Now that Gamescom 2026 is firmly within the rear-view mirror, information about Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is beginning to trickle out. Shops that participated in a hands-off preview received to see extra of the sport in motion, highlighting a part of the sport’s Greece part. Particularly, the demo confirmed off the Sword of Damocles puzzle room, a part of the bigger St. Francis Folly stage the place Lara has to discover a big, vertical cavern looking Greek mythology–themed puzzle rooms for keys to open an unlocked door. Right here’s 5 new issues the hands-off previews revealed.
The return of the Focus meter
Legacy of Atlantis is a remake of the unique Tomb Raider launched in 1996. Nevertheless, that OG was beforehand rebooted with Tomb Raider: Anniversary in 2007. Anniversary added a bunch of recent mechanics not current in OG Tomb Raider together with a grappling hook Lara might swing from or use to latch onto and pull objects. It additionally added a fight focus meter—enemies would cost Lara and time would decelerate, permitting her to line up a devastating headshot. Legacy of Atlantis can even function a spotlight meter, however it appears the massive purple “shoot right here” reticle isn’t coming again with it.
Scanning
Some followers are already displeased to know that the crafting mechanic from the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot (which is separate from this reboot; TR‘s been rebooted so much, you see) is making a comeback. According to Gamesradar‘s preview, Lara’s capability to craft meals and potions to offer stat boosts, injury protections, and well being is meant to deal with anachronisms within the early video games. And I’ll begrudgingly grant that it’s a bit odd and immersion-breaking to search out med kits in sealed historic temples. However that minor annoyance pales compared to the way it feels to know that Crystal Dynamics has added scanning to the sport. Apparently Lara will get a tech machine that operates equally to Arkham Asylum’s detective mode scan, highlighting puzzle options Lara must work together with. Ugh.
I perceive that that is doubtless a essential addition for the brand new of us coming to Legacy of Atlantis. The previews say scanning for puzzle progress is an optionally available function and that the machine may also be used glean extra lore however, and I can not stress this sufficient, ugh!
Improved enemy behaviors
I used to be happy to see this Legacy of Atlantis preview coated Greece. St. Francis Folly is probably my favourite stage in any Tomb Raider sport and I’d boot up Anniversary on the PS2 simply to play that part. Consequently, I do know that stage by coronary heart, enemy patterns and all. When previews mentioned how Crystal Dynamics has improved enemy habits, speaking particularly concerning the bats that assault Lara, I remembered that precise encounter. Now, moderately than having bats assault separately, bats swarm her, making it tougher for her to take them out with simply her weapons, requiring her to drag out the ice decide that appears to be one other nod to the 2013 reboot.
In a later encounter with a leopard, it should run from Lara, breaking her line-of-sight by going behind rocks or disappearing into crevices to assault her from behind. Within the unique and Anniversary, a few of Lara’s later fights with gnarly Egyptian centaur creatures can get fairly rote so it’ll be attention-grabbing to see how enhanced enemy AI improves these fights.
Expertise Can Impression Puzzle Development
One other identified amount of Legacy of Atlantis was its RPG-like talent tree, permitting Lara to boost her skills and add new ones. However with the most recent previews, we are able to see how these skills have an effect on development. Within the unique Sword of Damocles puzzle room, the eponymous swords would fall from the ceiling if Lara wasn’t cautious. In Legacy of Atlantis, Lara can keep away from that hazard altogether by taking a talent that will increase the vary of her photographs so she will be able to shoot the swords down earlier than they fall. Traversing the room, then, turns into a perform of hopping from sword to sword. This was the one instance within the preview of a talent letting you circumvent a puzzle, so we don’t understand how typically the chance will come up.
Some hidden artifacts unlock costume adjustments
Along with no matter her bigger targets may be, on this case looking for Atlantis, Lara is at all times looking out for different, smaller cultural artifacts she will be able to swipe. In Legacy of Atlantis, going off the overwhelmed path to search out secrets and techniques will reward gamers with unlockable outfits. Within the preview, discovering the Athenian Owl earned Lara her outfit from Tomb Raider: Legend.