Briefly: Well this is a surprise.
The 1996 classic, Tomb Raider (which I now barely remember as I was just six years old the first time I played it) has just launched on the iOS App Store for $.99!
I immediately picked up the title (which weighs in at a cool 280MB), and it feels about as well as I could imagine this game playing on a touchscreen. Tomb Raider launched well before the original Dual Shock controller did, remember, so instead of dual faux-thumbsticks, you’ll be relying on the classic, clunky-as-hell Resident-Evil style controls. The game also supports the newfangled iOS controllers (including the MOGA Ace Power and the Logitech PowerShell, which I haven’t seen in stores yet but would totally pick up), which I can only imagine would make things a lot easier.
The game is old and tough, and the graphics are beyond-awful compared to AAA mobile titles of today, but it’s a nostalgic blast that shouldn’t be overlooked, and especially not for $1. Take a look at Square-Enix’s release notes below, and head here to download the game!
We’re going back to where it all began for one of the most famous video game characters of all time – Lara Croft – with the release of her very first adventure! That’s right, Tomb Raider I is now available for your iPad and iPhone in all its original (and challenging!) glory.
We’ve not messed about with it, so it’s the full, unedited, unadulterated experience from the classic release at a super-low price. How better to find out if you’ve still got what it takes to beat a legendary game than by taking on the lost city of Atlantis and the pyramids of Egypt? It’s probably not for the faint of heart!
The game includes two extra chapters that were included in the game’s 1998 re-release, giving you a total play time of around 15 hours. Also supports game controllers such as the MOGA Ace Power and the Logitech PowerShell.
Here’s some story info:
Adventurer Lara Croft has been hired to recover the pieces of an ancient artefact known as the Scion. With her fearless acrobatic style she runs, jumps, swims and climbs her way towards the truth of its origin and powers – leaving only a trail of empty tombs and gun-cartridges in her wake. On this trail are breath-taking 3D worlds where exploration, puzzle and platform elements blend in a seamless real-time environment. A perfect chance for newcomers and diehards alike to jump back into the series’ seminal single-player action.
•Epic Exploration – The lost city of Atlantis and ancient Egyptian pyramids are ripe for discovery: explore every hidden dark crevice and impossible heights; enter into strange, undiscovered lands and solve their deepest, darkest mysteries; open doors to new realms, uncover great rewards and unearth secrets to Lara’s past.
•Acrobatic Gunplay – Deftly leap around charging enemies while you unleash a hail of bullets from your trademark dual pistols.
•Combat Lethal Predators – The wilderness awaits with a wide range of enemies from bears to wolves, intriguing Atlantean centaurs and the terrifying T-Rex.
