Tomb Raider: Underworld

Tomb Raider: Underworld is a 2008 action-adventure game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Eidos Interactive. Serving as the grand finale to the “LAU Trilogy” (which includes 2006’s Legend and 2007’s Anniversary), the game was the franchise’s first true leap into the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 generation, bringing massive scale, realistic weather systems, and intricate physics to Lara Croft’s adventures.

The narrative immediately follows the cliffhanger ending of Legend. Still searching for her lost mother—who was transported to the mythical realm of Avalon—Lara discovers that the Arthurian legend is deeply intertwined with ancient Norse mythology. Her quest shifts to hunting down the artifacts of the Norse god of thunder, Thor, specifically his gauntlets, his belt, and his legendary hammer, Mjolnir. Only with Mjolnir can she smash the gates of Helheim to find her mother. However, the mission forces Lara into a desperate, uneasy conflict against two returning villains: her former friend Amanda Evert and the immortal Atlantean queen Jacqueline Natla.

Gameplay

Underworld heavily upgraded the engine used in Legend, aiming to make Lara’s interactions with the environment feel far more grounded, organic, and realistic.

Key gameplay mechanics and additions include:

• Organic Acrobatics: Lara’s animations were completely overhauled using motion capture from Olympic gymnast Samantha Peszek. Lara can now free-climb across textured walls, balance on narrow beams, and seamlessly transition from climbing to standing on ledges.
• The Environment Reacts: The game heavily emphasized environmental realism. If Lara rolls in the mud in the jungles of Southern Mexico, her skin and clothes stay muddy until the rain washes it away. She actively sweeps foliage out of her way as she walks, and the weather effects make ledges slippery.
• Dual-Targeting Combat: A major upgrade to gunplay allowed Lara to lock onto two separate targets simultaneously with her dual pistols. Players could shoot a mercenary with their left hand while firing at a leaping panther with their right.
• Adrenaline Headshots: The “Quick Time Events” of Legend were largely replaced with an active “Adrenaline” system. By building up a meter, Lara could vault off enemies in slow-motion, lining up a highly precise, instant-kill headshot.
• The Sonar Map: Because the levels in Underworld were absolutely massive compared to Legend, Lara was given a high-tech 3D sonar map in her PDA to help players visualize the complex, multi-tiered ruins.
• The All-Terrain Motorcycle: The game featured massive, sprawling hub areas (most notably in Southern Mexico and Jan Mayen Island) that required Lara to use a heavily modified, all-terrain motorcycle to solve massive environmental puzzles and jump across treacherous chasms.

Development and Legacy

Development of Underworld began immediately after Legend was completed. Crystal Dynamics wanted to push the boundaries of puzzle design. Instead of pulling levers in small rooms, the puzzles in Underworld are often the size of entire levels—such as manipulating a massive, multi-story statue of the Hindu god Shiva in Thailand or aligning the colossal calendars of Xibalba in Mexico.

Upon its release in November 2008, Underworld received generally positive reviews. Critics heavily praised the stunning environments, the epic scale of the puzzles, and the satisfying conclusion to the trilogy’s storyline. However, it was also heavily criticized for its incredibly erratic camera, which often got stuck behind walls during critical platforming sections, and for combat that still felt slightly clunky compared to other 2008 heavyweights like Gears of War 2 or Dead Space.

The game is also infamous for its DLC controversy. Crystal Dynamics developed two phenomenal story expansions—Beneath the Ashes and Lara’s Shadow (where players actually take control of Lara’s superhuman, dark-magic Doppelgänger). However, due to a massive exclusivity deal with Microsoft, these DLCs were only ever released on the Xbox 360, leaving PC and PlayStation players without the true epilogue to the trilogy.

While Underworld sold over 3 million copies, it fell short of Eidos’s massive financial expectations. This underperformance led to Eidos being fully acquired by Square Enix in 2009. Recognizing that the action-adventure landscape was changing (heavily influenced by the rise of Uncharted), Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics retired this version of Lara Croft, opting to completely reboot the franchise into a gritty, M-rated survival game with 2013’s Tomb Raider. Thus, Underworld stands as the final, spectacular swansong of the classic “Teflon Lara” era.

Key Features:

• The LAU Finale — Experience the epic, cinematic conclusion to the storyline established in Tomb Raider: Legend and Tomb Raider: Anniversary.
• Norse Mythology — Wield the devastating power of Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, as you explore gorgeous, massive environments from the coast of Thailand to the frozen depths of the Arctic Sea.
• Motion-Captured Agility — Master a fluid, highly expanded moveset that allows Lara to dynamically free-climb environments and dual-target enemies in slow motion.
• Massive Mechanical Puzzles — Solve breathtaking, level-sized puzzles that require you to manipulate massive ancient machinery and ride an all-terrain motorcycle.
• The Doppelgänger — Face off against a terrifying, super-powered clone of Lara Croft created by the Atlantean queen Natla.

Release Platforms:

• PlayStation 3 — November 18, 2008 (NA) / November 21, 2008 (Europe)
• Xbox 360 — November 18, 2008 (NA) / November 21, 2008 (Europe)
• Microsoft Windows (PC) — November 18, 2008 (NA) / November 21, 2008 (Europe)
• Wii / PlayStation 2 / Nintendo DS (Scaled-down versions) — Late 2008
• Mac OS X — June 2012
• PlayStation 3 (Included in The Tomb Raider Trilogy HD Remaster) — March 2011