Today is Valentine’s Day and on this day, we welcome the remaster of the first three Tomb Raider games with open arms. While the new release boosts these classics with modern visuals, it still retains some things that could be problematic.
Crystal Dynamics acknowledges stereotypes
Tomb Raider I-III Remastered – developed in conjunction with Aspyr – is a chance to replay Lara Croft‘s earlier adventures, only with an uptick in visuals and tweaks to the mechanics. However, as noted by IGN, the games begin by offering a warning about some of the content contained within.
The message at the start states that the collection features “offensive depictions of people and cultures rooted in racial and ethnic prejudices.” While Crystal Dynamics agrees that such depictions are “deeply harmful” and “inexcusable,” the studio wanted to keep them in for this new edition.
The warning goes on to say that, instead of removing potentially offensive content, the company has chosen to “present it here in its original form, unaltered, in the hopes that we may acknowledge its harmful impact and learn from it.”
The IGN report says it’s not quite clear which parts of the Tomb Raider remaster the content warning is referring to. However, it’s likely to be pointing towards the representation of tribesmen, who are “implied to be cannibals,” in which they “wield pointed axes and shoot poison darts from blowguns.”
As well as a spit-shine on the original games, Tomb Raider I-III also comes with the official expansion packs and secret levels. It’s available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC, and previous-gen consoles. It’s also currently 20% off on Steam, but only for the next few hours.
