Probably the biggest difference you'll notice, coming from TR II, is the shadows and lighting. They upgraded the game engine, and it shows. Even the pistols are smoking after firing now.

The story behind this game is structured much like the first - with the overarching plot being collecting a few things. It's not Scion fragments though, this time it's meteorite fragments. I think they were carved from the meteorite after it landed. I just had a mental image of some carvings flying through space and it didn't seem right.

As with both previous games, the location changes after every few levels, except in this instance you get a choice. This adds a new dimension to the game as one area gets Lara captured (naturally) and you actually lose all your pickups, including weapons, such as the rocket launcher (if you got it). Antarctica will always be last, but after India at the start, you get to choose whether to do London, Nevada, and South Pacific in any order you choose.

The levels each have enough variety to make it feel like a full game. In addition to the controls from TR II, we now have crawling, sprinting, swinging/hanging from the ceiling, and even rolling while sprinting, though I never used this last one. Poison is introduced, and if Lara gets poisoned she'll need healing to make it stop, otherwise it eventually kills her.

More of Lara's iconic dry wit and comedic cutscenes are also a welcome feature.

Even though Tomb Raider III has had a recent Remaster released, this game still holds up well with a patch or two, and is playable on the latest systems. Much like previous titles, it also has great replayability due to the various ways it can be played, as you can impose your own restrictions on healing, what weapons you use, or even speed runs. Some levels are brutal - it's impossible to do a No Damage taken playthrough.

Interestingly, there is even a secret that requires some stealth to get at.


Even if enemies have been made more difficult, I still keep coming back to these early titles. Lady Lara Croft is such a likeable character - upper class, smart-mouthed, and of course, single.


PS: The Lost Artifact is NOT included here, which is unfortunate, and likely going to force people into buying the Remaster. It was never actually part of this game, functioning more like a stand-alone title. If you are keen on getting into TLA for any reason, it is a direct continuation of the story laid down here in TR3. Well worth acquiring, be you completionist or curious.