Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

Lara Croft is one of the most recognisable women in gaming so there was heavy weight on Crystal Dynamics shoulders. Thankfully, LC:GoL does justice to the disproportioned defender of relics.  Everything from the puzzles to the controls are very well done and make the game a pleasure to play.

The game begins with Lara on the hunt for another priceless antique, but, unfortunately there’s a group of mercenaries with exactly the same intentions and before Lara even has a chance to get her grubby mitts all over it it’s taken from her. Cue inevitable summoning of untold evil and trek to prevent the earth from being destroyed. Despite this simple plotline, tGoL has a lot depth, with levels offering puzzles and countless collectibles to find.

The levels are never completely linear affairs and always provide you with hidden areas containing power ups and gems. There are also different challenges that, when completed, will reward you with new weapons and artefacts (kind of like perks). You will find yourself wanting to replay levels to get that elusive sniper or pistol and, thankfully, it’s not a chore, as the gameplay in tGoL is fun and rewarding.

With the ‘simple press this button’ puzzles in games nowadays it’s nice to actually be challenged by a game. Even though these aren’t going to have to racking your brain for days how to complete them you will have to stop and think for a bit before you finally get it.The game can be completed relatively quickly, but if you are a completionist then it will easily eat up 7-8 hours which is amazing for an arcade game.

And there’s even more to do if you have someone willing to play co-op with you. With two players many of the puzzles play out completely differently, meaning the tactic you used last time may not suffice in this situation. The lack of online co-op on release was definitely a let down but it will be worth the wait when it arrives in September.

The Guardian of Light brings Lara Croft back to her peak and is an enjoyable and well crafted arcade game.