Monday, November 18, 2013

Game Review: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (iOS)


I purchased a little app on my iPhone that I hoped would slake my thirst for more Tomb Raider goodness. It kind of worked.

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is a platform game that is not connected to the Tomb Raider brand. Sigh. The plot, such as it is, goes like this: somewhere in South America, mercenaries uncover the Mirror of Shadows, which releases the evil Xolotl. Together with Totec, a Mayan warrior also released by the find, Lara must defeat Xolotl before dawn. Let the jumping and shooting begin!

Pros:
  • Easy
  • Offers variety of levels, puzzle-based challenges, weapons, and rewards/bonuses 
  • Soundtrack clearly homage to Angelina Jolie Tomb Raider films 
  • Authentic creature and undead monster sounds! *RARRRR crk crk crk* 

Cons:
  • Lara jumps even worse that Mario in the NES Mario Bros. game 
  • Controls unfriendly to oily/cracked fingers 
  • Camera angles make it difficult to see elements of an entire area 
  • Auto-aim feature frequently targets farthest enemy instead of the one eating Lara’s face 

All in all, ‘twas a light, entertaining diversion – one time, I was on the train and got into a boss fight and almost missed my stop. It's also fun to complete optional challenges, like figuring out how to use a giant ball to hit a switch guarded by spikes, or shooting down snipers while a giant catfish-like abomination nips at Lara's heels.

Next step: multi-player mode! I shall report back when finished. (edit: scratch that. Multiplayer requires waiting for another human to connect.)

This post brought to you by a strangely balmy November day.

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