17 years ago today, Tomb Raider: Anniversary reimagined Lara Croft’s debut adventure, giving fans the chance to revisit iconic moments from the 1996 adventure, but with modern gameplay. 

To celebrate, let’s look back at five of the game’s iconic moments – from a certain showdown in the Lost Valley to the epic face-off with the adventure’s big bad. 

1. The T-Rex Battle in the Lost Valley 

One of the most unforgettable moments in Tomb Raider: Anniversary is the intense battle with the T-Rex in the Lost Valley. As Lara navigates through the lush yet perilous Peruvian jungle, she encounters this prehistoric behemoth just as she does in her original adventure. Only this time, sinking bullets into it won’t be enough to fell the foe – she needs to lure the beast into spike traps on the edge of the arena and succeed in quick-time events to avoid becoming an afternoon snack. 

2. St. Francis’ Folly 

St. Francis Folly is a sprawling level that tests Lara’s acrobatic prowess and puzzle-solving skills. This ancient tomb features a towering central chamber with multiple themed rooms, each dedicated to a different god. From the electrifying traps in Thor’s room to the water puzzles in Neptune’s chamber, this level is a complex and beautifully designed labyrinth.  

Just don’t forget to watch your step. 

3. The Midas Touch 

Another iconic moment is the Midas statue puzzle. In this section, Lara must transform lead bars into gold by placing them on the hand of King Midas’s statue – a clever nod to King Midas’ myth. However, players must be cautious - stepping onto the hand will turn Lara into gold instantly, leading to a game over.  

(But c’mon, you have to do it at least once.) 

4. Finding the Centaurs in the Tomb of Tihocan 

After traversing through perilous traps and solving ancient puzzles in the Tomb of Tihocan, Lara finally uncovers the second piece of the Scion of Atlantis. Her victory is short-lived, however, when rival raider Pierre Dupont appears to steal it from her.  

He doesn’t make it very far though before he’s turned into a pancake by two centaurs guarding Tihocan’s resting place, leaving Lara to contend with them. Surviving requires players to use their grapple to steal the centaurs’ shields and reflect their petrification beams back at them. It’s an epic reimagining of a moment from the 1996 adventure. 

5. The Final Showdown with Natla 

The climactic battle with Jacqueline Natla is a fitting conclusion to Lara's epic journey. Set against the backdrop of a crumbling Atlantean pyramid, this final showdown is intense and puts all of players’ combat prowess developed over the course of the game to the test. The confrontation ends with a quick-time event where Lara pulls down a pillar, seemingly defeating the game’s big bad. 

Although as we discover in Tomb Raider: Underworld, Natla isn’t an easy god to kill...  

Join us in celebrating Tomb Raider: Anniversary’s anniversary on social! We’re celebrating with throwbacks to more iconic moments across all our social platforms all week long. 

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Threads: https://www.threads.net/@tombraider 

Video Games

Tomb Raider: Anniversary