Parents' Guide to

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft

By Paul Semel, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Remaster of popular series has violence and stereotypes.

Game Xbox Series X/S , PlayStation 5 , Nintendo Switch , Xbox One , Windows , PlayStation 4 2024
Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft box cover has three different visuals of Lara Croft.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • Lara Croft hangs onto a ledge before pulling herself up.
  • Lara Croft swims to get to the next open area.
  • Lara Croft uses a large lever which opens a door...and inadvertently sets off a trap.

Community Reviews

See all

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

What’s It About?

TOMB RAIDER I-III REMASTERED STARRING LARA CROFT features faithful but slightly updated versions of the original three games. In 1996's Tomb Raider, archeologist and adventurer Lara Croft has to find some powerful ancient artifacts before the bad guys do. In 1997's Tomb Raider II, Lara is trying to find a different powerful ancient artifact, this time before a cult can use it for nefarious reasons. And finally, in 1998's Tomb Raider III, Lara's once again looking for an artifact sought by enemies who work for an evil corporation. Regardless of what she's looking for, and why, all three games have our hero exploring caves and other underground structures, where she has to shoot her enemies, solve puzzles, avoid traps, and perform intricate acrobatics to get from one room to another.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (1 ):

Though not the total upgrade or update we would've preferred, this collection mostly brings these three classic games into the modern era. In Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft, the iconic adventuring archeologist gets to revisit her first three games: 1996's Tomb Raider, 1997's Tomb Raider II, and 1998's Tomb Raider III. Like in her more recent adventures, these third-person action adventure games have her exploring ancient tombs in search of powerful artifacts, which often require her to perform complex acrobatics when not shooting bad guys or animals, avoiding Indian Jones-like traps, and solving intricate puzzles.

As for the versions of the games in this collection, not only can you play them with the original controls or more modern ones, and with the original visuals (albeit in higher definition) or ones that are somewhat upgraded, but this also has the additional stand-alone levels added to later versions of all these games. While some fans will appreciate how faithful these remakes are, others will lament that being faithful means they have the originals' frustrating issues. For instance, you have to be in just the right spot to activate a level or jump up onto a ledge. The camera can also get wonky at times, especially when you're getting chased around by a hungry tiger or thirtsy bat. But for people who appreciate history, and want to repeat it, Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft are solid recreations of these classic action/adventure games.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about violence in video games. In Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft, players kill a lot of people, animals, and supernatural creatures. How do you feel when you play video games that have a lot of fighting and violence?Does it feel different when you kill a person in a game as opposed to an animal or some made up creature?

  • Families can talk about women in video games. While these games are classics because they were fun, they also got a lot of attention for the highly sexualized way Lara Croft is shown. Does seeing her now lessen your enjoyment of these games? Do you understand why they made her look like that back then, and why they wouldn't do that now? Do you feel like they should have adjusted the design of Lara Croft as part of the remaster?

  • Families can talk about perseverance. In this game, you often have to do something over and over to get it right. Why is it important to keep trying, even if the task seems impossible? And why is it also important to know when a task is impossible, and may require a different approach?

Game Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended game lists

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate