Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

🎮 Steam ⏳ 11 hours ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)

A Fresh Direction #

This title marks a bold and refreshing detour from the traditional Tomb Raider formula. Instead of the usual third-person adventure with cinematic storytelling, this spin-off embraces an isometric camera view, arcade-style combat, and cooperative puzzle-solving. The result is a tightly designed action-adventure game that feels both nostalgic and inventive. The story is light but effective, Lara teams up with Totec, an ancient Mayan warrior resurrected to help stop the evil spirit Xolotl from plunging the world into darkness. The narrative mostly serves as a backdrop for the gameplay, which is where the real fun lies.

Coop-Centric Gameplay #

The campaign can be played solo or in two-player coop, and it’s in coop that the game truly shines, many puzzles and combat encounters are cleverly designed to encourage teamwork, with Lara’s grappling hook and Totec’s spear-throwing creating dynamic ways to navigate levels. Unortunately for me, like many coop titles that I played, I experienced this one alone, and it was still an enjoyable experience, so I still recommend this title for solo players. The gameplay blends twin-stick shooting, platforming, and environmental puzzles seamlessly. Combat feels fast and responsive, with a nice variety of weapons, relics, and artifacts that modify abilities and encourage experimentation.

Clever Puzzles & Atmosphere #

The puzzles strike a satisfying balance between clever and intuitive, rewarding exploration without being frustrating. The isometric perspective gives the game a distinct arcade feel, though it can sometimes make depth perception tricky during jumps or traps. Visually, the game still holds up well for its age, the environments, ancient temples, crumbling ruins, and trap-filled chambers, are detailed and atmospheric. The OST complements the setting with an adventurous tone, and the performance is smooth even on modest hardware, so this is a well-suited game for older systems, or even for handhelds.

An Underrated Adventure #

Overall, this title is a well-crafted, fast-paced adventure that proves the franchise can thrive outside its usual formula. Its tight mechanics, inventive coop design, and rewarding gameplay loop make it one of the most underrated gems of it’s time. Despite me praising it so much, I don’t think this is a must-play outside of the fans to this franchise, or if you are really into story-driven coop campaign titles, which there aren’t really that much to play anyway when it comes to these types of videogames.