Yes, ‘Parisian Ghetto’ is the name of an actual Tomb Raider level; or rather a series of interconnecting areas in the 2003 game ‘Tomb Raider – The Angel of Darkness.’

I am currently working through the new remastered edition – having not played it since taking on the PlayStation 2 version twenty years ago – and despite being polished up, it still remains the worst Tomb Raider release of all time. But that being said, there is still a lot to like about this often-criticised game, particularly the moody and atmospheric notes that it constantly hits; especially in the above-mentioned level set in Paris.

A lot of the negativity surrounding this game centred on the clunky controls, which was immediately apparent as soon as you started playing. The first few minutes of gameplay served as a tutorial of sorts, but the running, jumping and turning were made difficult by the camera angles that were all over the place; looking more like a Resident Evil game at times – with the screenshots below being prime examples.

The good news is that by the time you reach the Ghetto area, most of the issues with the controls should be ironed out as you have become accustomed to them, but unfortunately some camera-panning problems do remain.

I suppose the only other major grievance is that this appears to be a Tomb Raider game without any tombs or ancient sites to explore. Instead of jumping into an awe-inspiring setting, we are given the seedy and near-deserted back streets of Paris to work with. In fact, you have to play almost half the game before you come across any underground temple action, which I imagine would have annoyed many fans.

Added to this are the numerous dialogue scenes that play into the murder-mystery elements of the story, where Lara speaks with the locals in order to gain clues and be pointed in the right direction. These discussions are quite interesting, although some of Lara’s ‘tough talk’ doesn’t work for me, as she threatens most people she comes across with cheesy girl boss lines.

Now that the glaring criticisms are out of the way, I can focus on the more enjoyable aspects of the Parisian chapters of this adventure – and there is a lot to appreciate here. This includes the utterly bizarre and bat shit crazy things that have been added to this game; some of which are beyond comprehension.

So, with that being said, I think the best place to start would be the nightclub!

Pumping disco beats and pulsating lights are not usually associated with Tomb Raider games, so the Serpent Rouge nightclub is perhaps top of the list when it comes to the oddities experienced in this title. Lara’s reasons for breaking into the club during daytime hours depends on whom she speaks to in the neighbourhood and which local she agrees to run an errand for.

In my case, I decided to help out Pierre – the owner of the nearby cafe – who asks Lara to retrieve some items he hid inside one of the light boxes. I believe the alternate mission involves entering the club via the auto workshop nextdoor, at the request of an old man feeding the pigeons at the park. If I remember correctly, there was also a creepy guy loitering around the church that asks Lara to perform a task for her, so I might have my wires crossed here.

I told you this was a weird game!

Next up is the boxing match taking place in St Aicard’s Church. Not only can Lara work out on the heavy bags, but she can place a bet with the head coach on which boxer will win the fight. If you happen to pick the winner, the trainer will hand over his expensive watch.

Then there is Lara’s odd foray into burglary, where she visits a woman named Francine at her apartment to obtain some important information. Having received the clues she needs, Lara can then rustle through the cabinet drawers while her host stands frozen only a few feet away. The reward for such a brazen thieving spree is an expensive sports watch – and a PlayStation achievement trophy titled ‘Kleptomaniac.’

The deserted streets were also a bit odd, reminding me a little of the Rome levels in ‘Tomb Raider Chronicles’ – with no passing cars, no sounds of the city or even the odd stray dog running about. Despite this, the settings looked good and there was definitely a moody vibe to the rundown lanes and alleyways. I actually enjoyed exploring these parts and appreciated the detail and design that went into creating this location.

The overall objective of this level is to interact with the locals and receive clues as to the whereabouts of a character named Bouchard. Eventually you acquire the information you need and this leads into the sewers to find this elusive individual. Once you locate his hideout, the weird dial gets turned up even higher, as the first person you come across is a man lying on a bed suffering from some kind of metallic skin infection. Bizarre!

Following this crazy scene, Lara eventually meets Bouchard and is directed to the local pawnshop, where – surprise, surprise – the poor shop owner is discovered murdered, with symbols written in blood on the floor. I guess the prime suspect would be the creepy guy Lara passes in the hallway, but it would be a waste of time explaining this to the local Gendarmes.

These events lead into a timed explosion, where Lara is forced to move quickly to escape the building through the tunnels below. Having survived, the mission then moves onto The Louvre – which I will write about in greater detail at a later date.

Overall, as far as an adventure/mystery game goes, these levels set in the backstreets of Paris are engaging enough. The only question is: – should a Tomb Raider game be spending so much time in an urban area? To be fair, we’ve seen these types of settings before with Venice in ‘Tomb Raider II’ and Rome in ‘Tomb Raider Chronicles’, but there was a sense of history in those levels – as opposed to the sleazy surroundings featured in this game.

I’m ‘on the fence’ here – as I enjoyed the grimy Paris setting and appreciated the effort and detail that helped build this fictional world, and would recommend any fan of the series to be patient and give this game a chance. However, on the other hand I would prefer a Tomb Raider game to be more about exploring ancient temples and ruins.

More Indiana Jones and less Jason Bourne, if that makes sense.

Tomb Raider Trilogy Remastered – Vol II is available at the PlayStation store.

All screenshots are courtesy of PlayStation, Crystal Dynamics and Aspyr.