Official New Tomb Raider Gameplay Divides Gamers

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis finally revealed more gameplay via hands-on previews from Summer Game Fest 2026 earlier this month. These gave fans an early look at Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis’ T-Rex chase sequence, dual-pistol combat against swift velociraptors, and a puzzle segment where the level design was apparently authentically reminiscent of how players could easily find themselves lost or unaware of where to go in the original Tomb Raider game.

However, not all Tomb Raider fans were enthused by this gameplay. Fans were appalled to see Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis cut Lara Croft’s braid, for example, and many more have found a lot to carefully comb through and nitpick, arguing as to why it feels as if the franchise’s new era still has one foot stuck in the past.

Lara Croft looking incredulous in Tomb Raider Legacy of Atlantis — Lara Croft in *Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis*.

The consensus among fans is that the animations in Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis leave a lot to be desired. For instance, user Croftlover7 on Twitter/X writes that they believe “the problem isn’t the graphics but the animations since they look outdated for 2026,” and that “it just doesn’t feel finished or polished.” This tracks, seeing how Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis has been delayed to February 2027 and will hopefully have ample time to reach the level of polish that it desires.

Likewise, fans are comparing Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis to Shadow of the Tomb Raider in terms of how similar their gameplay looks, with some fans, like user larasredfield, declaring that this remake could essentially be a part of the Survivor prequel trilogy (mainly from the perspective of Shadow of the Tomb Raider being underwhelming).

Tomb Raider Legacy of Atlantis puzzle gameplay — Gameplay from *Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis*.

Tomb Raider’s new era is fascinating. Not only is Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis a remake of the first game, but it’s also technically a sequel to Shadow of the Tomb Raider, unifying the three previously distinct yet tangentially tethered eras (the classic 1–6 games, the LAU sequel trilogy, and the Survivor prequel trilogy).

This continuity is preserved in Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, as Lara still possesses the Survivor prequel trilogy’s jade pendant and ice axe. Some fans are pleasantly happy with how the games’ unification has come to pass, though, like user TheCardinalArts:

Many fans are thrilled to be moving forward with the franchise. Nonetheless, there are several arguments to be made concerning how Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis appears to be inheriting too much from the last few Tomb Raider games, including crafting and skill tree systems, rather than faithfully remaking Tomb Raider 1 and inheriting its minimalistic approach to gameplay.