Tomb Raider: Catalyst

The recent Game Awards ushered in Lara Croft’s grand return with Tomb Raider: Catalyst, the first new mainline entry since 2018, and I’m excited to see one of gaming’s most legendary characters return to the limelight. This new entry is set in Northern India and takes place at the end of the Tomb Raider timeline, sometime after 2008’s Tomb Raider: Underworld. Crystal Dynamics is attempting to “unify” the series’ scattered timeline, but if you’re new, it shouldn’t matter that much. Catalyst is designed to tell a stand-alone adventure, so if you’ve never played a game in the series before, you won’t be lost.

The main symbol of that unification can be seen in Lara’s redesign; her blue tank top and twin pistols are more in line with her classic appearance. In fact, it’s a little difficult to tell the difference between Catalyst’s cinematic trailers and those for Legacy of Atlantis (the upcoming remake of the original Tomb Raider) because the models for Lara look so similar. The two also share a new voice actress – Alix Wilton Regan – making them even harder to distinguish. That said, Crystal Dynamics’ goal has been achieved; it’s clearly the same character at both ends of the timeline.