Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft

 PC
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 62 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 43 out of 62
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 62
  3. Negative: 6 out of 62
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  1. pookie
    Jun 28, 2012
    9
    Tomb Raider III on PC is less of a challenge. Thankfully, the player now as the option to save at any point. The game is still difficult, but dropping the Save Crystals from PSX version helps a lot. Tomb Raider III is a more daring entry in the series. The emphasis on exploration is higher this time around with a well-balanced mix of action. The heavy use of gun fights with human goonsTomb Raider III on PC is less of a challenge. Thankfully, the player now as the option to save at any point. The game is still difficult, but dropping the Save Crystals from PSX version helps a lot. Tomb Raider III is a more daring entry in the series. The emphasis on exploration is higher this time around with a well-balanced mix of action. The heavy use of gun fights with human goons from TR2 are lighter this time around. TRIII offers the most diversity out of any Tomb Raider game. From the wider arsenal of weapons (Desert Eagle, Rocker Launcher,etc) , more outfits, new vehicles (quad bike,kayak, etc), new moves like sprinting and crawling, to a variety of larger scaled levels (India, Area 51, London, Tropical island, Antartica). Levels now have multiple paths. The difficulty for this game ranges between intermediate to hard. Environments are more deadly. Traps and Death linger in every corner. Give this game a chance if you are up for a challenge. It's not going to satisfy everyone. TRIII's difficulty has resulted in poor reviews and mixed opinions. Don't let them fool you. Tomb Raider III is a good game that offers more of a challenge and more varitey than others titles in the series.… Expand
  2. BStheBOBI
    Feb 22, 2021
    4
    This review will be from a perspective of a guy who started playing games around 2010. This means that yes i will say that the archaic movement system and the low graphics make the game a struggle to play thrtough. But the movement is not so bad i got used to it given that this was the third game i played in order. But the more open levels just made me impossible to continue to playThis review will be from a perspective of a guy who started playing games around 2010. This means that yes i will say that the archaic movement system and the low graphics make the game a struggle to play thrtough. But the movement is not so bad i got used to it given that this was the third game i played in order. But the more open levels just made me impossible to continue to play without a guide. (and i didnt need a guide in the first or the second game). Automatically i cant give the game more than a 4. The story is a bit all over the place but you do undertand what is happening.… Expand
  3. MrSonicFan
    Apr 23, 2013
    4
    This game is probably the second worst in the franchise. In this game i never have got past the first level. Why? because the level is ugly, Confusing, And really, really boring. The game might pick up after the first level but the first level did not leave a good impression. Play Tomb raider 1&2 first as they leave a better impression
  4. JackBurda
    Jan 29, 2016
    8
    Too cryptic and too long, but still great. Challenging tombs, various enemies and fast combat. Tomb Raider 3 is great, but is weaker, than the second.
  5. weegee123
    Jan 28, 2012
    10
    i have this game on my computer. i kind of dont like the controls. also, i've been stuck on the first damn level for like a year!!! i like it AND hate it.
  6. markwhitton
    Nov 20, 2013
    7
    All I can really say is once you finally complete the game it’s a sigh of relief! Tomb Raider 3 has some atrociously hard levels and I don’t believe anyone could complete this game entirely without checking some sort of walk-through for certain parts! I had previously never completed this game when I originally had it for the PS1 as it is so long and so difficult; limiting saves to saveAll I can really say is once you finally complete the game it’s a sigh of relief! Tomb Raider 3 has some atrociously hard levels and I don’t believe anyone could complete this game entirely without checking some sort of walk-through for certain parts! I had previously never completed this game when I originally had it for the PS1 as it is so long and so difficult; limiting saves to save crystals was not a wise move for this title at all, fortunately the PC version is save anywhere and I ended up saving the game 450 times, yes that’s really bad. However although it was long, overly difficult and often down right annoying; if you love your Tomb Raider games, you’re going to enjoy it!… Expand
  7. dinosauryoshi
    Jun 30, 2014
    7
    From what I remember, the first two 'worlds' were great but I didn't like the futuristic Area 51 at all. Also it still suffers from the old clunky control problem. An enjoyable adventure nonetheless!
  8. Broyax
    Sep 26, 2021
    0
    Je ne m’y attendais pas mais cette vieille daube prévue pour 95/98 marche aussi sur XP… y compris en 1080p (1920×1080) ! pas mal pour un jeu DirectX6… Hélas, c’est bloqué à 30 im/s… il faudrait trifouiller les fichiers .ini et mettre les mains dans le cambouis pour que cette daube gère la manette 360 correctement, car par défaut, on peut seulement bouger la bécasse… et rien d’autre, aucunJe ne m’y attendais pas mais cette vieille daube prévue pour 95/98 marche aussi sur XP… y compris en 1080p (1920×1080) ! pas mal pour un jeu DirectX6… Hélas, c’est bloqué à 30 im/s… il faudrait trifouiller les fichiers .ini et mettre les mains dans le cambouis pour que cette daube gère la manette 360 correctement, car par défaut, on peut seulement bouger la bécasse… et rien d’autre, aucun bouton ne fonctionne !

    On passe donc au clavier mais aucune commande n’est paramétrable, on n’a le choix qu’entre deux configs, l’une utilisant les touches fléchées, l’autre le pavé numérique… non mais allo quoi, Dumb Raider ! déjà que cette vieile daube est tout aussi injouable que les deux précédentes, alors bonjour les dégâts…

    D’ailleurs, on ne peut pas appeler cette chose un ‘TPS’, non certainement pas, ça ne se joue pas comme tel et en vérité, ça ne se joue pas tout court : tout est pensé (?!?) en dépit du bon sens et même les mouvements et animations sont complètement à l’ouest. Tout comme le ‘game design’ très psycho-rigide, à la fois d’un autre temps et si mal fait qu’on en reste coi, éberlué et consterné : cette merde est injouable !

