Tomb Raider's Classic Lara Croft Finally Returns

We’re still waiting on Lara Croft’s next big adventure, but this recent release is probably the next best thing to tide us over until then.

The last major Tomb Raider release was 2018’s Shadow of the Tomb Raider, which closed off the Survivor trilogy of the series and teased a more classic Lara to return in future installments of the series.

Crystal Dynamics has been a little quiet since then on the whereabouts of the next game, but fans of the classic Lara Croft era have at least been able to play those excellent remasters from Aspyr.

If you’re curious about how classic Lara would look in one of the modern Tomb Raider games, this new overhaul from Shadow of the Tomb Raider modder Swiz19 should satisfy your needs.

Tomb Raider Eclipse - Game Overhaul is a mod that was released last year which overhauls Lara’s appearance, voice, animations and backstory in Shadow of the Tomb Raider to fit the classic version of the character.

This includes a brand new look that blends her classic look with Angelina Jolie’s likeness in the live-action films. It also includes new outfits, hairstyles and animations to fit her more confident, acrobatic status from the original games.

The character’s voice has also been reworked to be a little deeper, and new voicelines have been recorded by Swiz19 that features classic Lara’s adventurous, witty and sarcastic persona (as far as I can tell, generative AI wasn't used here, but rather the performance was done by Swiz19 themselves and pitch-corrected to fit the character).

I recently revisited Shadow of the Tomb Raider with this mod in mind, and I have to say it completely changed my experience with the game compared to the first time I played it.

It really felt like I was playing a classic Tomb Raider game from the ‘90s, but with modern graphics and gameplay.

It’s not perfect, mind you. I find Lara’s new appearance and voice a little blank and uncanny, not quite fitting with the more grounded tone of Shadow of the Tomb Raider. There are a few bugs and awkward animations, but it’s decent for a fan-made overhaul made on a tiny budget.

It also means you miss out on Camilla Luddington’s rather excellent portrayal of the character. Still, it’s not like the mod is intended to replace her, but merely offer an alternative experience for repeat playthroughs. The voicelines are also completely optional, so you can skip installing them if you still want the original performance.

Be sure to download Tomb Raider Eclipse from Nexus Mods if you want to check it out.