A Tomb Raider fan is remaking the original game in 2D, and it's everything you want it to be.
When the original Tomb Raider launched all the way back in 1996, it was revolutionary in many ways. It featured a strong female lead, which was practically unheard of in those days, and while it wasn't the first fully 3D game, it was the first to blend exploration and puzzle solving with all-out action in a variety of realistic 3D enviornments. Still, have you ever wondered what Tomb Raider would look like if developer Core Design had opted for a 2D approach instead? Well, wonder no more.
Tomb Raider fan Delca is remaking Lara's original adventure in 2D. They shared a short video of the project on Twitter, and it looks simply stunning. The footage shows Tomb Raider's training level, which takes place in Lara's lavish abode, Croft Manor. The iconic adventurer and her surroundings are taken straight out of the first game - it's even got Lara's original dialogue - but here we see the action from a sideways perspective, and her movements are restricted to backwards and forwards.
Has anyone ever wanted to play a 2D remake of the original Tomb Raider? Well, I'm making one 😺 #TombRaider #TRLE pic.twitter.com/jhv6BZf070August 29, 2022
Those boxes cluttering up the main hall still haven't been shifted (it's been over a quarter of a century, perhaps you should give those delivery people another call, eh, Lara?), so the famed treasure hunter must navigate over them with a series of jumps. We also see the ballroom, which has been converted into a personal gym, and our tour ends with a brief dip in the swimming pool. Aside from the short video, there's little information on this 2D Tomb Raider remake, but we're excited to see how Delca tackles the rest of Lara's adventure, particularly her encounter with the mighty T-Rex.
If you're a fan of Lara's more modern excursions, then be sure to check out Epic Games store later this week, where you'll be able to snap up Shadow of the Tomb Raider for free. Earlier this year, Tomb Raider studio Crystal Dynamics along with Eidos-Montreal, the studio behind Deus Ex, and Square Enix Montreal, best known for the brilliant GO series, was sold to Embracer group for a whopping $300 million. A brand new Tomb Raider game is currently in the works. We don't know much about it yet, other than it'll be powered by Unreal Engine 5, but writer Rhianna Pratchett who penned the Tomb Raider reboot and its sequel Rise of the Tomb Raider, hopes Lara's new adventure won't focus on her father issues.
See which of the series' many entries are worth exploring in our guide to the best Tomb Raider games.
