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| Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light |
Lara Croft: Guardian of Light shows off some high production values for the price of a
downloadable title. Right of the bat, you can tell that this game – both in terms of artistic
design and scenery – has borrowed a lot from the Uncharted series. Granted, the level of
polish is not the same but you will still be amazed by how good the graphics look for a game
that only costs $15.
Lara has always been a lone wolf, exploring tombs and swan diving into puddles alone. Well,
not anymore. This game is centred round the concept of two player co-op. For this adventure,
Lara is accompanied by the ancient Mayan warrior Totec. He is a man of few words, but then
again who wouldn’t be after 2000 years of sleep. Gameplay wise, the two differ in a couple of
ways. Namely that Lara is equipped with a grappling hook and Totec with a shield and spear.
The developer has done an excellent job in combining there different abilities to create some
of the most compelling and innovative platforming puzzles in a long time. There is so much
more then just synchronized lever pulling to be had here.
The main objective of each level is to make it to the end in one piece. On your way there
you will encounter countless enemies, challenging puzzles and big bosses. Apart from that,
there are loads of side objectives that you can tackle. These objectives are designed like Xbox
achievements, in that they are completely optional, but offer in-game rewards like fancy new
weapons or useful power-ups. This offers plenty of incentive to go back and play levels again,
even after the credits have rolled. Scattered across each level are challenge rooms. These
rooms offer some of the games most interesting puzzles and really force you and your partner
to work together.
Historically, Tomb Raider games have excelled at the exploration and puzzle solving parts
but have had problems in the action department. Lara Croft: GoL offers a more over-the-top,
arcade-like action style, which really compliments the puzzle solving well. Lara and Totec
are often getting swarmed by a barrage of enemies, having to machine gun there way out of
trouble. The shooting mechanics are simple, but fun and intuitive. There is a multitude of
weapons to choose from and its fun to play around with different combinations.
The pacing of the game is really spot-on, you’re constantly kept on the edge of your seat.
There is always a challenge ahead, be it a giant lizard, a booby-trapped puzzle or poisonous
smoke. The puzzles never become a drag that you wish you could skip, due to the fact that
they manage to stay fairly simple, but yet intriguing and fun, all the way to the end.
As good as the game is, it’s not perfect. The story is paper thin and the voice acting is not
exactly of award winning quality. However, these flaws are just minor bumps in the road. The
real fun is to be had in the gameplay and the interaction with your companion. There are no
adversarial modes but the developer has hinted at upcoming DLC packs so maybe it will be
available later on down the road.
Although designed for co-op, you can play Lara Croft: GoL on your own and still have a lot
of fun. One would imagine that the computer would take control over Totec when playing
alone, but the developer has opted for another solution. Instead, the puzzles are watered down
and adjusted so that they can be solved by one player.
Lara Croft: GoL is one of the best games released this summer, be it downloadable or retail.
The story is ultra cheesy but that don’t really matter. This is one of the best two player co-op
games out there, period.