Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered | PS5 Review

March 30, 2025 Zack Parkerson

In the throes of PlayStation’s first era, few personalities loomed larger than that of Lara Croft. Certainly, her latter trilogy is remembered less fondly in the annals of gaming history, but Apsyr Media and Saber Interactive seem to hold them in the same regard as I do. Much as the remasters before it, Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered is an exceptional package created with respect and care.

For those not familiar, the Tomb Raider franchise came out on a pretty brutal schedule, one every single year. This undeniably led to the games feeling pretty similar to one another, as it’s pretty hard to innovate on such a restrictive schedule. Nonetheless, each entry definitely has its own distinct feel and vibe.

The Many Lives of Lara Croft

Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation is an indisputable all-timer, a bonafide classic amongst action/adventure games of this sort. The majority of the game is all in one location, that being Egypt, which is pretty unusual for the franchise. It gives The Last Revelation a certain je ne sais quoi, really doubling down on the incredible atmosphere Egypt can give the proceedings. There’s a lot of eerie vibes amongst the desolate dunes, a certain feeling that you’re never quite as safe to solve those puzzles as you wish you were.

Tomb Raider: Chronicles is my least favorite amongst the Core Design era of the series, but it’s still really good. Presented as a series of short stories, it sees Lara in several one-off adventures. The setup is fine, but I think you can tell the developers didn’t have their hearts in this one as much. The puzzles are a little rote, and the levels aren’t as exciting outside of a haunted mansion area.

Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness is widely considered to be one of the worst sequels of all time. Famously unfinished at release, it performed so badly both critically and commercially that Core Design was taken off of the franchise, and the reins handed over to Crystal Dynamics. Well, everyone is wrong as hell. The Angel of Darkness absolutely rules, and no one can convince me otherwise.

Yes, it is definitely unfinished and full of hall-baked ideas. But the story here is perhaps Lara’s darkest, as she sees herself framed for murder, on the run, and investigating a secret occult organization that seeks to overpower angels and demons alike. Once you figure out how to work around its shortcomings, it’s one of Lara’s finest adventures, and it’s filled with fantastic puzzles and an unsettling atmosphere. People often say the game has no tombs, but can’t we all agree Paris is practically a tomb anyway?

Rewriting History

Surprising nobody, Aspyr and Saber have done just as good of a job as they did last time. The games allow you to toggle between new and old graphics on the fly, and they both look great in their own way. You’ll be hard-pressed not to swap back and forth constantly. Modern control options have been implemented once again, to mixed results. I’m sure they’re great for newcomers, but my brain is too hard-wired with classic Tomb Raider controls to switch over at this point.

The Angel of Darkness has gotten a lot of love in particular, with some content restored that was absent from the original version. The second playable character in that game, 2000’s emo poster boy Kurtis Trent, has some of his original moveset put back into place. I already loved this game despite its shortcomings, so I was filled with a loving warmth seeing it restored with such respect and reverence.

Time’s Up

You probably already know if you want to play Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered or not. It is absolutely worth every penny; hell I would’ve paid this price just for the improvements to The Angel of Darkness. You get three great video games that are important to history, lovingly touched up, and ready for your modern enjoyment. Lara Croft remains an enduring icon because of this era of video games, and you owe it to yourself to experience (or reexperience) it for yourself.

This review is based on a PS5 copy of Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered provided by Sandbox Strategies for coverage purposes. It is also available on Xbox, Switch, and PC.