Masterful Tomb Raider reboot reimagining Lara as a vulnerable but determined survivor. Stunning visuals, immersive storytelling and varied gameplay across exploration, stealth and action. One of the generation's best action-adventures.
Your verdict
Category
Action Adventure1 player18+
Description
Reboot by Crystal Dynamics reinventing young Lara Croft on the cursed island of Yamatai. Published by Square Enix, released in March 2013 in Europe, Asia, North America and Japan. Lara Croft young archaeologist shipwrecked on Yamatai facing Solarii fanatics, action-adventure gameplay mixing cover-based TPS and semi-open exploration, evolving bow mechanic, online multiplayer mode, English voice-over with Camilla Luddington.
Tomb Raider review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
MAX
Story
★★★★★
"Masterful"
A hostile island bathed in rain and mud, striking natural light and raw realism: the reboot plunges Lara into a brutal, credible survival. The care of the settings and the expressiveness of the faces reach a rare intensity. This art direction, polished and immersive, magnificently reinvents an icon.
Signed by Jason Graves, the music favours organic percussion and taut pads over melody, instilling a visceral survival atmosphere. Each of Lara's ordeals pulses with a raw, immersive tension. This sonic identity, daring and oppressive, masterfully accompanies the heroine's rebirth.
Shipwrecked on a cursed island, a young archaeologist must survive by any means and become, through pain, the adventurer she is destined to be. A dark, visceral origin, the tale paints fear, loss and hardening with raw intensity. This brutal rebirth gave a soul back to a legendary heroine.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first minutes"
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Following Lara across a hostile island between climbing, nervy gunfights and the search of optional tombs sets up a brisk adventure where each zone opens a new secret to root out. Improving your arsenal and aptitudes reward exploration. Its scripted sequences and its linear frame show, but the momentum of the progression and the urge to search it all hold you for the long haul.
The uncommon regional runs of Tomb Raider, including the Asian and Russian versions, released on markets with restricted physical distribution. Noticeably rarer than the Western European and American editions, they interest collectors of the thinly documented local outings of the icon's reboot. Their desirability rests mainly on this geographic scarcity.
Is Tomb Raider still worth playing in 2026?
The Tomb Raider reboot masterfully reinvents Lara Croft as a vulnerable and determined survivor, whose transformation through a gruelling adventure on a hostile island forms the heart of the story. The presentation, superb for the PS3, and the immersive staging lend a real intensity to each twist. The gameplay, fluidly alternating exploration, climbing, stealth and brisk gunfights, has aged remarkably well. The darker, more realistic tone contrasts with the classic entries. For the fan of cinematic action-adventure, this title remains one of the best of its generation, fully recommendable today.
