On This Page: Stella's Mini-Review Overview Rewards & Unlockable Content Lara's Outfits/Costumes Xbox 360 Achievements Walkthrough Gold Reward & Boss Videos NEW! Related Pages: Controls & Gameplay Tips Time Trial Strategy Cheat Codes PC Savegame Files Tech Support Links Demos & Patches

Generally I try not to editorialize too much in these "overview" blurbs, but after the anguish many long-time fans suffered with Angel of Darkness, I feel I can make an exception. If you visited this site during Legend's production, you may have noticed I didn't put up any of the juicy preview information in circulation. When asked about the game, I'd say I was cautiously optimistic. Now, after playing it, several times, my opinion is about the same.

While Legend certainly holds its own in terms of sheer graphic gorgeousness, it falls short in length, challenge factor and PC-friendliness. It was obviously designed for the consoles and sadly the PC version feels like an afterthought. [At the time it was released] few systems [could] handle the "next generation" content, the keyboard and mouse controls are awkward (though admittedly better than the Angel of Darkness controls), and although the game takes up almost 10 GB of hard drive space, it can be completed in less than a day. Despite the wide-open spaces and Lara's ability to move more freely in her environment, Legend is surprisingly repetitive and linear. After a while you start seeing the same handful of movable objects, the same traps, the same enemies. And I never got lost. Not once. To me, that's a drawback, since Tomb Raider should be all about sight-seeing, exploration, alternate paths toward a goal, and even the occasional dead end.

Still, overall, Legend was a fun way to spend a few hours. There were a couple of "wow" moments brought on by a nice puzzle or gorgeous vista, and one emotional cut scene that literally gave me goose bumps. And after remapping the controls a few times, I am finally able to do most of Lara's new moves. Legend may not be perfect—few games are—but despite its flaws, I think it's a positive step toward reviving the series, and it does give me hope for the future. So, yeah, cautiously optimistic.

P.S. to Eidos & Crystal Dynamics: You're almost there, guys. Read those "TR8 Wish List" posts on all the forums. That's what the fans want. That's what will make us give you all our money, have a million of your babies, and shout your names from the rooftops. ;)

RELEASE DATES & PLATFORMS: Initial release in April 2006 was on PC (in PC-DVD format), PlayStation 2, Xbox and Xbox 360. Sony PSP and Nintendo Game Cube came out a bit later, and the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS versions were released in the fall of 2006. January '07 saw the launch of Legend mobile. So far there is no Macintosh version, but Mac players can run Legend on a Windows partition using Boot Camp, provided their systems meet the recommended specs for the game.

LEVELS & LOCATIONS: Although the game is short, it covers a variety of terrain: jungle ruins, urban skyscrapers, an abandoned military research lab and the icy slopes of the Himalayas, just to name a few. The storyline manages to tie them all together in a fairly believable way. Most levels include a good balance of traps, puzzles and combat, followed by a big combat sequence against a group or "boss". There are fewer timed puzzles and jumping sequences than in previous games, but you'll still find a few. And along with the usual crates and breakable containers, there are new types of objects that can be manipulated, and many puzzles require creative thinking.

STORYLINE: Without giving too much away, the story delves into Lara's history, beginning with the life-altering plane crash in the Himalayas. Throughout the game, she searches for the pieces of a legendary sword, which she hopes will help her fill in some of the blanks in her past. On the way, she crosses paths with an old friend she'd long believed to be dead but who turns out to be seeking the same sword for her own purposes.

WEAPONS & GEAR: Lara's weapons are fewer this time out—just her trademark dual pistols and one alternate weapon, which can be swapped among four different types (assault rifle, submachine gun, shotgun and grenade launcher), plus hand grenades after the first level. Gone are the days of the "bottomless backpack". Now Lara's more realistic inventory can include a limited number of clips for the alternate weapon (pistols still pack infinite ammo), four grenades, and up to three health packs. So no more saving up a thousand Uzi rounds for the last battle, but also no more spinning through endless inventory rings to find the one item you need.

Lara's gear, too, is pared down. Binoculars, a flashlight and a nifty magnetic grapple are all she needs. The grapple can be used to move objects, swing across gaps and even yank enemies off balance—like Indiana Jones's whip. The communications headset from Chronicles is back but it functions passively. Lara's colleagues Zip and Alister are stationed back at Croft Manor and use the headset to give advice and tactical support.

VEHICLES: Jeep and Ducati both got product placement in the game. Although none of the Jeeps are driveable, Lara does use a motorcycle in several levels. There's also a forklift sequence, which could have been more challenging but still adds variety.

SAVING YOUR GAME: All versions have autosave checkpoints throughout each level. You can save manually at any time; however, when Lara dies, or you reload a save you've made, the game resumes at the previous checkpoint. (See Controls & Gameplay.) PC and PSP savegame files are available in case you make a bad save, get stuck, etc.

BONUS LEVELS: None so far.

REWARDS & UNLOCKABLE CONTENT: Old-school raiders will groove on the new reward system, similar to "secrets" in the previous games. Each level contains a number of bronze and silver statuettes, along with a single gold one. As you'd expect, the bronze rewards are more numerous and easier to find. The silver, fewer and more challenging, and the gold is always cleverly hidden.

Instead of finding secrets for their own sake, Legend rewards enterprising players with quite a bit of unlockable content, including numerous outfits for Lara, pistol upgrades, cheat codes, plus production artwork and such. All are covered in detail under Rewards.

The cheat code system is a bit backwards. Cheats can only be unlocked after completing the game. They can still be used when playing time trials, but that's no consolation if you happen get stuck somewhere along the line. (See TR Legend Cheats.)

CUSTOM OUTFITS/SKINS, MODDING & COSPLAY: There are 30+ alternate outfits or skins you can unlock while playing the game. These are pictured on the Legend Outfits page. Details on unlocking each one are covered under Rewards.

Players can also download and create their own custom outfits using various texture editing tools. I don't cover modding on this site, but Tomb Raider HUB and tombraiderforums.com are good places to start if you're interested.

For more info on Tomb Raider Legend outfits, Lara Croft dress-up and cosplay, visit TombRaiderCosplay.com.

XBOX 360 ACHIEVEMENTS: Legend includes 23 possible achievements, worth 1,000 gamerscore points total. If you download Anniversary from the Xbox Live Marketplace through your Legend game, you'll be able to unlock another 250 points. Click for a printable achievement list.

BECOMING AN EXPERT RAIDER: If you've never played Tomb Raider before—or even if you have—I encourage you to check out my Controls & Gameplay Tips page, which includes pointers on moving Lara through her environment, saving the game, using the menu and inventory systems, and more.

This walkthrough applies to the PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360 and PSP versions of the game. Click on the name of each level below for a printable walkthrough. A single download for the complete walkthrough will be available soon.

The Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance walkthroughs are in separate sections.

Controls & Gameplay Level 1: Bolivia (PC demo) Level 2: Peru Level 3: Japan Level 4: Ghana Level 5: Kazakhstan Level 6: England Level 7: Nepal Level 8: Bolivia Redux Croft Manor Time Trial Tips & Strategy Gold Reward Videos NEW! Boss Strategy Videos NEW!

Special thanks to JeuxVideo.com and CroftStorm.net for some of screenshots shown on this page.

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