summer of Arcade, Lara send the series off with an appropriate amount of controller-clinching tension- a task which the adored explorer hasn’t been able to accomplish in the better part of a decade.