Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light Review

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light has finally arrived and our summer of arcade comes to a close once again. Is Lara’s latest adventure one worth partaking in, or should this tomb be left to rest? Read our review to learn more about the newest XBLA title from Crystal Dynamics.

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Guardian of Light may not carry the Tomb Raider name, but it stays true to some strong elements of the Tomb Raider series.  The game includes a full 14 level campaign that you can play through either alone or with a friend. The game currently only supports local co-operative play but once September 28th hits, online co-operative play will be patched in to coincide with the PSN & PC release of the game.  Regardless, the single player mode is perfectly manageable and offers more than enough to give you your $15 value until the only co-op arrives.

In the game, that game uses a fixed camera that adapts to each are that you’re in, allowing you to see everything you need to see. In other words, if you’re into finding everything, you’ll have to search each area rather carefully. With most of the platforming, the game is very accurate and you won’t find yourself jumping the wrong way or slipping off edges automatically, but it can get a little tricky when you’re in the more ‘hidden’ areas. If you play solo and then try co-op, you’ll notice slight differences in how you get around, reach high ledges, etc. It’s ingenious and fun in both modes so you’re not limited in the experience whatsoever. The gameplay consists heavily of combat along with various fun puzzle-solving.  There are 27 weapons to find in your travels but only about half will be plainly visible. The same can be said for ammo and health power-ups which are also scattered throughout the world. Besides weapons  and power-ups, each level has 10 red skulls to find, adding another completed task to the board and getting a nice score boost.

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The gunplay uses the right stick to aim at your targets and the right trigger to shoot. Other buttons are reserved for quick switches on your equipped weapon, or the use of your grappling hook or shield, depending whether you’re playing as Lara or Totec. For the most part, it’s accurate though I feel it could have been slightly more fine-tuned. It’s rare, but there are a few shots you need to make in the game that require more adjustment time than what should be necessary.  With the grapple, it uses an auto-aim system so you shouldn’t have any issues catching your target. Unfortunately, getting onto some ledges while using it sometimes doesn’t work as it should, and you may find yourself in a spiky pit and trying the maneuver again. Still these issues are rather minor and they don’t bring the experience down, rather than act as a minor annoyance at times.

The puzzle-solving aspect of the game differs from the Tomb Raider games in the sense that everything is clearly understandable. You know what has to be done, and it often just takes some exploration time to solve the puzzles. Sometimes it may look complicated, yet you can have your resolution in mere seconds. The key often lies in two of your main items, often combined with timing, so you’ll want to keep that in mind. Specific elements of the puzzles will be used more than once, but the game manages to keep things fresh by adding in a new trick or just a variation on the puzzle design. In Tomb Raider games, I’d often find myself stuck with no idea on where to go or what to do, but I can safely say that didn’t occur once in this adventure.

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The presentation in a well-rounded area in Guardian of Light. Its story is somewhat lightweight in Guardian of Light, but the progression feels fine. Lara Croft and the Mayan Warrior, Totec, must join forces to retrieve the ancient Mirror of Smoke and stop the evil Xolotl from destroying the world. It doesn’t go into much depth, but it gives you something to work towards so it’s acceptable. Visually, the game is really beautiful – using the game engine from Tomb Raider: Underworld, the worlds in Guardian of Light are vast, dazzling, and diverse in their design. You’ll encounter ravishing visual effects including a fiery sky  with limitless sparks flying around, and opaque poisonous mists covering extensive areas. It’s truly a superb looking game. The soundtrack is satisfying with some splendid background tracks that play at various points. Lara and Totec’s voice acting is solid for the times you hear it, and the sound effects are satisfactory  as well. It’s a great combination of skills from the developers that has given us a very well-made game.

This latest adventure with Lara Croft will set you back 1200 :MSPoints: or $14.99 but you’re limited to playing only on Xbox 360 until September 28,2010 at which point it launches on PlayStation Network and PC. Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light will last you approximately 7 hours on a normal difficulty solo run, but there’s lots of artifacts to collect if you love achievements and unlocking other hidden extras. With solo and co-op play, plus detailed achievement and score/time tracking, there’s sure to be many extra hours of fun with Lara Croft: GoL

For more information or to grab the Xbox 360 demo, head over to the Xbox.com Marketplace.