Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

**Flawless** · 03-05-2010, 03:31 PM

Re: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

Gamespot: First Look

But here it is: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, due for release as a digital download this summer, is an arcade-inspired action romp with a fixed isometric camera and a focus on high scores and replay value. Though the genre is something out of left field, this latest Lara Croft adventure looks to maintain much of the feeling of earlier games (tombs, booby-trap puzzles, and so on) with a framework designed around cooperative adventuring.

On a story level, Guardian of Light is a buddy adventure starring Lara Croft and Totec, a Mayan tribesman. The plot is lighthearted Hollywood fare and tells of the Mirror of Smoke, an artifact whose ancientness is matched only by its mysterious powers. And as people tend to do with mysteriously powerful artifacts, a number of folks are fighting over this thing. The odd couple of Lara and Totec find themselves in a battle against Xoxolt, an evil spirit released from the Mirror who has the distinct advantage of controlling all manner of spirits to do his bidding. Expect to be going up against undead tribesmen, giant salamanders, and from the looks of it, everything in between.

But for this downloadable game, the focus falls less on story and more on uncomplicated gameplay. As the point totals erupting from dead enemies suggest, this is a game with one foot in the 1980s. Beyond that, there's also the fixed isometric camera angle. Moving through Central American jungles and temples, you'll always see the action from the same semi-top-down perspective. This keeps the focus squarely on the torrent of enemies capable of swarming you at any given moment. It's a set-up that leads fast-paced yet simple combat: point your weapons at the things you want to die, shoot, and repeat. It's hard to draw any clear comparisons due to the fact that we weren't able to play the game, but the combat definitely gave off a retro, where-did-I-put-that-quarter kind of a feel.

Each playable character has unique weapons and skills for maneuvering through those Central American jungle ruins. Lara's got her iconic dual handguns (which, befitting of the retro style, have infinite ammo), and Totec hurls deadly spears. But these weapons aren't used purely for combat. For example, the spear works both against enemies and as a tool for traversing past obstacles: Totec can throw a spear into a wall to allow Lara to get up to an otherwise unreachable ledge. Lara, on the other hand, has a grapple hook to make it across seemingly impossible gaps, and Totec often must place his life in her hands with assisted jumps. Other co-op tricks include Lara's ability to jump on top of Totec's shield when he holds it above his head and Totec's tightrope walk across a gap using Lara's grapple rope.

You'll also encounter a number of tombs to explore. These indoor caverns offer up the chance to take a break from the frenetic combat to do some old-fashioned puzzle solving. Think booby traps that can only be overcome with two people working as a team, and you've got a good idea for how these puzzles will function. This co-op system will work both online and locally, featuring a drop-in system for adding a second player on the fly. The whole game can be played using a single player, as well.

Contrasting the old-school game design are Guardian of Light's modern visuals. Vegetation sways in the wind and reacts when you walk through it, while the environments have a nice sense of scale when the camera shows you at the top of a platforming sequence that's meant to spiral downward toward a point far below. Those looks, along with the co-op stuff, are some of the big points working in the game's favor. At this point, the big question remaining is how the game plays. Expect to see some hands-on coverage leading up to Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light's summer release.

Screens

**Admiral50** · 03-06-2010, 03:05 AM

Re: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

Not interested at all after seeing the pics and reading what the game will be. Not at all... reminds me of Akuji on PS1.

**Flawless** · 08-13-2010, 02:13 PM

Re: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

Giant Bomb: Quick Look

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**Admiral50** · 08-14-2010, 04:02 PM

Re: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

Ughh that was painful.

Let her Eidos. Let her die.

**Fresh Tendrils** · 08-14-2010, 05:51 PM

Re: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

The last couple of Lara Croft games were fun I thought. This title doesn't interest me - not really interested in the "buddy" adventure.

**Flawless** · 08-16-2010, 03:37 PM

Re: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

Reviews:

Eurogamer - 9
1UP - A-
IGN - 8.5
Joystiq - 4.5/5
CVG - 8.8
Destructoid - 9
Game Informer - 9

**Valdarez** · 08-20-2010, 12:11 AM

Re: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

Played the demo today, and instantly bought. For $12, you're getting a pretty darn good deal. Wish there were more games that played like this one. (Death Spank was a lot like it).

**CWood2** · 08-20-2010, 07:54 AM

Re: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

Tomb Raider for PS1 was the first real adventure game I ever played and completed ... and I loved it. Played every other game faithfully. But I just can't get excited about Tomb Raider anymore with games like Uncharted who do it right. Granted, this isn't supposed to compete with that, but still ... Lara is kind of dead to me.

**Valdarez** · 08-20-2010, 11:13 PM

Re: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

All I can say is it reminds me of Diablo with the GamePlay elements. Lots of different guns, and totems (think power ups). Light Puzzle solving, decent voice acting (except for the big baddy). I've been really enjoying it, though you don't seem to be able to play MP online (boo!), so it's only MP locally.

