Tomb Raider: Underworld - Journey to Avalon

Okay, so...I've been playing the Tomb Raider games for the better part of two years now and, to be honest, I'm feeling a bit burned out. Of course, I still have three entries to go, and I'm working on a special project for next year - which means I have to keep going.

We've reached the 9th entry in the Tomb Raider series! Let's go!

The 9th Entry...

Underworld was Crystal Dynamics’ third Tomb Raider game and it was set to conclude Lara’s search for Avalon and her mother. Planning started all the way back when Legend was wrapping up in ‘06. The fan response was looking good, and the dev team figured they had enough conceptual material to work with, so they started planning early. Of course, Tomb Raider: Anniversary was being done at the same time, so Underworld’s dev team was shorthanded.

The game’s story was written by Eric Lindstrom and Toby Gard. Gard was also credited as the game’s cinematic director; Underworld was the last game in the series to involve Lara’s co-creator - as far as I can find, at least. Mr. Gard left Crystal Dynamics in 2009, feeling that he’d had less influence over Lara Croft since his involvement with Legend.

Lindstrom and Gard worked together and decided to use Norse mythology as the central mythos for the storyline. With the mythology decided, the two men went to work aiming to make the game’s story short and entertaining.

Tomb Raider: Underworld was released for PC, PS3, Xbox 360, the Nintendo Wii, and the Nintendo DS in 2008. Generally speaking, the game was well-received with the PC and console versions gaining high praise for the visuals, motion capture work, and gameplay. Criticism was leveled, however, at the camera work and combat system.

Despite the positive reception, however, Tomb Raider: Underworld ultimately failed to meet sales expectations, with sales maxing out at 1.5 million units worldwide by December 31, 2008. Since then, the game seems to have gained quite the following because, as of September 2021, sales have ballooned to 3.8 million units…now, that’s cool!

The Plotline

Lara Croft is on the hunt for Mjolnir - the hammer of Thor - to open the gate to Avalon. Of course, it's not that simple as she needs a few other artefacts (gauntlets and a belt) to use the hammer. Additionally, she's not the only one looking to get into Avalon...no, she's competing with her former BFF, Amanda Evert, and Jacqueline Natla (who somehow survived the events of Anniversary) to get there first.

So, What Works in Tomb Raider: Underworld?

Okay, so let's go over what works in Tomb Raider: Underworld?

• The visuals are great; this game looks beautiful even 17 years later.
• The story is well-written and very well-paced.
• The voice work is phenomenal!
• The combat is satisfying.
• There were a couple of really good puzzles.

What Doesn't Work?

Is there anything that doesn't work? Well...not really; I do have some nitpicks, but that's all.

• Timed doors are a menace - an absolute royal pain in the...*ahem* - you often only get a few seconds to get through a timed door. Usually, this is manageable, but the problem here is that if you take a single misstep, you lose your window. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that the vehicle controls.
• Building on that previous point, the vehicle controls are really awkward. This means it's very easy to overshoot your mark, lose your window, and have to start all over again. This gets very, very frustrating after a while.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Tomb Raider: Underworld is a relatively fun time that wraps up the Legend storyline very well. The game has its flaws, that's true, but it's worth playing. I'd make sure you play the other games, or at least Legend, first, though, so you have some actual context for the story.

Anyways, that's all from me.

Thanks for Reading!