I can remember the amazing scale and haunting music of this incredible level back in 1996 when I first played ‘Tomb Raider’ on the original PlayStation. Up until then I had never experienced anything like this in a video game, and almost thirty years later I had the pleasure of doing it all over again – with ‘Tomb Raider Trilogy: Remastered’ on PS5.

To complete this area – where one slip from any of the ledges is certain death – Lara Croft has to access four chambers named after mythological figures: – Thor, Atlas, Damocles and Neptune. Each room contains a puzzle – one relevant to each character – that must be solved in order to gain a special key.

The ‘Thor’ room involves lightning and a large hammer – but no Chris Hemsworth. ‘Damocles’ features an array of over-sized swords that drop from the ceiling at random. ‘Neptune’ involves pulling an underwater switch and claiming the key before running out of breath. ‘Atlas’ contains an aggressive gorilla and a rolling boulder trap a la Indiana Jones.

My reflexes aren’t what they were all those years ago, but this older and slower version of myself still managed to complete the level without too much bother.

I’ve already put up a few posts on social media featuring screenshots of my progress through the game, as the work done in remastering this classic is simply blowing me away. Below are a series of captures placing both the updated version and the 1996 original together for a comparison – with snaps from the newer game on top.

As you may be able to tell, the 2024 version of ‘Tomb Raider’ is a shade darker than the original game, which would be my only criticism – as sometimes I have found it hard to explore and see where I am going. Not only that, but it is easy to miss secrets and pickups, especially if they are tucked away in a dark corner. That tiny gripe aside, the effort put into the design of this game is second-to-none – resulting in a visually spectacular adventure.

If I recall correctly, the next couple of levels – ‘The Colosseum’ and ‘The Cistern’ – were also amazing, so I might put together some more screenshots once I have completed those challenges. However, this might take a few weeks as I cannot somersault and flip about whilst shooting lions and gorillas like I could back in the 1990’s.

‘Tomb Raider Trilogy: Remastered’ is available at the PlayStation store or at any good video game retailer for anywhere between $40-$60 Australian dollars.