Over two decades have elapsed since we first met Lara Croft, but she remains one of the most popular characters in gaming. The first Tomb Raider instalment was launched on PS1 in 1996, while 2018’s Shadow of the Tomb Raider arrived on consoles as the twelfth entry in the main Tomb Raider gaming series.
Croft has evolved over the years, although she has always retained her intelligence, strength, and sense of adventure. Those attributes made Croft perfect as the protagonist in three Tomb Raider movies, with Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander appearing in the starring role. Making the jump from games to movies highlights Croft’s mass appeal.
Another sign of her success is how Croft has made the jump from the Tomb Raider series to a variety of spin-off games, games which can be found on mobile platforms and at online casinos. Here is a look at three of the best of those Lara Croft games.
Lara Croft: Temples and Tombs Slot
Only fictional characters that command significant crossover appeal are considered suitable as the focus for an online slot, so it is telling that there is an entire trilogy of slots based on Lara Croft. Microgaming are one of the most popular slot developers and have taken on the responsibility of bringing Croft to life on the reels.
Online Casinos Canada provide the most reliable online casino guide for gamers, with many of their top-rated casinos hosting slots from Microgaming. Temples and Tombs is the third Croft slot from Microgaming, following up on the success of Tomb Raider and Secret of the Sword. The highest-rated casino from that Online Casinos Canada guide is Spin Casino, which offers all three Croft slots in its library.
Temples and Tombs introduces the Rolling Reels feature to the series, which can unlock multiple wins in succession. The graphics bring Croft to life, as well as golden gods Sobek and Anubis. With various sizes of jackpots acting as treasure for Croft to discover, Microgaming’s Temples and Tombs very much complements the vibe of the Tomb Raider gaming series.
Lara Croft Go
While Lara Croft Go could be interpreted as a continuation of the Tomb Raider series, this game takes on a very different style of gameplay. Lara Croft Go is a turn-based puzzle game, with players required to navigate a Lara Croft ‘puzzle piece’ through complex environments.
Developed by Square Enix, the game is a thematic successor to Hitman Go. This demonstrates the appeal of seeing classic gaming characters in unfamiliar situations. However, Croft will always be an intrepid archaeologist. Players must guide Croft past deadly creatures, hidden traps, and boulder blockages to complete the game’s forty levels.
The game has a distinctive visual charm, while the work of Croft translates brilliantly into a puzzle-solving environment. Critics also thought so, with Lara Croft Go recipient of the Best Mobile/Handheld Game award at The Game Awards 2015.
Lara Croft: Relic Run
Developed by Simutronics, Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix, Lara Croft: Relic Run is an endless runner platform game. Eagle-eyed readers will notice that the game’s name shares similarities with the hit release Temple Run. Relic Run treads similar ground, although there is an undeniable Tomb Raider spin on the game.
Players must travel through an endless environment for as long as possible, avoiding obstacles and traps. Croft uses her agility to its full extent, pulling off parkour skills to aid in the collection of gold coins. There are also bosses to be fought and vehicles to be commandeered on each level.
What is notable is how each of these three releases can take the hallmarks of a Tomb Raider game and integrate them seamlessly into another genre. These may be a puzzle game, a slot at an online casino, and an endless runner, but it is always clear that these are games that are true to the Lara Croft character.
It is certain that the main Tomb Raider series will continue to grow. With three slots already, maybe Microgaming’s online casino series can even catch up with the console releases. Given the timeless appeal of the character, fans should realistically expect some form of Lara Croft game released every year for the foreseeable future.