Tomb Raider

Also known as Tomb Raider: Gold, 1996 Tomb Raider

1996 action-adventure video game developed by Core Design

Game data

Metacritic 86

Released: 2013-03-05
User rating: 4.06 / 5
Genres: Action
Platforms: PC, macOS, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
ESRB: Mature

via RAWG

Game details · IGDB

85Critic score · 1 ratings

81User score · 473 ratings

Tomb Raider is a 3D action game developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive. The game follows the exploits of Lara Croft, a British female archaeologist in search of ancient treasures. The objective of Tomb Raider is to guide Lara through a series of tombs and other locations in search of treasures and artifacts. On the way, she must kill dangerous animals and other creatures, while collecting objects and solving puzzles to gain access to an ultimate prize, usually a powerful artifact. The game was critically acclaimed and widely influential, it spawned a number of sequels…

Released: 1996
Genres: Shooter, Platform, Puzzle, Adventure
Platforms: PlayStation 3, Nintendo 64, PC (Microsoft Windows), DOS, Sega Saturn, PlayStation, PlayStation Portable
Game modes: Single player
Engine: Core Design
Franchise: Tomb Raider
Developer: Core Design
Publisher: Square Enix, Eidos Interactive, Sony Computer Entertainment

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Key facts

Developer: Core Design
Publisher: Eidos Interactive
Programmer: Paul Douglas
Artist: Toby Gard
Writer: Vicky Arnold
Composer: Nathan McCree
Series: Tomb Raider
Platforms: Sega Saturn , MS-DOS , PlayStation , N-Gage , Pocket PC , iOS , Android
Release: Sega Saturn EU : 24 October 1996 NA : 14 November 1996 MS-DOS, PlayStation NA : 14 November 1996 EU : 22 November 1996 Mac OS WW : 16 March 1999 Pocket PC NA : July 2002 N-Gage NA : 7 October 2003 EU : 10 October 2003 iOS WW : 16 December 2013 Android WW : 1 April 2015
Genre: Action-adventure
Mode: Single-player

via Wikipedia infobox

~36 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Tomb Raider is a 1996 action-adventure game developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive as the debut entry in the Tomb Raider media franchise. It was first released on the Sega Saturn, followed shortly by versions for MS-DOS and the PlayStation. Later releases came for Mac OS (1999), Pocket PC (2002), N-Gage (2003), iOS (2013) and Android (2015). The game follows archaeologist-adventurer Lara Croft, who is hired by businesswoman Jacqueline Natla to find an artefact called the Scion of Atlantis. Gameplay features Lara navigating levels split into multiple areas and room complexes while fighting enemies and solving puzzles to progress.

The initial concept was created by Toby Gard, who is credited as Lara's creator and worked as lead artist on the project. Production began in 1994 and took 18 months, with a budget of £440,000. The character of Lara was based on several influences, including Tank Girl, Indiana Jones, and Hard Boiled. The 3D grid-based level design, innovative for its time, was inspired by the structure of Egyptian tombs. The music was composed by Nathan McCree, who took inspiration from English classical music. Originally announced in 1995, the title went on to receive extensive press attention and heavy promotion from Eidos Interactive. An expansion pack subtitled Unfinished Business was released in 1997, containing new standalone levels.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Tomb Raider” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.