The original Tomb Raider was an early example of how to successfully make a big, 3D video game. So it’s a bit ironic that one of the coolest new mods for the classic game strips it of its 3D world and exploration and turns it into a two-dimensional platformer.
Earlier this month, Tomb Raider modders Delca and Trxye uploaded Tomb Raider: Side-Scroller Edition to TRCustoms. The mod features 10 levels inspired by areas and biomes featured in the original Tomb Raider games released back in the 90s.
“This fangame project reimagines the classic Tomb Raider games through a 2D side-scrolling lens,” explains the mod creators on Tomb Raider: Side-Scroller Edition‘s page. “Re-experience familiar locations, redesigned with new platforming challenges and traps unique to the side-scrolling perspective!” The modders also say the mod contains 100 optional Golden Crystals for players to find and a hidden bonus level if you do find them all.
I’m not a classic Tomb Raider player by any stretch, so I’ve yet to play this new mod. But as seen in this video by Tomb Raider superfan AxMania, this new mod sounds like a treat for fans of the original game. I wonder if, in a different timeline, Tomb Raider on PlayStation wasn’t able to be fully 3D, and this is what those fans in that different universe got instead?
If you want to play this side-scrolling Tomb Raider mod, you’ll need to download and install it following the instructions on TRCustoms. It doesn’t seem to natively support controllers, so you’ll need to tinker to play it with a gamepad, or just use the keyboard like a classic Tomb Raider pro.