Gameplay Overview

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis rebuilds its gameplay systems entirely. The studio has confirmed that both combat and exploration have been reimagined from scratch rather than carried over from the 1996 original's mechanics. The result is a modernized action-adventure that honors the tone and spirit of the source material. The developers describe the experience around three core pillars: puzzles, traversal, and combat.

Design Philosophy

Will Kerslake, the Game Director, has summarized the design philosophy as making the original "feel like 1996, but play in 2026." In practice this means systems like combat and traversal have been completely re-tuned to meet modern standards while signature moments and the franchise's core identity are preserved. Scott Amos, the Head of Studio at Crystal Dynamics, has described the project as a "love letter" honoring Core Design's original DNA and intent.

Modernized Controls and Difficulty

The studio has stated that the controls and camera are modernized so the game feels like a modern third-person action title rather than the original 1996 release. Difficulty has been adjusted for modern player tastes. Specific control bindings and the exact control scheme have not been detailed ahead of launch.

Exploration and Traversal

Exploration is a confirmed pillar of the game and has been rebuilt from the ground up. Lara navigates treacherous landscapes across the four confirmed regions, using her strength, agility, and a grappling hook to climb, leap, and swing across perilous terrain. Areas that appeared only as flat background images in the 1996 original are now fully realized 3D environments in the reimagining, with rooms that were once self-contained opened into semi-connected spaces that can be approached from new angles. Each space is built as a real place first, rewarding exploration with secrets, collectibles, and resources. The exact climbing and swimming systems and full movement set have not been detailed beyond the grappling hook and acrobatic traversal shown so far.

Movement seen in hands-on play includes leaping and hanging between ledges, swinging from poles with timed releases, crossing wide gaps with the grappling hook, and diving into water to swim. Reviewers noted a slight floatiness to Lara’s movement that recalls how she felt to control in earlier games in the series. The opening stretch of Peru’s Lost Valley is built around exploration and puzzles rather than fighting, with side paths that lead to collectibles and hidden items; some pickups yield rare materials, pointing to a crafting layer the studio has not fully detailed.

Combat

Combat has been fully rebuilt for modern controller-based play. Lara faces savage wildlife, human mercenaries, and mythological creatures across the adventure. She is armed with her iconic dual pistols and other unlockable weapons, and uses acrobatic abilities to unleash attacks against enemies. Dinosaurs play a prominent role, and the Tyrannosaurus rex returns as a signature set piece. A wolves encounter from the original is also confirmed as carried over in reimagined form. Scott Amos has described the T-Rex as "reborn as a contemporary action-adventure set piece," intended to create a brand-new memory for new players while feeling for longtime fans like experiencing that moment for the first time again. In the reimagining the dinosaurs have been redesigned with feathers in line with current paleontology: the velociraptors are feathered and the Tyrannosaurus rex carries red feathers, while the developers keep the encounter recognizable to longtime fans.

Beyond the dual pistols and the named creature encounters, the full unlockable weapon roster and the complete enemy lineup have not been detailed. The specific weapon and enemy lists from the 1996 original are not confirmed for this reimagining, since combat was rebuilt from scratch.

Combat Controls and the Focus System

In hands-on play, Lara fires her dual pistols by holding the right trigger, and can aim precisely with the left trigger while firing one pistol at a time on the move. The dodge button rolls, dives, and cartwheels her clear of incoming attacks. Successful fighting builds a Focus meter that she can spend to perform a gymnastic flip while time briefly slows, letting her keep firing as she evades. The developers have said combat difficulty can be tuned separately from puzzle difficulty, and that on-screen guidance can be dialed up or down to taste.

Puzzle-Solving

Puzzle-solving is a confirmed major pillar. In Peru’s Lost Valley, the puzzles have been rebuilt from the ground up. Confirmed puzzle mechanics include manipulating water flow, redirecting light beams, activating pressure plates, and deciphering symbols, with solutions that combine knowledge the player has uncovered with clever thinking. Returning favorites such as the cog puzzle come back reimagined and grounded in the world around them, and rolling boulder traps are confirmed as one of the carried-over hazards from the original. The total number of optional tombs or challenges and the full reward structure have not been announced.

Technical Foundation

The game runs on Unreal Engine 5, which the studio uses to deliver detailed environments across the four confirmed regions. The Steam store listing confirms twelve language options, single-player only, Steam Achievements, HDR support, full controller support (including DualShock controllers), and Denuvo Anti-tamper technology on PC. The PlayStation 5 version is enhanced for PlayStation 5 Pro. Frame rate targets, ray tracing settings, and accessibility features have not been confirmed in detail.