Lucy Orr Published June 11, 2026 2:00pm
The remake of the original PS1 Tomb Raider may have been delayed, but the reimagining of Lara Croft’s first adventure is proving worth the wait. At the start of my hands-on preview of the new Tomb Raider remake, Lara Croft stands motionless at the edge of a collapsing cliff face in Peru. Sunlight cuts through jungle mist while the distant roar of something prehistoric echoes through the valley below. There is no yellow paint smothered across climbable surfaces or chatty allies—just Lara, a ruin, and the quiet confidence that I am expected to figure things out for myself. And honestly, it feels like Tomb Raider again.
After years of speculation about Crystal Dynamics’ next move for Lara, Tomb Raider: Legacy Of Atlantis finally emerges as a full reimagining of the 1996 original, developed alongside Flying Wild Hog and published by Amazon Game Studios. According to the developers, it is not a straight remake in the style of Resident Evil, nor is it quite the reinterpretation that Tomb Raider: Anniversary became in 2007. Instead, the developers repeatedly describe it as a 'reimagining'—one that attempts to bridge classic Lara Croft with the cinematic expectations of modern triple-A design. Having gone hands-on with a pre-alpha build at Summer Game Fest, which focused on The Lost Valley section of Peru, the biggest surprise is how committed the game is to recapturing the feel of classic Tomb Raider without becoming a nostalgia museum piece.
The hands-on demo opened with Lara approaching the tomb of Qualopec in search of the Scion, the ancient Atlantean artefact split into three pieces thousands of years earlier. It is familiar territory for long-time fans but greatly expanded in scale and verticality. The Lost Valley is enormous, layered with waterfalls, jungle cliffs, hidden pathways, and crumbling ruins lit by dense shafts of dynamic sunlight.
Pacing and Exploration
What stands out most is the pacing. Modern Tomb Raider games often felt terrified of silence; Legacy Of Atlantis embraces it. Exploration sequences linger, as does the dirt on Lara’s body and the splashes of water on the screen. During the hour I played, Lara spends extended stretches climbing, observing ruins, and deciphering various mechanisms to solve puzzles before being thrown into combat that suddenly erupts in explosive bursts. The structure feels closer to the rhythm of the original PlayStation game than the Survivor trilogy, even if mechanically it still carries DNA from the modern games.
I asked Jeff Adams, experience director at Crystal Dynamics, whether there had been a conscious effort to restore the original game’s emphasis on platforming, isolation, and puzzle-solving over blockbuster action. 'I don’t necessarily believe that there has to be a compromise when it comes to such elements,' he said. 'One of the advantages of making a linear action adventure game is that we can control pacing. That means that, in one moment, we can have you alongside Lara in the Peruvian jungle, admiring the remnants of a lost civilisation. Then we can transition into a beat where Lara is presented with a very challenging obstacle. When the time is right, we can ramp up the cinematic spectacle that, in many ways, makes you feel like you’re playing a summer blockbuster movie.'
That philosophy is visible throughout the demo I played. The main task during the hands-on was Lara navigating a giant cog mechanism puzzle, involving rotating stone systems and environmental manipulation, which transitions directly into a frantic encounter against velociraptors. Lara flips between the ruins while unloading her dual pistols mid-air. The game constantly swings between contemplation and chaos, but in a good way.
Physical Movement and Combat
In an era where many AAA games increasingly automate climbing, Legacy Of Atlantis seems determined to make movement feel physical again. Lara’s jumps have weight, and timing matters. I missed several jumps as the QTE button indicator was just out of my field of view, and the waterfall whisked me down to the bottom pool, forcing me to start my ascent again. According to Adams, the development team deliberately avoided heavily automated traversal systems: 'As developers, we have a long history of creating traversal-based gameplay within the Tomb Raider franchise, and not carrying that forward into Legacy Of Atlantis would be a disservice to both Lara and our fans.'
Lara’s signature flourishes, like swan dives and handstands, return alongside a grappling hook system that allows greater freedom during navigation and combat. Combat has evolved too. Crystal Dynamics describes Lara as 'always on the move' during encounters, with battles built around mobility, acrobatics, and environmental awareness rather than static cover shooting. A new focus system slows time briefly to line up precision shots, while enemy types appear designed to force different playstyles. Velociraptors hunt in packs, jaguars stalk stealthily through foliage, and bears become brutal one-on-one endurance fights. And yes, the T-Rex is back. My hands-on demo ended with a full cinematic gameplay sequence combining traversal, reactive events, and large-scale combat as I escaped the jaws of the big beastie. Even in unfinished form, it is clear Crystal Dynamics understands how important that moment remains in Tomb Raider history.
Lara Croft's Identity
The larger question surrounding Legacy Of Atlantis is what version of Lara Croft this actually is. Since the reveal, fans have debated whether the game represents a full pivot away from Survivor-era Lara and towards the colder, more confident iconography of the Core Design years. Interestingly, the developers insist they do not see those incarnations as separate people. 'We’re not really making an effort to differentiate Lara in Legacy Of Atlantis from the Lara players came to know in the Survivor trilogy,' says Adams. 'They are one and the same; the difference is that the phase of her career in which we find her is no longer defined by the events of those games. Lara has moved beyond them.'
And honestly, that is probably the smartest approach possible. Rather than awkwardly rebooting Lara yet again, Legacy Of Atlantis feels like an attempt to finally merge every version of the character together into one cohesive identity. That confidence is helped enormously by Alix Wilton Regan’s performance as Lara, which balances composed intelligence with flashes of vulnerability. According to the developers, capturing both 'bravado and sensitivity' became central to the characterisation.
Technological Foundation
Legacy Of Atlantis also acts as the first major glimpse at what Unreal Engine 5 might mean for the future of Tomb Raider. While the team remains cautious about directly discussing Tomb Raider: Catalyst, the next major mainline entry, both projects share the same technological foundations. 'What I can confidently say at this time is that Unreal Engine 5 is providing an amazing foundation upon which to build the next generation of mainstream Tomb Raider games,' says Adams.
Whether Legacy Of Atlantis is seen as a standalone creation or not, the developers frame it primarily as a celebration of Lara’s 30-year legacy and a new entry point for modern audiences. But after spending time with it, the bigger takeaway is that Tomb Raider suddenly feels culturally relevant again, in a way it has not been for years.
Industry Context
The industry has been drifting away from tightly designed single-player action adventures for a long time, chasing either open-world sprawl or cinematic corridor shooters. But Tomb Raider now feels positioned to remind people why carefully paced linear adventures still matter. 'If longtime fans feel that the Lara they’ve been waiting for has finally returned,' says Adams, 'then absolutely, we would be honoured to have helped make that happen.' And if Crystal Dynamics can maintain this balance between modern cinematic ambition and the colder, more deliberate adventure design that made Lara Croft iconic in the first place, Tomb Raider: Legacy Of Atlantis might do more than just revive the series; it could remind the entire industry why this kind of game mattered so much to begin with.
Formats: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC
Price: £49.99
Publisher: Amazon Game Studios
Developer: Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog
Release Date: 12th February 2027
Age Rating: 16
