The Tomb Raider franchise is in a great spot lately, especially with the recent announcement of both Tomb Raider: Catalyst, the next mainline entry in the series, and Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, a remake of the game that started it all. While Catalyst‘s release date is currently set for sometime in 2028, Legacy of Atlantis is set to release early next year, and each new trailer further highlights the potential for this game to be a truly special remake. I had the chance to get a hands-off look at the game’s Greece segment during Gamescom 2026, which only demonstrated the promise and potential of this remake even more.
The demo we saw focused primarily on the puzzle-solving and exploration mechanics of this new game. The first thing I noticed right away was just how gorgeous Legacy of Atlantis looks in person. I am not usually a fan of games that use Unreal Engine 5, but this remake uses the engine beautifully. Each detail of the environment is rendered really well, and Lara Croft herself has arguably her best design to date. There’s a part in the last segment of the demo where Lara looks out over the Greek horizon, and I had to restrain myself from physically gasping in shock at how incredible the sight was.
Of course, the visuals weren’t the main star of the show during the demo. That would be the gameplay, which also looked really fun even if I never got a chance to try it out for myself. In terms of combat, it seems to have gotten a major upgrade. As previously revealed, the gunplay now includes a “Focus” mechanic that functions similarly to bullet time in Max Payne. With this, Lara can slow down time and do a mid-air dodge to attack enemies. It led to some really cinematic moments, especially when she fought a Jaguar during the demo that functioned as a borderline mini-boss. That being said, the new approach to puzzles and exploration was the main highlight of the presentation.
Specifically, the developers wanted to show off how the Sword of Damocles puzzle from the original game was recreated. The original puzzle was infamous in how it could kill players in one hit if they made even the smallest of errors. Here, it has been updated both visually and mechanically. It is far easier to tell where the potential triggers might be, and you have a small window to dodge away from the sword before it falls, so you do not die instantly. In a Q&A session afterwards, someone asked if that difficulty spike had been removed. The developers remarked that there would be plenty of difficult moments throughout the game, but they wanted to make sure any challenging parts were fair rather than a cheap way to punish the smallest of errors. Personally, I think this is the right call for a remake of a 30-year-old game.
To help overcome any potential challenges, Lara now has two new additions to her toolkit. One is the grappling hook, which allows her to better traverse the environment. The other is the scanner, which played a major role in the demo shown to us. With this, Lara can scan objects in the environment that give her hints about where she needs to go next. For those who do not want to be handheld, this can be turned off, and the scanner can instead be used to provide historical context to parts of the environment. I am still slightly concerned that some of the hints spoken by Lara herself while exploring may be a bit too overt, but I am hoping that this too can be toned down in the full release. Though, I suppose you could make the argument it is a part of her character.
The most interesting thing about the demo for me was the relic collectibles. These can be found throughout the world around you, and do not just tie into real-life historical artifacts. Collecting a relic grants the player a cosmetic, which in this case was the outfit from the very first Tomb Raider game. In the aforementioned Q&A, the developers hinted that the “relic economy” has much more in store than what they showed off, which makes me very excited to see what else can be unlocked with each collectible.
As a whole, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis continues to impress. This latest demo that Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog showed us demonstrated just a bit of what the visuals, combat, and puzzle/exploration have in store for players. Regardless of whether you are a fan of the franchise or a relative newcomer, I have a sneaking suspicion that this game will be a must-play for you.
While I was already interested in the game before, I am now more excited than ever to get my hands on Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis when it releases on February 12, 2027, for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.
