Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis — First Look!

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis redefines Lara Croft’s inaugural escapade, blending the spirit of the original 1996 title with fresh polish from Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog. During my hour‑long session at Summer Game Fest 2026, I witnessed how the developers weave nostalgic elements from the 2008 remake, Tomb Raider Anniversary, into a contemporary experience.

The showcase opened in Peru’s Lost Valley, where I tackled a revamped rendition of the franchise’s signature cog puzzle. Two cogs must be positioned to halt a rushing waterfall, unveiling a hidden door that grants Lara deeper access to the jungle’s secrets. The first cog is readily available, but the second is tucked away, demanding careful exploration.

This segment of Lost Valley eschews combat entirely, focusing instead on navigating a maze of side paths that reward players with collectibles and concealed items. Legacy of Atlantis deliberately offers minimal guidance for locating the missing cog; instead, players must interpret environmental clues to chart their own course. This design choice reinforces Lara’s identity as a seasoned archaeologist and explorer, though it can prove challenging at times.

“If we hand players a map or give them GPS directions, we strip away the challenge and disconnect them from Lara’s mindset,” explained Jeff Hays, Experience Director at Crystal Dynamics, after my session. His comments underscore the studio’s commitment to preserving the franchise’s core exploratory ethos in a modern context.

Crystal Dynamics’ Game Director Raul Siqueira clarified that Legacy of Atlantis is not engineered to be a brutal challenge. Instead, the team has built a system that empowers players to shape their own adventure, offering adjustable guidance and the ability to set puzzle and combat difficulty independently.

Exploration itself rewards curiosity. Players can uncover hidden caves by diving into the pool and pressing Circle while swimming, or spot handholds in crumbling walls that lead to abandoned structures. Many of these discoveries yield rare materials, hinting that crafting will play a significant role in Lara’s journey—an element that was absent from the current demo.

True to form, Lara remains the agile, acrobatic heroine, swinging from ledges with X and leaping across gaps using the grappling hook activated by Triangle. Occasionally, she will swing between horizontal poles, timing the release with X to glide precisely at the right moment.

After a prolonged search, I finally located the final gear, affixed to an ancient wooden apparatus. By navigating a climb and swinging across, I enabled Lara to kick the gear free, sending it tumbling into a stream that directed it to the mechanism below. Once the cogs aligned, the ancient machine whirred to life, the waterfall closed, and Lara advanced through the newly opened passage.

Shortly after re-entering the dense jungle, I was ambushed by a swarm of velociraptors leaping from the undergrowth. It was then that I finally unleashed Lara’s iconic twin pistols, firing continuously by holding down R2. Players can choose to shoot one gun at a time while sprinting, or lock in a full‑power burst by holding L2 and firing.

The raptors are swift, terrifying predators that launch themselves at Lara with brutal attacks, making it clear that the core of combat in Legacy of Atlantis hinges on relentless mobility and aggression. By pressing Circle, Lara executes a rapid dive, roll, and cartwheel, skillfully evading incoming strikes.

Beyond combat, the game offers classic exploration features such as pole‑swinging, long jumps, and acrobatic evasions, giving Legacy of Atlantis a nostalgic, throwback vibe. Lara’s slight floatiness harks back to the feel of earlier Tomb Raider titles, creating an engaging fusion of modern design and retro charm.

“We examined combat through the lens of what worked during the Survivor era—those last three games—and considered what would make sense for a fully matured Lara,” explained lead designer Siqueira. “We wanted her movement in combat to mirror her traversal and puzzle-solving style, ensuring it remained unmistakably hers. The acrobatics, the flourishes, the power fantasy—all of that needed to be present.”

In the action-packed gameplay, players accumulate a resource called Focus by defeating enemies. When activated with R1, Focus grants Lara a spectacular acrobatic flip that briefly slows time, letting her fire her weapons while evading danger. According to developer Siqueira, this mechanic was designed to give players a tactical edge, ensuring that Lara’s signature agility didn’t leave them at a disadvantage.

After clearing a narrow canyon and dispatching several dinosaur packs, the adventure escalates dramatically when a towering Tyrannosaurus rex barrels through the forest. The ensuing chase forces Lara and the raptors to sprint away from the beast’s snapping jaws, demanding precise timing to leap off a muddy slope or scale a wall to survive. The demo concludes on a tense cliffhanger as the T‑rex closes in.

During my limited playthrough, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis successfully blends the nostalgic charm of classic Tomb Raider titles with contemporary gameplay polish. Players can step into Lara Croft’s inaugural adventure when the game releases on February 12, 2027.