    Même les menus sont mal faits et à propos, si l’installation est rapide, c’est parce que tout se joue à partir du cd ! malgré la résolution élevée, on se perd comme d’habitude dans des niveaux de psychopathe et on sait bien que 99% des tocards qui ont perdu leur temps sur cette merde, ont fait le jeu en suivant des guides et des solutions qui venaient d’un ou deux développeurs en catimini et incognito.

    Donc, on ne va pas se mentir et affronter la dure réalité : cette vieille daube est un vieux paquet de merde, comme les précédentes et encore celles qui vont suivre, car venant (encore) de Core Design, cette équipe d’incapables, une équipe heureusement disparue depuis le temps !    … Expand
  9. SilverOrlov
    Oct 9, 2019
    10
    A great continuation of a great adventure series with elements of fantasy and mythology.
  10. Andante
    Jul 7, 2022
    8
    This is Tomb Raider at its very best. Great game play, hard puzzles and so much exploration going on. This game really sucked me in, and I consider it as one of the best game experiences I ever had
  11. nietzfk
    May 20, 2023
    5
    I bought all the games on PS1 while it was on sale, but none of the settings are valid, it takes extra effort to set the controller. The only option for the smoothest and nostalgic state is to play on the PSX emulator. From the first game to the fifth, this option seems to be the most ideal.
  12. WakyEggs
    Feb 27, 2021
    9
    Great game. Very challenging. The threat of getting stuck for days or even weeks was always there and you were so happy when you advanced to the next section. The world was very open and beautiful. The mysteries were terrifying. Probably my most favorite single player game.
  13. LT_Gruber
    Dec 9, 2022
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Worst installment in the series in my opinion.

    I am a big fan of the Tomb Raider series. Solving puzzles, collecting (secret) items, the platforming, it is simply great. But strange enough was Tomb Raider III the absolute worst I have played so far in the series. It has so many problems that it became a real chore to finish. And I never post a review about a game if I did not finish it first.

    Tomb Raider III is still a classic game that follows the same format as the first two installments and has all the elements the other games have too. You go on an adventure to collect an ancient artifact while avoiding traps, killing enemies and solve puzzles along the way. But it has too many shortcomings.

    To start, Tomb Raider III has too much “everyday live” stuff in it, if that makes sense. Entire levels are just in a city or a military encampment, a secret base, a complex, subway etc. Only the first and last levels take place in actual ancient tombs or ruins, the thing that defined the other games so much. Many of the traps are not mechanical activated spikes or blades, but industrial crushers or rock crushers. The whole purpose for me in Tomb Raider, is raiding tombs. Luckily the fourth game did it absolutely right and is still my favourite.

    Second, it has to many cheap deaths, impossible jumps, enemies that spawn out of nowhere, game mechanics that change on the spot and ladder disembarks that must be done in such a way that a normal human would not figure out by themselves unless they used a guide. An example is three instances in which you are on a ladder and need to access a platform directly next to it. You need to let yourself fall, grab the ladder again and immediately go to the left or else Lara will go into her “ladder stance” again. When you activate a switch, the second after that a freaking Raptor spawns out of nowhere, attaches itself to your behind and never let go. You press a button and two angry natives with spears spawn in front of you and maul you. When you ride on certain vehicles throughout the game, you can never “jump off” the thing. You need to be standing still, press the arrow key + end and disembark. However, the boat in the last level, Antarctica changes the mechanics around completely. Here you need to get close to a ledge and then jump out on the platform. I spend hours on this part before I realized this.

    One special note must be made for the Area 51 levels in the Nevada campaign. Here, your weapons are taken from you. If you collected sooooo much stuff throughout the other campaigns, it is all gone. All that work for nothing. No MP5 (which I never found again), no Desert Eagle, nothing. I thought I was getting it back at the end but no. It is one of the cheapest things I experienced in this game.

    But the main reason I did not like Tomb Raider III, was the cryptic nature of the game. Yes, I know you are supposed to solve puzzles and that you must find the right path. But this is not normal. You never know where to go or what to do, every texture looks the same and cannot be distinguished from anything else, the levels are chaotic and repetitive and on top of that, some routes make no sense. Peddling UP a river to reach the correct platform, I mean come on. And then you got the switches you press to open a certain area ten kilometres back and you do not have the slightest clue what it opened. No animation, no screenshot nothing. Later on, in the game you get some indications about what a button, key or switch does, but in the beginning, you can figure that out for yourself my friend. Long story short, it is one big boring mess which does whatever it wants.

    Now I know Tomb Raider games are hard, especially the earlier instalments, they do not hold your hand throughout the game like games nowadays. But this is taking it to the next level and I never had so much trouble and anger with any other Tomb Raider game, and I played Tomb Raider I, II and IV as well.

    The last reason I did not like this instalment in the Tomb Raider series was the boss and ending. It is without doubt one of the cheapest and most unfair boss fights I have ever played out of any game. One hit death, two seconds to react, no breathing time. You fail miserably, you consult a strategy guide, get specific instructions to do exactly in time, it works but you are thinking: “How the hell could people from 1998 figure this out, how did kids stand a chance back then?” And even when you kill the bloody thing, the level still goes on and you need to kill 8 more guards with machine guns and flamethrowers. Holy sh…

    All this combined made Tomb Raider III a real chore to finish and I never had this feeling of disappointment and irritation with any other Tomb Raider game.

    Do not recommend this one.    … Expand