Lara Croft: Guardian of Light

A game title first released in 2010, Lara Croft: Guardian of Light, is actually one of the spin-offs from the main franchise of Tomb Raider. The game continues with what originally made it popular like the twin-stick shooting mechanics, and like always, you get to explore the ancient archaeological sites that have made the series famous. The game, like many of the other Tomb Raider games, has some action within it, but there is an intense focus on puzzles. You can now play Lara Croft: Guardian of Light on both the mobile and the PC.

Guardian of Light has fast-action controls that have a faster pace than what you might be used to with some of the other Tomb Raider games. It has more of an arcade-like feel to it. When the enemies come at you, they will swarm and overwhelm you, so you have to take action and kill them fast. Stealth and clever action takes top priority. To help you in the game, you have the Mayan leader Totec, who was known for being the leader of the Guardians of Light. The game first starts the plot more than 2,000 years before in Central America. You have the Guardians and Totec in combat with Xolotl, an Aztec god that was both the god of lightning and death.

Technically, Totec and his Guardians were all killed, but Totec cleverly finds a way to imprison Xolotl in a mirror up until recently. If not for Lara Croft raiding the tomb, Xolotl may have stayed imprisoned forever, but her tomb raiding antics end up freeing him. Not only does Xolotl escape his dungeon, giant spiders, trolls, and demonic monsters all escape to create a new worldly dynamic. Totec does more than serve as a plot device. It allows for multiplayer action, and actually, Totec fulfills both of these roles adequately. You have to work with Totec to use the various skills each of them have if you will solve the environmental puzzles. Sometimes both Totec and Lara Croft have to push boulders while there are other times where Totec will need to throw spears that she will use as a platform to jump from.

Lara Croft: Guardian of Light blends almost flawlessly in combination with guns, problem solving, and a brilliantly fun player co-op team. Arguably, this is one of the best Tomb Raider games that we have seen in a long time. It is different from the normal adventures that Lara goes on, but the story could be improved a little because it feels like fluff and the plot is silly and unrealistic. Overall, however, you have a great action-adventure game that has tons of puzzles and fun things to collect. If you liked the previous Tomb Raider games, then you will love this one.

Pros

• Tons of weapons and ways to customize your character
• Clever puzzles that require both Laura Croft and Totec
• Can play solo or multiplayer

Cons

• The storyline needs a little improvement