6 classic Tomb Raider games are ‘free’ this week, but they do have some glaring issues

by

PlayStation Plus members can enjoy the remastered Tomb Raider I-III for free during April. However, it wasn’t a great experience earlier in March. A patch released by the developer, Aspyr, on March 12th, included a new ‘Challenge Mode’ but also unfortunately introduced several problems.

The update had several issues, including repetitive level music, incorrect enemy sounds, and broken traps. What was particularly worrying was that a new company, rather than the dedicated Tomb Raider fans who originally remastered the collection and created its updated textures, handled this ‘Challenge Mode’ patch.

Fans were very upset with the game, prompting Aspyr to announce on March 18th that players could submit bug reports for a future update. The first update arrived on March 31st and addressed many problems, but some issues still haven’t been resolved. Several fans have contacted me to point out that Lara’s braid still glitches in photo mode, and near the end of Tomb Raider II, ninja enemies sometimes throw tiger heads instead of daggers.

The collection initially received fantastic reviews in February 2024 for its accurate update of the classic games, which now includes a photo mode, improved graphics, and all three expansion packs. However, it’s notable how quickly this first update was released, likely because the remastered collection is now available to PlayStation Plus members. Even with a few remaining glitches across all six games, they still offer a worthwhile experience.

Back to the Croft

I’ve been playing Tomb Raider games for the last 30 years and have even written books about the first two games, with another book covering titles up to Tomb Raider: Chronicles coming out later this year.

Let’s start with a bit of background. The original Tomb Raider really raised the bar for 3D adventure games, reaching a new audience. Taking cues from the Indiana Jones films, it was incredibly popular, and the team at Core Design began planning a sequel only a few weeks after the first game launched on PlayStation in November 1996.

The James Bond films, particularly the soon-to-be-released Tomorrow Never Dies in late 1997, heavily influenced Tomb Raider II. The sequel built on the original game with enhanced abilities for Lara Croft, like climbing, mid-air rolls, and the use of vehicles – think boats in Venice and snowmobiles in Tibet.

Although a deal was made to release a game in the series on PlayStation by 2000, the development team immediately felt pressure to start working on a third installment. While they originally envisioned an open-world game for the PlayStation 2 set on an island, Core Design’s management insisted on a direct sequel for the PlayStation 1, with a target release date of fall 1998.

With a largely new team at the helm, the development of Tomb Raider III saw many of the original creators move on to other projects, including the often-overlooked game Project Eden on the PlayStation 2 in 2001. Fans know this installment as having a significant amount of unused content, cut due to time limitations – plans included a knife weapon and a drivable boat in the South Pacific level, among other things. While the game was successful and initially received excellent reviews, some players began to lose interest in the series.

Want to see this content?

This page uses a security feature called Google reCAPTCHA. Before it loads, we need your permission because it might use cookies and similar technologies. If you click ‘Accept and continue,’ you’ll allow reCAPTCHA to work and help keep the site secure.

Before the release of Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, it was tricky to play these classic games, particularly their expansions. Getting them running on current PCs or even a Steam Deck required workarounds like community-made patches and compatibility apps. The expansions were even more problematic, as they weren’t available for purchase anywhere.

Between 1998 and 2000, three expansion packs were released for the original Tomb Raider games. These weren’t developed by the usual team, Core Design, but by another group at Eidos Interactive. “Unfinished Business” continued the story of the first Tomb Raider, showing what happened immediately after the game’s ending. “Golden Mask,” for Tomb Raider II, takes place after the main game and includes a unique and entertaining level set in Las Vegas. Lastly, “Lost Artefact” for Tomb Raider III introduces a new meteorite artifact and culminates in a rematch with a familiar enemy.

Each of these versions offered unique challenges with interesting puzzles and levels, though they didn’t include any new weapons or music. The catch was, you could only play them if you happened to find the original game discs – maybe at a garage sale or borrowed from a friend who had the classic Tomb Raider games.

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered lets you play all three original Tomb Raider games, plus their expansions. If you have a PlayStation Plus subscription, you’re getting six games for the price of one – it’s completely free!

This release is a positive step for both preserving classic games and the Tomb Raider series itself. Here’s where the Tomb Raider I-III Remastered collection comes into play, with all the good and bad that comes with it.

Choosing your Buggy Adventure

Nostalgia is a strong emotion, particularly when it comes to video games. It often brings back fond memories of when players first experienced classics like the original PlayStation’s Tomb Raider. However, remakes can be tricky – they risk disappointing fans if they don’t stay true to what made the original games so special, or if they change too much.

The recent Challenge Mode patch is a good illustration of these issues. Instead of the familiar experience of fighting ninjas in the Dragon’s Lair level of Tomb Raider II, players now face invisible attacks, mismatched sounds that disrupt nostalgic memories, and even typos like ‘Challanges’. As the image shows, enemies can also unexpectedly spawn in the same location. These problems are frustrating, and the teams at Magic Media, Aspyr Media, and Crystal Dynamics should have caught them before release.

The Tomb Raider fanbase is very dedicated and eager to help each other. However, they’re also known for being direct and honest, especially on the series’ subreddit. Currently, players are pointing out remaining bugs in the remastered version. While Aspyr has promised more updates, many feel these issues could have been prevented if the original development team, Saber Interactive, had stayed involved.

While ‘Challenge Mode Patch 1’ doesn’t fully restore the classic Tomb Raider experience, it does fix some of the most frustrating problems, preserving fond memories of the original games and expansions. However, the developers still have work to do to bring it back to the quality level of Patch 5.

As a PlayStation Plus member, I’m really excited to try these games out – they’re a great way to jump into the series if you’ve never played them before, or if it’s been ages since the 90s! Just keep in mind they aren’t super modern, so don’t expect everything to look or sound perfect. If you do find any issues, definitely let the developers know – there’s a link at the bottom of the page to report them.

Authors

Daryl BaxterContributor

Daryl is a writer with three published books: The Making of Tomb Raider, 50 Years of Boss Fights, and another book related to The Making of Tomb Raider, which will be released later this year.

Read More

2026-04-06 14:07