WEAPONS
You start out with your guns, and a bomb. You use the right analog stick to aim, and the right trigger to fire. It's not that intuitive to start, and while I didn't like it at first, I have to admit it fits the game and now that I'm 4 levels in, I really dig it. Monsters tend to come in all variety, from powerful boss monsters to mass attack mini-monster requiring a crowd control weapon (or lots of dodging, and careful bomb placement/usage).

GUNS - Guns fire at different rates, with different spreads, and different size, so they cover speed, range, and power. Ammo is limited, but you do find plenty of ammo clips along the way. So far I have found Machine Gun, Flamethrower (light 'em up!!!), Shotgun (major spread for crowd control), Lightweight Machine Pistols (personal favorite), and a Grenade Launcher (very nice ka-boom!).

BOMB - Laura is equipped with a remote detonated bomb. She can only drop one bomb at a time, but it covers a fairly decent area when it explodes. Oh, and make sure she's clear of the blast zone, as the bomb can, and will blast her along with the baddies.

SPEAR - You also get a throwable spear fairly early on in the game, that you can stick in walls to climb up a little further (think puzzle solving here). Like in Diablo, you can launch the spear, and it miraculously appears back in your hand (no explanation for why that happens). The Spear knocks nearly every monsters, except the biggest ones back. When you're out of ammo, put your guns down, and grab the spear. It's usable, and can buy you time to move to another spot after a well planted bomb.

Recommendation - Buy, Play, Have Fun
I probably own 30 to 40 XBox Live Arcade games. Of those I would only recommend about 5 or so as definite buys. This is one of those games. i.e. It's in the top 5 list. It's not ground breaking, but then few games on XBox Live fall in that category. It is fun, well done, and has a good 10 hours of gameplay (minimum), and 30 or so hours if you're a completionist. At $12 (or 1200 M$ points), it's one helluva steal.

**HealyMonster** · 08-21-2010, 02:54 PM

Re: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

Originally posted by Valdarez

All I can say is it reminds me of Diablo with the GamePlay elements. Lots of different guns, and totems (think power ups). Light Puzzle solving, decent voice acting (except for the big baddy). I've been really enjoying it, though you don't seem to be able to play MP online (boo!), so it's only MP locally.

WEAPONS
You start out with your guns, and a bomb. You use the right analog stick to aim, and the right trigger to fire. It's not that intuitive to start, and while I didn't like it at first, I have to admit it fits the game and now that I'm 4 levels in, I really dig it. Monsters tend to come in all variety, from powerful boss monsters to mass attack mini-monster requiring a crowd control weapon (or lots of dodging, and careful bomb placement/usage).

GUNS - Guns fire at different rates, with different spreads, and different size, so they cover speed, range, and power. Ammo is limited, but you do find plenty of ammo clips along the way. So far I have found Machine Gun, Flamethrower (light 'em up!!!), Shotgun (major spread for crowd control), Lightweight Machine Pistols (personal favorite), and a Grenade Launcher (very nice ka-boom!).

BOMB - Laura is equipped with a remote detonated bomb. She can only drop one bomb at a time, but it covers a fairly decent area when it explodes. Oh, and make sure she's clear of the blast zone, as the bomb can, and will blast her along with the baddies.

SPEAR - You also get a throwable spear fairly early on in the game, that you can stick in walls to climb up a little further (think puzzle solving here). Like in Diablo, you can launch the spear, and it miraculously appears back in your hand (no explanation for why that happens). The Spear knocks nearly every monsters, except the biggest ones back. When you're out of ammo, put your guns down, and grab the spear. It's usable, and can buy you time to move to another spot after a well planted bomb.

Recommendation - Buy, Play, Have Fun
I probably own 30 to 40 XBox Live Arcade games. Of those I would only recommend about 5 or so as definite buys. This is one of those games. i.e. It's in the top 5 list. It's not ground breaking, but then few games on XBox Live fall in that category. It is fun, well done, and has a good 10 hours of gameplay (minimum), and 30 or so hours if you're a completionist. At $12 (or 1200 M$ points), it's one helluva steal.

good write up man. Im honestly sold after reading what you wrote up, it sounds like I would enjoy the game. The thing that this game has going against it is that Shank and Scot pilgram vs the world are released on xbl on tuesday, and they have been must buys for me since ive heard of them so this one will have to be pushed back some.

**Thadeus** · 08-21-2010, 03:32 PM

Re: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

What is the best strategy against the t-rex? Thanks.

**Flawless** · 08-21-2010, 04:12 PM

Re: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

Sounds great. I'm just waiting for the online co-op to be patched in before buying.

**Pappy Knuckles** · 08-21-2010, 06:14 PM

Re: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

This is one of the few arcade titles that I really like. It still gives you that Tomb Raider feel despite having a completely different camera view. The controls are on point and the graphics are solid. I'm not upset with this purchase at all. I just wish the online co-op was already available to try it out

**Valdarez** · 08-21-2010, 11:14 PM

Re: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

Originally posted by Thadeus

What is the best strategy against the t-rex? Thanks.

You can't hurt the T-Rex with your guns/spear. You have to get him to follow you over the spiked areas and then trigger them so he gets hit. There are three spots, after the 3rd, he's ready for a skinning and a trip to the boot factory.

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

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