Tomb Raider VR Review

Many VR experiences based on movie IP have suffered from the same ills as many AAA console games based on movies, over the years.  Typically the game is created as an afterthought with a limited budget, that often misses the mark of capturing the spirit and essence of the film property.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that Warner Brothers Interactive hit that mark with their Tomb Raider VR for the Samsung Gear.  The development team did a great job of capturing the feel of Tomb Raider and utilizing what VR and particular VR on mobile does best.

I’ve held the belief for years now that one of the best utilizations for VR is that of the virtual tour. This is the core of Tomb Raider VR.  You as the user get to be Lara Croft appropriately moving through a cavern or tomb on the search for treasure.

The trick is their are Trinity soldiers in hot pursuit so you must move ahead quickly or it’s game over.  This is a very simple mechanic but super effective from a design point of view. In VR you really get the sense that you are being pursued.  You never see the soldiers, only the beams of light from their flashlights and the faint sound of their voices.

You have a flashlight as well which you control by way of the new Gear controller.  This UX feels great and is very satisfying. At certain moments in the experience you also get to use the controller as a pickaxe to climb or slide down a rope to go deeper into the cave.

There are also a few traps to evade and a few very simple puzzles to solve, which is of course classic Tomb Raider.  The graphics especially for a Gear title are quite good. The textures and lighting are well executed and I definitely felt immersed in this world.

I highly recommend checking this title out if you are into VR based on TV or movie IP like I am.

The team that produced this got a lot of things right and I look forward to seeing what they do next.