Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered finally updates a trilogy of games that are, on average, a quarter of a century old. With Aspyr at the helm, Lara’s last batch of classic adventures is finally rendered in HD. The recreated models and updated textures allowed Aspyr to insert hidden details and Easter eggs that only fans can catch on to.
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However, the original developer Core Design also had a propensity for including subtle pop culture nods. With these details faithfully preserved and newer ones added, part of Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered’s appeal is finding all these hidden details. Here are some that have surfaced so far.
8
The Shotgun Finally Has a Pump
Lara’s trusty buckshot dispenser is the second most popular weapon in the classic series after the dual pistols. It has been around since the very first game, and no one can forget the moment Lara fires it at the camera in the second.
However, the original versions of Tomb Raider 4 and 5 featured a shotgun model that, for whatever reason, lacks a pump. Given that the shotgun is based on the SPAS-12, this weapon should not be functional. The HD remaster finally amends it by giving the gun a pump.
7
Grave References
Tomb Raider: Chronicles is set after Lara’s presumed death, and the title screen opens in a somber graveyard. The original headstones are too low-resolution to be readable, but the HD remaster includes several references on these final resting places.
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Most prominent is a grave for Core Design, indicating the period Tomb Raider’s original developer was around. There is a grave for Melissa Croft, remembered as a beloved sister. This is a reference to a character concept for Lara’s sister that was scrapped. There are also references to other scrapped design documents and Core Design IPs.
6
Indiana Jones Is Dead
One of Core Design’s original Easter eggs was this morbid nod to a competing explorer. Ever since the first Tomb Raider game came out, Lara Croft has been compared to Indiana Jones. In the 1990s, many publications called Lara Croft a female version of the Hollywood archaeologist; by the time TR4 came out, Core Design was taking direct shots at Indy.
In the opening level of Tomb Raider 4, you’ll come across a spike trap with a skeleton trapped inside it: an earlier, less fortunate explorer. Look a little closer, though, and you’ll see this decayed explorer holding a fedora and whip. Now, how many archaeologists go around in that getup?
5
The Guards Make Custom Tomb Raider Levels
The final episode of Tomb Raider: Chronicles shows Lara sneaking her way through Von Croy Industries to regain the iris her mentor claimed for himself all those years ago. However, going into photo mode reveals another neat easter egg: all the computers are running Tomb Raider Level Editor.
Tomb Raider Level Editor is a modding tool that has allowed Lara’s dedicated fanbase to keep making adventures in the classic engine decades after Core Design lost its rights to the series. It’s nice to see Aspyr acknowledge the community in this fashion. It would be even nicer if the developer implemented some TRLE support in the game..
4
Lara’s Opera Dress
Though not as popular as the opera scene from Final Fantasy 6, the opening FMV of Tomb Raider: Chronicles is pretty fun and hectic, showing Lara’s night out before she runs into some thugs. When the remaster was released, many fans expressed disappointment that you couldn’t wear Lara’s fancy dress as a custom outfit.
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The HD remaster shows why it’s missing: you can spot Lara’s dress caught on a railing, presumably when Lara clambered over it. Exactly how Lara managed to change into her classic outfit after that, however, is a mystery.
3
Changing Pathways
The opening level of Tomb Raider 4 substitutes skulls for ammo as secrets, as young Lara is presumably not familiar with firearms. Collecting all of the secrets in the opening level results in a minor, but enthralling, change in the storyline.
Rather than picking the easier path of the virtuous when given the option, Lara decides to go heretical. This opens up a harder section of the first level for its conclusion. It doesn’t change anything about the game later on, but it’s still notable for introducing some choice mechanics to a series that mostly favoured linearity.
2
Twenty Squares
Halfway through Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, Lara stops her adventuring to play some board games. While the game calls this game Senet, which is indeed a real tabletop game from ancient Egypt, the board itself more accurately resembles Twenty Squares, which was often found on the opposite side of the same box. Twenty Squares itself closely resembles the Royal Game of Ur, which originated in Mesopotamia. There’s your history lesson for the day.
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Just like earlier, winning or losing Twenty Squares sets you on different pathways. Winning makes it easier to get out of the level while losing lets you explore more of it. As for which one you get, that’s entirely up to the roll of the dice.
1
Different Loading Screens
The original releases of Tomb Raider 4-6 showed clear signs of developer burnout. Even the loading screens were simple screenshots and collages taken from in-game assets or FMVs. The remastered versions updated the loading screens for Tomb Raider: Chronicles and Angel of Darkness, featuring beautifully created widescreen images that are worthy of being wallpapers.
However, if you’re playing using the retro graphics, you’ll get the old loading screens as they were 20 years ago. This allows the games to have a modern presentation while still preserving their original forms.
