A few days ago, I received a rental in the mail. This week, it was Tomb Raider: Legend. I have never been a huge fan of the Tomb Raider series; I had only played Tomb Raider II briefly. While I enjoyed the earlier game’s Croft Manor training level (and was amused to no end when I discovered how you could shut the butler in the freezer), I had lost interest once the real adventure started. I didn’t like the one-hit death policy as a beginner. However, after hearing rave reviews of this game and its relatively short completion time (10 hours), I was excited to check out this game. After all, it was supposed to be the Lara’s comeback.

I started up the game and saw an interesting option on the menu: Croft Manor. From my previous Tomb Raider experience, I assumed that it was a training level. If not, I thought that it would at least help me to get a feel for the controls. It turns out that Lara can run around a large, open hallway and un up to her friends. However, she cannot talk to them or enter any doors until the first level was completed. So much for a training level. I exited and began a new game on beginner mode (since I rarely play this genre).

The opening cut scene was simple enough: a cute younger Lara gets in a plane crash (part of her history which I knew from other media). The graphics were only as good as the in-game playing graphics, but those are decent. It wasn’t RPG-quality, but it wasn’t meant for that audience.

I first gained control of Lara on a cliff. The path to follow is fairly easy to find – there is really only one way to go (usually up or out, depending on the level). Lara is fairly forgiving (aside from as incident when she died after falling 15 feet) and has excellent agility. She can grab ropes and ledges if you get her within a reasonable vicinity, making the game less stressful. She can also take out enemies easily; you barely have to aim. Both made for an ease of gameplay that allowed me to move fairly quickly and focus on the adventure rather than the details. Also, there is a tutorial, but it is integrated into the first level (another friendly feature). While some of the moves took a couple of tries, there was really no penalty if you did die over and over practicing (it appears as if the lives are not limited).

However, I easily got past my first onslaught of enemies without having to use a single medi-pack. I had to leave two to go to waste on the ground, as I could only carry three. Perhaps the enemies were easier because I was in beginner mode. At any rate, I entered my first temple and died a couple times over some spikes. The 15-second load screen after death is little penalty; it’s just a bit annoying if you die multiple times in a row (but you usually regenerate at certain “checkpoints” that are located conveniently near particularly challenging obstacles).

I was having an okay time running through the game until I got through the first puzzle. It is confusing and complex, especially compared to the rest of the game. This is the part where I usually diligently follow a strategy guide so I can continue on my merry way. I looked up a guide online, but soon realized that I didn’t really care about solving the puzzle. Why?

First of all, the game felt a little too easy. Also, I was running through Bolivia for apparently no reason. The witty comments didn’t catch my interest and there was little character to speak of. The NPCs I shot were so flat that I felt less guilty shooting them than the animals. I naturally avoid games that will stress me out (since I am very jumpy and a little bit neurotic, so my life is stressful enough). While this game was low stress (and thus very playable for its genre to someone like me), I still could not get into it. I had little interest in the affairs of Lara and did not want to take the time to solve the complex puzzles. I decided to send it back.

When I think about the game now, I would still rate it as a good adventure game. I think that the standard or advanced modes would provide a more even challenge in the game (and the puzzles would match those difficulties better). It just didn’t capture my interest, and I believe that that is mainly because of the type of player I am. I really love the Spyro trilogy and RPGs like Final Fantasy. Both have pretty colors. The RPGs I have really enjoyed are not only beautiful but also have complex, engaging stories. I like games that don’t try too hard to seem cool (unlike Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft) and kill creatures that are hurting the world (such as mythical or silly monsters, not beautiful leopards in Bolivia). If a game has puzzles, I want to be able to solve them within a few tries or have a strategy guide for the hard ones. I think it is good for me to play these other genres for inspiration and gain an understanding of mechanics. However, I think I will continue to send them back after a couple hours simply because of my nature.