Review: Tomb Raider – The Angel of Darkness (Remaster)

Recent years have seen the release of a number of classic Tomb Raider remasters. First, an updated collection of the original three Tomb Raider titles (Tomb Raider I-III) was released for nearly every platform you can think of. Then, just last month, this was followed with a second collection of remasters (Tomb Raider IV-VI). The last time I reviewed one of Lara Croft’s adventures was in 2018. Since that time, I’ve been patiently waiting for the next entry in the series to pop-up on my backlog. In reality, I should have played and reviewed this game a couple of months ago. But, knowing that today’s review, Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness, was going to be included in this second collection, I decided to hold off and wait so that I could experience this game with all the new bells and whistles.

The Angel of Darkness was originally released in 2003 for both the PS2 and the PC. I want to say right up front that I never played this game when it was first released. So this is my first time experiencing it first hand. Even so, the reputation around this game was not lost on me. The Angel of Darkness is infamous for being labeled as the worst game in the series. This reputation is largely due to its rushed production – leading to both a considerable amount of cut content and an extremely large number of bugs present in the final release. Despite this, the game is also known for its attempt to take the series in a slightly different direction. This “mythology” surrounding the game actually made its inclusion in this latest remaster collection somewhat exciting. The developers of the remaster stated publicly that they were going to attempt to restore some of the content cut from the original game and address a number of bugs from the initial release. Naturally, this caused quite a bit of excitement. Were fans finally going to see The Angel of Darkness as it was originally intended?

Before I get into what I think about about the game itself, let’s take a moment to talk about the game’s story. At the end of Tomb Raider IV: The Last Revelation, Lara Croft is presumed to be dead. The next game, Tomb Raider Chronicles, while technically a sequel, is more of a series of separate scenarios – snapshots of Lara’s previous adventures – it does not truly address the cliffhanger from the end of The Last Revelation. This game does.

Spoiler alert: Lara survives.

This game begins in Paris, with Lara Croft paying a visit to her former mentor. During their meeting, the pair is attacked by an unknown entity and Lara falls unconscious. Upon awakening, she finds that her friend has been murdered and she is the prime suspect. Lara flees the scene and is tasked with evading capture from the authorities, while also trying to clear her name and uncover the truth behind the murder. Her adventure takes her deep into a web of conspiracy and intrigue.

If the story above sounds like a huge departure from what was seen in previous Tomb Raider games, that’s because it is. The story hooked me right from the beginning and had me very pumped to play the game. However, once I got my into the thick of the gameplay, I began to see just what all the criticism was about.

One thing that I want to mention right up front about this new remastered version of The Angel of Darkness (and this is actually true for all of the remastered Tomb Raider games) is that the core game is essentially the game. The original game engine seems to be very much present in this new release. What these remasters actually do is build on top of the original game, adding the option for a more modern control scheme and more modern visuals. I should mention that I played this game using a controller and I spent a little time with both control schemes. In my personal opinion, the original “tank style” controls are still the best option. Yes, the new modern controller set up feels a bit more natural and easier to handle. But, it’s immediately obvious that the puzzles and obstacles in this game were designed with the original control scheme in mind. Certain platforming mechanics in this game don’t really play well with the new option, making the game much more difficult than it should be when playing with the modern controls.

The new visuals on the other hand are very well done. This is the case for all of the remastered Tomb Raider games. The first five of the remastered titles look leagues better with the new rendering engine than they ever have before. This game does not see quite as much of an improvement, as it was released in a time when 3D accelerated graphics were already becoming the mainstream. Some might even argue that the new textures lose a little of their charm compared to the original graphics. But personally, I think the new textures are generally better looking overall. One neat feature that this game, and all of the remastered Tomb Raider titles offers, is the ability to switch between the retro graphics and the the new modern visuals with the push of a button. I’ve seen this option before and it’s always a cool addition any time it’s implemented.

That being said, there are some rather puzzling visual oddities present in this remastered version. For example, some character models look like they received more attention than others. Other times, the original graphics actually seem to be a tad more animated than the new – but not always. It’s a very mixed bag. Most of the time, this isn’t really an issue. But when it does happen, it tends to stand out. I’m curious to see if some these problems are addressed in a future update.

