As someone who's played a lot of iconic titles like Uncharted, Assassin's Creed, Indiana Jones and even Ratchet & Clank and many others, I have to say there's something special about the original Tomb Raider that hits differently.

Sure, the graphics are dated, and it's not as polished as some of the newer games, but there's a certain magic to it. You can feel the history in every pixel - the way Lara Croft moved, the puzzles, the exploration - it laid the foundation for the entire genre we know today. It is raw, it is tough, and you can really appreciate how far the gaming world has come since then.

Even after playing modern adventures with way more advanced mechanics, Tomb Raider I (1996) still holds its own. It is a reminder of how much value there is in the classics.

Sure, it is a bit clunky in spots, but it also has this undeniable charm and sense of adventure that is hard to replicate. You cannot help but admire how groundbreaking it was for its time, and for that alone, it deserves respect.

reVote 8/10

Overall Rating: 10/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Graphics: 2/10
Story: 7.3/10
Music and Sound: 10/10
Personal enjoyment: 10/10

Released in 1996, the original Tomb Raider revolutionized the gaming landscape and gave birth to one of the most iconic characters in video game history: Lara Croft. With its blend of action-adventure, platforming, and puzzle-solving, this game laid the groundwork for countless successors and left an undeniable mark on the gaming industry.

To this day, this game is still so much fun to play, you are given the ability to perform cool acrobatic moves, shoot enemies, and solve puzzles as the iconic Miss Croft herself. You control Lara Croft in a fully 3D environment, which was a novelty at the time. The game challenges players with complex and intricate puzzles that can take you hours to solve, and yet solving them feels satisfying and rewarding and truly makes you feel accomplished for solving them. The sense of exploration, coupled with the excitement of discovering ancient tombs and relics, without a doubt kept me engaged for hours.

The game has definitely shown it's age a bit in the last 29 years, for example the graphics are pretty rough by modern standards, the game features tank controls which will take quite a while to get used to, and it's easy to get lost in the large, maze-like level design, but it's all part of the charm of this game and what makes it such a memorable experience. Personally, I will forever hold Tomb raider close to my heart for not just being such an amazing game, but for creating the game franchise that I grew up with and helped me through some tough times by always being a series of games that I could hop onto and forget about my issues. Even if you are a more modern gamer who has trouble getting into older games, I highly recommend Tomb Raider regardless just to try it out, though, I suggest getting the remaster over the originals!