“This post is part of a series exploring the history of the Tomb Raider series and its entries. Be sure to check out the hub article on NekoJonez’s Gaming Blog for links to all the great retrospectives written by other bloggers, and to find out more about what makes this franchise such a classic.”
Lara Croft has had its ups and downs when it comes to the many games she’s starred in. But nothing comes close to the mobile experience of her spin-off series as Lara Croft: Relic Run.
The game doesn’t surprise in its name as this is a running game where you as Lara are trying to solve a mystery about a dear friend who’s gone missing. From there we are taking to three various zones being a jungle, a desert/caverns within an egyptian like setting and snowy mountains reminiscence of the Himalayas. Many of these look cool from the level selection menu and when you run through each level to find the many clues.
There are different obstacles when you play the level, this being jumps, wall running, sliding, vine swinging, firing at enemy monsters all while trying to get as high a score as possible. This putting in with you having the option to choose between different weapons and clothes (a hint to other Tomb Raider games), there seems to be a lot for you to do, even the story being weak has you aiming towards the last level so we can see how it concludes.
There are also some boss fights and light combat. The game has you find and collect relics. Each relic requires some components to complete, all of which have to be found in one single run. If Lara dies, you have to start over again.
In all honesty the soundtrack of the game wasn’t something to raise your arms in sky and sing its praises. Nothing is of real note here.
Another issue I had with the game was that the controls never seemed to respond with fast reflex actions, having me run straight into an obstacle and then starting all over again in the level.
The last thing that is not something really needed in a game like this is the microtransaction system in place. It’s there with ads for death, for a slot like option of getting a crate with loot or currency, it’s there for skins, it’s there for weapons, it’s even there when you just want to reset the level after having died to something along the path. It didn’t take the game long to piss me off and it was also clear that you were almost needed to buy ingame life/currency etc. to beat the last 10 levels of the game as they were some of the frustratingly hardest I had ever played. Not frustrating as in “oh let me try again”, no more in you want to throw your phone into the oven, then in a bucket of ice, then in the ocean and lastly in a blender….only to start all over again at the same level.
In the end I am willing to give Lara Croft Relic Run the score:
By now it should be clear I wasn’t a fan of the game and it’s a below average game at best. There are some good things in it but it’s hidden behind so many annoying game designs that I just gave up after finally having beaten the story which wasn’t that good anyway, as it left me with dread for how it concludes.
What are your thoughts on this game? Let me know down in the comments as I hope you enjoyed this review of Lara Croft: Relic Run.
Stay Cozy and have a nice day!
TriformTrinity 
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