
Play Tomb Raider Online
Game Info
- Platform
- PlayStation
- Genres
- Shooter · Platformer · Puzzle · Adventure
- Player Perspective
- Third person
- Developers
- Core Design
- Publishers
- Square Enix · Sony Computer Entertainment · Eidos Interactive
- Release date
- October 24, 1996
Summary
Tomb Raider on the original PlayStation feels like stepping into a 1990s adventure magazine where Lara Croft—part Indiana Jones, part Bayonetta—leads you through Peru, Greece, Egypt and a lost Atlantis. The game’s grid‑based level design, inspired by real tomb architecture, lets you shimmy along ledges, swim in churning water and pull off a handstand‑style swandive that still makes me grin. Core Design’s modest £440,000 budget forced the team to hand‑animate Lara’s movements and build a custom engine, but those constraints birthed the iconic twin‑pistol lock‑on system and a camera that flips between four preset angles for cinematic flair. Nathan McCree’s synth‑driven score, built on a simple four‑note motif, pops up only at key moments, letting the clatter of traps and Lara’s grunts dominate the soundscape. Shelley Blond’s dead‑pan, “female Bond” voice work gave Lara a surprisingly grounded personality, while the game’s blend of platforming, puzzles and occasional gunplay earned it a slew of Game of the Year nods and a place on the World Video Game Hall of Fame. Even after selling over seven million copies and spawning remasters, the original PlayStation version still feels fresh—a testament to its daring 3D vision and the charismatic heroine who made archaeology look badass.
Storyline
Tomb Raider follows archaeologist‑adventurer Lara Croft as she is hired by mercenary Larson, who works for businesswoman Jacqueline Natla, to retrieve the Scion – a mysterious Atlantean artefact – from the tomb of Qualopec in the Peruvian Andes. After securing the first piece, Lara is ambushed, learns the Scion is split into three parts, and discovers rival treasure hunter Pierre DuPont is after the remaining fragments. She breaks into Natla’s offices, uncovers a medieval monk’s diary, and travels to Greece where she locates the tomb of Tihocan, defeats Pierre and claims the second piece. Guided by a mural, Lara heads to Egypt’s lost city of Khamoon, kills Larson, and recovers the final Scion fragment. Natla’s henchmen seize the assembled artefact, forcing Lara to stow away on Natla’s yacht to an uncharted island that houses an Atlantean pyramid filled with monsters. Inside, Lara confronts Natla, who plans to use the Scion to accelerate humanity’s evolution, and decides to destroy the device. After a battle with a legless monster and a winged Natla, Lara shoots the Scion, triggering a chain reaction that collapses the pyramid as she escapes the exploding island.
Edited by Maya Carter
Multiplayer
- Game modes
- Single
Alternative Titles
- TR Short
- Tomb Raider 1 Alternative
- Tomb Raider featuring Lara Croft Alternative
- Tomb Raider I Alternative
- Tomb Raider starring Lara Croft Alternative
- TR1 Alternative
- TRI Alternative












