Tomb Raider: The Prophecy

Plot

The game is based around an ancient prophecy written in the Tome of Ezekiel, which tells of three magical stones, used by various powerful rulers around the world.Lara Croft must find these stones before a cult known as the Teg-du-Bhorez can collect them all and use them to revive a mystical being known as the Great Grey One, thus bringing about the end of the world. Throughout the game Lara searches for the stones and thinks that she has found them. However, she realises that she was mistaken and has to come back to defeat the game's villain.

Gameplay

Unlike previous handhelds in the series such as the Tomb Raider: Curse of the Sword, which played in a side-scrolling two-dimensional form, reminiscent of 8-bit games, The Prophecy instead plays in an isometric viewpoint, giving the player a viewpoint from above the player character's head. The game contains many familiar elements of the franchise such as being able to jump, run, climb and shoot. As the game was the first Tomb Raider to be rendered in an isometric view until Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, the game was also given a completely new combat system to suit the view style. The system does not include the regular player-controlled lock on gun play of previous games. It does instead contain an auto-lock system to make combating enemies easier. There are three weapons that the player can use: Lara's signature handguns, Uzi pistols and golden guns. The controls were designed to be very simple, with the directional pad assigned to movement, the A button is used as a jump button, the R button pulls out or holsters weapons, and the L button allows the player to sprint.

Reception

The game received an average score of 65.10% at GameRankings, based on an aggregate of 24 reviews and an average score of 66/100 at Metacritic, based on 20 reviews.

The game received a 3 1/2 out of 5 score from GameSpy reviewer Scott Steinberg who praised it for the aesthetic effects of the game camera, which give the illusion that the player can see into a 3-dimensional space. However, Steinberg criticized the repetitive nature of the game, as it largely consists of the player having to "Trigger a switch, and you open a door or shut off a trap. Then it's off to the next switch, next door, and so on and so forth." Gamespy concluded that although the game has some merits, it falls short in terms of gameplay standards of many of its greatest assets are related to audio and visuals.

The game received a slightly more favourable review from Game Over Online, who gave the game a score of 74%. The reviewer praised it for the notable work put into the game's animation as well as the game's ability to strafe around nearby enemies without requiring player control. However, the reviewer was critical of the game's inability to reproduce the popular aspects of the series' main character: "Her accented narration is sorely missed here and the game lacks the sassy character that Lara's personality tends to produce."

The Gamer's Temple Website also criticised the game's repetitive nature, stating that although the game was enjoyable in short bursts, it could become weary over long periods of time. The reviewer recommends the site to existing fans of the series, and states that newcomers may not find the game very appealing.