gamescom 2026 Tomb Raider Legacy of Atlantis Preview: Meeting Modern Expectations

Lara Croft is back at it again, this time in a reimagining of her beloved first adventure that was released thirty years ago. This is a throwback to the classic Tomb Raider style, preserving the feel and style we loved back in the day, all while adding little additions to make it more modern. With its release slowly approaching in a few months, we headed to Gamescom this year to look at what Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog are showing, and there's an even greater emphasis on puzzle solving. So let's step back into the shoes of Lara Croft and explore this rich world once more. An Emphasis on Puzzle Solving Close While we got to explore some vast areas in Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis at Summer Game Fest, this was more of a presentation showing a slightly more confined location within Legacy of Atlantis. The big emphasis on this presentation was on puzzle-solving mechanics. While they do show some of the gameplay mechanics as Lara goes up against a ferocious jaguar, it's primarily how Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog are recreating the classic Lara Croft experience while updating it with more modern expectations. An example of how the puzzles have been updated in Legacy of Atlantis is the room with the iconic falling swords. This has been adjusted significantly, with traps on the floor for the swords to come falling down, and potentially damage Lara if too close. It has a similar feel to how it was back thirty years ago, or even in the Anniversary Collection in 2007, but it has been reworked to give it its own flair. Because of this, Legacy of Atlantis is way more than a coat of paint, and instead is a full-fledged reimagining of the classic. New Tricks for an Old Dog For those who want to have a pure experience, there aren't any direct hints unless the player directly requests them. This is because what has been added to Legacy of Atlantis is a scanner that can essentially push you in the right direction with some of the puzzle-solving elements, all while giving some backstory on the environments. We do love the last part of the scanner, expanding upon some of the lore of the tombs and ancient crypts, but it's disappointing that it's going to be tied behind a scanner. As someone who wants to learn more about the world but doesn't want to have their hand held, this is a bit conflicting. In addition, the developers have attached a grappling hook to Lara's wrist to interact with the environment in different ways. This includes grappling onto specific items such as levers and other elements in the environment. It should provide some compelling new means of puzzle solving. The skill points will also come into play with some of how the puzzle solving will work, although it's never forced upon the player. An example was given that they purchased a passive skill that allows Lara to shoot at a further distance, which helped in this case as they were able to pick off the rope that was holding one of the spikes up. Otherwise, you will need to get closer to doing this. It didn't seem like it made a significant change, but it's still something you can consider when puzzle solving and acquiring skills. Eating Healthy Close Food is another component that was touched upon in this presentation. It was something we suspected would be in the game considering our play session at Summer Game Fest had ingredients we could pick up in the environment, but it was shown here finally, with buffs to Lara depending on what was cooked. For example, Lara can concoct potions to help heal up her health, or resistances to specific types of damages. Being that Lara is traveling across the globe, there will likely be different types of biome-specific challenges she'll need to avoid. While traversing the ancient ruins, Lara can find different artifacts in the environment. These are obtained by going off the beaten path and hidden in little nooks, so you'll need to observe the surroundings. It's always important to look for these, as while they won't give you anything that will dramatically affect the gameplay, collecting sets of these will help unlock new outfits for Lara to wear. Legacy of Atlantis is way more than a coat of paint, and instead is a full-fledged reimagining of the classic. We loved what we saw at Summer Game Fest earlier this year, and what was shown at Gamescom only helped fuel our desire to play more of it. While we still have some concerns regarding the combat, the puzzle-solving elements and ability not to be spoon-fed everything is an appealing aspect, even though they did introduce a scanner. Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis will be available for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on February 12, 2027.