Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation Playthrough

 

I decided to replay my old loves, the classic Tomb Raider games, in a series which I am calling "Tomb Raider Nostalgia Playthrough Series". By the term "classic Tomb Raiders", I refer to the first five Tomb Raider games (1-5) and their Gold expansions or add-on levels, that were released from 1996 to 2000. The classic Tomb Raiders were among the very first video games that I played many years ago and the first of the Action/Adventure genre that I ever had the chance to know. I was an avid Tomb Raider player back then, having even developed a certain virtuosity, since I participated in extra hardcore challenges set around the "No Damage + Pistols Only" rule which, at times, proved to be extremely difficult. Since then, many things have changed, including the always evolving PC systems due to which running those old games now can be a real pain. The graphics look stretchy, the resolutions look weird and it's almost impossible to record the included FMV's the standard way. Thankfully, the player friendly gameplay system of the classics never stopped to work well, thanks to which we can still enjoy those gems on our modern machines. Although I have to admit that, after being used to playing with a controller for so long, I do find it a bit tough to have to use the keyboard again.

It's been a very long time since I last played any of the classic Tomb Raiders, so I decided to begin with The Last Revelation which had always been my most beloved of those first originals. Set entirely in Egypt (with the exception of a brief two-part training level at the start), this game was a revolution in its time (it was released in 1999) and it involved a fascinating story and amazing historical locations. Most of the game is played by memory (I confess I was pleasantly surprised as to how much of it I actually remembered!) and the rest by trial and error (and lots of edited-out reloads!) until I recalled or figured out the sequence of events and actions. Because of this, I do not go for all pickups or kills, but I do find all the secrets in every level, and if a pickup is challenging I do go for it anyway. Some of the strategies that I am using (especially against bosses or very tough enemies) are the ones I used back then while playing the "No Damage + Pistols Only" challenges, but of course now I am playing normally; at this point I am not interested in going for such challenges in these games, since my aim is to enjoy the gameplay like the old times and showcase the beauty, brilliance and complexity of the classics, as well as the potential of Lara's full arsenal in use.

I have split the gameplay in parts instead of a longplay, to maintain the vintage vibe and feel of gaming.

Part 1 is Cambodia, basically the two training levels: Angkor Wat and Race For The Iris.

Part 2 is the Valley of the Kings section, namely: The Tomb of Seth, Burial Chambers, Valley of the Kings, KV5.

Part 3 is Karnak, including: Temple of Karnak, The Great Hypostyle Hall, Sacred Lake, Tomb of Semerkhet, Guardian of Semerkhet.

Part 4 is Alexandria: Desert Railroad (basically this is an independent level, but I have included it in this section because the train literally brings Lara to Alexandria), Alexandria, Coastal Ruins, Catacombs, Temple of Poseidon, The Lost Library, Hall of Demetrius, Pharos - Temple of Isis, Cleopatra's Palaces.

Part 5 is Cairo: City of the Dead, Chambers of Tulun, Citadel Gate, Trenches, Street Bazaar, Citadel.

Part 6 is Giza including: The Sphinx Complex, Underneath the Sphinx, Menkaure's Pyramid, Inside Menkaure's Pyramid, The Mastabas, The Great Pyramid, Khufu's Queen's Pyramid, Inside The Great Pyramid, Temple of Horus. 

The last part is the standalone Times Exclusive Level.

UPDATE NOTE: I had to reupload some of the videos to fix some technical issues. If you want to watch them in order, follow this playlist, either here or in my YT channel.

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