So, what about this “cut content”? It seems the developers did indeed add back a number of things that were cut from the original game. This restored content often comes in the form of voice prompts from Lara, improved narratives during cutscenes, and additional weapons. The biggest change, however, is the restoration of an interactive in-game store. Throughout the game, Lara is able to obtain money. In the original version of the game, this currency had no real purpose. But now, Lara is able to exchange her cash for new weapons and items. This is a very cool addition to the original game. The only problem is, there’s just one shop in the game and once you move past that point, there’s no going back. I can’t help but feel like the original plan was to have more than one place where you could purchase items. But even with this mechanic being added back to the game, it still feels partially incomplete.

So far, I’ve focused mainly on what the remaster has done in terms of improving the original game. But let me take a moment to talk about the game itself. Even with all of these additions, there’s plenty that’s wrong with The Angel of Darkness. The fact that it was rushed to release is still quite obvious. During my playthrough of the game, I encountered several issues where Lara would seem to stop responding to the controls. Like she was stuck – for no apparent reason. There were also semi-frequent clipping issues and other graphical oddities that would pop up from time to time. The overall pacing of the game and continuity between levels also seems very raw and unfinished. On top of that, some levels feel very well designed and polished, while others feel uninspired and incomplete.

Still, I have to admit that this new version is considerably superior to the original. I know this because after I completed the remaster, I went black and played through the first few levels of the original game. Trust me. This is without a doubt the definitive version of The Angel of Darkness. But it’s important to understand that it’s still not perfect by any stretch of the imagination.

Version Reviewed: PC

Difficulty: Medium –  Compared to the earlier Tomb Raider games, I found The Angel of Darkness to be slightly less challenging. Personally, I find a large part of the difficulty in these games coming from the playcontrol. The tank style controls are stiff and stubborn and when playing the remaster, the new modern option doesn’t really improve on this. The puzzles are thoughtful and challenging. But the main level of frustration in these games comes from the actual gameplay, at least for me.

Multiplayer: No.

Story: For me, this game has the most riveting storyline in the series thus far. Like with the previous games, most of the lore and story is presented through cutscenes that take place in between levels and at the beginning and end of the game. But Lara’s commentary during this game does add a bit of color that wasn’t really present in previous titles.

Originality: Aside from the radical change in direction that the story takes in this game, there’s still really nothing new to see here. It’s still very much a hairline platformer with a troublesome control scheme. The remaster does add some new mechanics that were cut from the original game. But their addition feels very much like an afterthought instead of a serious effort at improving the original.

Soundtrack: The voice acting is fairly well done. The background music is fitting but I would often encounter issues where it would just stop playing altogether for no real reason. Very odd.

Fun: Hardcore Tomb Raider fans may not know what’s in store for them when jumping into this game. It’s similar enough to the previous games that it will feel familiar. But the setting and plotline are more urban and modern than we’re used to with this series. This could be a plus or minus, depending on your point of view. The various glitches and oddities present in the game are frustrating at times and do tend to detract from some of the enjoyment.

Graphics: No matter which version of The Angel of Darkness you play, this is the best looking Tomb Raider out of the original six. The dynamic lighting is very well done and the textures are very rich and detailed.

Playcontrol:  For me, the playcontrol on these classic Tomb Raider titles are the biggest issue. Controls are stiff, non-responsive and punishing. Again, the saving grace here is being able to save and reload your game as needed – because you will frequently fall or miss grabbing on a ledge thanks to the unintuitive controls. The remaster offers a more modern controller option, but this option seems to be more detrimental than beneficial.

Downloadable Content: N/A

Mature Content: Minor language, violence, sensual themes

Value:  This game is available as part of the Tomb Raider IV-VI collection. The entire collection is priced at $30, which breaks down to be $10 per game. Despite its flaws, this game is arguably worth a $10 price tag.

Overall rating (1-100): 60 – I really wanted to give this game a better score. But at the end of the day, it suffers from a number of inexcusable issues. This is made more true by the fact that the remaster was supposed to address many of these, but largely failed to do so. Still, as a fan of the Tomb Raider series, I was able to appreciate this game for what it was. But even so, there’s no denying that this game was released in a very broken state, and still remains that way today.

Original System: PC

Available today on:  PC, Xbox One/X/S, PS 4/5, Switch     – (Updated as of Early Winter 2025)

Best Experience: Xbox X/S, PS5   – (Updated as of Early Winter 2025)

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