Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (and its Co-Op Goodness)
Posted on Aug 24, 2010 by AndrewC in 360, Features, PS3
Some people will tell you that Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is a game about Lara Croft and her new partner Totec (a reanimated “Guardian of Light”) running through tombs and temples filled with a series of deadly traps while killing hundreds of demons and hostile animals.
These people would be lying to you.
Lara Croft’s latest adventure is about sitting on a couch with a friend and yelling, laughing, and sharing sighs of relief as you just barely escape a gargantuan rolling spiked ball (or whatever ridiculous horrors the game throws at you).
While it abandons the Tomb Raider moniker, Guardian of Light is more observant of the Core values of the series than the recent AAA releases. Early Tomb Raider games were built on three major principles: Difficult puzzles, impractical-but-deadly traps, and a focus on exploration in locations that were fantastical (if not logical). Guardian of Light wholeheartedly embraces these values and throws story to the wind.
Because Guardian of Light’s story is cheesy and implausible at best, it’s given the freedom to set up over-the-top situations that would feel out of place otherwise. I’ll avoid spoiling any of the game’s moments but, once you’ve played through Guardian of Light, you’ll be referencing some of the sequences in conversation with your co-op buddy for weeks to come.
Although Guardian of Light is forgiving, it isn’t easy. Lara and Totec will both die many times, but getting your friend back in the game is as simple as a button tap. If one happens to fall out of reach into a spike pit or off a cliff, they’ll be automatically respawned within a few seconds. An actual “death” in the game is when both players wipe at the same time. Even then, the game checkpoints very often, and you’ll never find yourself frustrated.
Co-op puzzle solving is a great experience; each one is so ingenious in its design that every solution will come to you through a logical realization (like in Portal) before you resort to random attacks at the puzzle in an attempt to stumble upon the seemingly illogical solution. The dialogue that will happen between your co-op partner and yourself isn’t restricted to high-energy situations, either. Puzzle solving will have you suggesting tactics, directing (or being directed), and copious amounts of high fives after the fact.
Guardian of Light gave us five-and-a-half hours on our first playthrough, and it seemed to end just as it started to rehash contents (such as boss and level reskins). If you’re the obsessive/compulsive type, there are collectibles and different challenges in each level that result in new weapons or costumes, as well as score and time goals to beat.
While Guardian of Light’s faults are few and far in between, there are some little issues that crop up throughout the game. The biggest issue I had was that the game made checkpoints too often. The euphoria that rushed in after surviving a particularly deadly gauntlet was muted by the checkpoints made at each quarter of the sequence. I think there could be a bit more risk involved in Guardian of Light that would both heighten the stress during the climactic scenes and allow for a greater sense of accomplishment once complete.
Lara’s latest adventure is a steal for $15; you owe it to yourself (and your co-op partner) to play this one through as soon as possible.
