The Tomb Raider Franchise
トゥームレイダー
The franchise focuses on the fictional British archaeologist-adventurer (and also the first lady of PlayStation games) Lara Croft (Shelley Blond → Judith Gibbons → Jonell Elliott, English / Emi Ogata → Atsuko Tanaka, Japanese). The franchise is currently owned by CDE Entertainment; it was formerly owned by Eidos Interactive, and then by Square Enix Europe after Square Enix acquired Eidos in 2009 until Embracer Group purchased the intellectual property alongside Eidos in 2022.
The game’s original developer was Core Design (before it was shuttered in 2010), then Crystal Dynamics, who is the game’s current developer, Eidos-Montréal, and later Square Enix Montréal. Lara Croft always wears boots at every level in all three games, with a few exceptions (such as the first game’s Lara’s Home and the second game’s final stage, both of which she goes barefoot), and she carries twin pistols (as she is the originator of the Guns Akimbo trope in video games). Victor (Japan; now closed/merged with JVCKenwood) handled the Japanese release of the first two games, Enix (now closed/merged with Square Enix) handled the Japanese release of the third game, and Street Fighter and Biohazard/Resident Evil creator Capcom handled the Japanese releases of the fourth and fifth games.
Tomb Raider
The first order of business is Tomb Raider, released in 1996 for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and DOS. The game is known in Japan as Tomb Raiders (トゥームレイダース). The game takes place in four countries: Peru, Greece (where the Olympics took place in 2004), Egypt, and Atlantis. Nathan McCree is the game’s composer. Lara’s Home appears in the first three games (note that Surrey is an actual location in the UK).
Tomb Raider II
Released in 1997, Tomb Raider II allows Lara to walk through shallow water, climb ladders and other designated surfaces, turn 180 degrees while jumping or swimming, and during the Venice and Tibet levels drive a speedboat and snowmobile respectively. Zip lines in some areas can be used to traverse large gaps, and flares can be used to light dark areas for a limited time. The game also adds the assault course in Lara’s Home. Nathan McCree returned to the role of the composer as he did in the first game and would reprise his role in the third game, and the game was released for the PlayStation, Windows PCs, and Mac OS. The game takes place in China, Venice (Italy), Rig and Maria Doria, Tibet, China (again), and Lara’s Home (the final level). It is also the first game not to be released on the Sega Saturn.
Tomb Raider III
Released in 1998, Tomb Raider III takes place in the following levels: India, the South Pacific, Nevada (US), London (UK), and Antarctica. The game allows Lara to climb up on the monkey bars and also use the ATV. The third game’s assault course is much worse than the game’s second assault course, when you land on the sand or miss any shots, you will be penalized. The game is released on the PlayStation, Windows PC, and Mac OS.
Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation
Released in 1999, Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation takes place in these levels: Cambodia, King’s Valley, Karnak, Alexandria, Cairo (Egypt), and the Pyramids of Giza (also Egypt). In the game’s first level, you play as a teenage Lara Croft (her hair is in pigtails, similar to Ling Xiaoyu from Tekken). Unlike the first three games, Lara’s Home does not appear in this game. It is also the first game to be released for the Sega Dreamcast, along with the usual PlayStation, Windows PC, and Mac OS ports. Peter Connelly takes the role of the game’s composer, replacing Nathan McCree from the first three games. The game is known as Tomb Raider IV: The Last Revelation in Germany and Japan, Tomb Raider: La Revelation Finale (“Tomb Raider: The Final Revelation”) in France, and Tomb Raider: De Laatste Onthulling (“Tomb Raider: The Last Unveiling”) in the Netherlands.
Tomb Raider: Chronicles
The fifth and final of the Tomb Raider Classic series, released in 2000, Tomb Raider: Chronicles has some kind of a dark turn: Lara Croft is presumed dead, buried under the collapsed Great Pyramid of Giza. At Lara’s home of Croft Manor, three former friends and associates — Lara’s butler Winston, the family priest Father Patrick Dunstan, and Lara’s history teacher Charles Kane — reminisce over some of Lara’s early exploits following a memorial service. New additions are Lara’s ability to walk along tightropes (similar to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus performers), swing from horizontal poles, and flip out of crawl spaces. The game’s levels are Rome (Italy), Russia (despite the still-ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine), Ireland, and New York City. The game was released for the PlayStation, Dreamcast, Windows PC, and Mac OS.
There’s also Tomb Raider I–III Remastered, which is a remastered compilation of the first three games in the Tomb Raider series originally developed by Core Design (Warning: The compilation is rated Mature by the ESRB in the US and Canada). Atsuko Tanaka (Sato is her actual married surname, while Tanaka is her actual maiden surname), Lara Croft’s second Japanese dub voice actress, became later known for voicing Bayonetta’s titular character. As kids, we think it would be funny if we locked Winston (Lara’s butler, who farts) in the freezer in the second and third games.
