Lara Croft turns 30, and the remake built for the occasion just got its best look yet. The original Tomb Raider celebrated its 30th anniversary this weekend — it released on the Sega Saturn first, a month before its PlayStation and PC versions — and to mark it, developers Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog, and publisher Amazon Game Studios, revealed a new sneak peek at Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis at the TR30 Derby and MCM London.
Peru, Greece, Egypt, and Atlantis — Remade
The new footage showcases the game’s four major locations — Peru, Greece, Egypt, and Atlantis — and their most memorable moments: the giant Atlas puzzle, the monstrous Atlanteans Lara has to fight, and the unfortunate consequence of stepping on the hand of King Midas’ statue (yes, cursed golden Lara is back, now rendered with modern technology). Insider Gaming notes the trailer shows Lara wielding dual handguns and a shotgun, swinging from structures and shooting at reptiles, just as she did in 1996 — and confirms the release date is still February 12, 2027.
More Than a Coat of Paint
It isn’t a one-to-one remake. Legacy of Atlantis adds gameplay modernizations: a “Focus” meter, skill trees, and crafting. “When you’re taking damage, dealing damage, dodging attacks, you’re building your Focus meter,” game director Raul Siquera explained earlier this year. “Focus allows you to slow down time around you and showcase some of the things that Lara used to do in 1996.” Lara wears her classic shorts-and-tank-top look, with the Survivor trilogy costume available as a pre-order incentive; the deluxe and collector’s editions add 48-hour early access.
How long will it take? “We’re somewhere in that 14-to-16-hour range of play, depending on your play style,” the developers told MP1st — against roughly 12-15 hours for the original — adding: “We’ve intentionally built a world that’s meant to draw you in and make you curious to explore, so you don’t have to put a timer on yourself.”
The Bigger Picture
Announced at the 2025 Game Awards to celebrate the anniversary, Legacy of Atlantis lands on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X on February 12, 2027. More than 100 million Tomb Raider games have been sold since a small team in Derby made the first one in 1996, as the Guardian recounts — and Crystal Dynamics already has another Lara Croft adventure lined up behind the remake: Tomb Raider: Catalyst, announced at the same time.
Sources
- Polygon — Tomb Raider remake’s new trailer is pure classic Lara Croft
- Insider Gaming — Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis Gets New Gameplay Sneak Peek
- MP1st — Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis Length Around 14-16 Hours; Devs Said They’ve “Intentionally” Built a World That’ll Make Players “Curious to Explore”
- The Guardian — Lara Croft is 30! We look at the video game icon’s biggest blunders