The Ten Types of Tomb Raiders

With the timeless charm of Lara Croft and her series, over the years countless players have approached (or simply remained faithful to) the acclaimed Tomb Raider saga. We had the good fortune and pleasure to meet many friends from this point of view: so, according to our personal experiences, we broke down our thoughts on the different ways fans tackle Tomb Raider and we imagined a list of the 10 Types of Tomb Raiders.

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The Cleaner
: They loot and raid everything on their way. These players explore every corner, unearth every secret and solve primary and secondary puzzles, usually since their first playthrough. No stone unturned. They prefer to take things slowly and think them through, even at the cost of using a considerable amount of time. They aim at a 100% perfect game since the beginning and there’s nothing that can hinder them.

The Rusher: When the plot of the game captivates them, they prefer completing everything in a hurry to unveil every mystery of the story, neglecting minor puzzles and too hidden treasures in their first playthrough. Once they have completed the game and uncovered every detail of the main plot, they choose to start a new game to proceed calmly, solving puzzles with meticulousness and patience, advancing in small steps to prolong the adventure as much as possible and devoting themselves to exploration without pressure.

The Marathon Runner: right after completing the last TR title which came out, they take the opportunity to replay all the previous games in the series, or viceversa (waiting for a new TR title, they play all the previous ones). Starting from the very first Tomb Raider of 1996, they run again every single adventure of Lara with the same enthusiasm and passion of the past, sipping every moment of their free time to dedicate it to their beloved Lara.

The Collector: not only they love to sit in front of their console and have fun with the games of the series, they also aim to collect everything that revolves around it: Action figures, Collector’s Editions, gadgets and anything that might allow them to feed their unconditional love for Tomb Raider. They’re also a Guru guide for purchasing: they have all the contacts and they know all the right places to shop in and they never miss a good deal, especially when there’s a discount on it.

The Athlete: they take full advantage of Lara’s athletic skills and do not mind highly challenging adventures, no matter how hard they’re put to the test. They like taking the riskiest shortcuts or paths and performing the most complex and acrobatic jumps… and there is no way they can let Lara pull herself up from a ledge without her doing her pretty handstand.

The Admirer: where there is Lara, there they are. Lara alone is more than enough to give them the motivation to play a Tomb Raider game: it doesn’t matter if it’s a card game, a Gameboy title or the latest adventure on next-gen consoles. Lara is everything they need to feel at home, a priceless guarantee of quality, regardless of the console on which they will have to play.

The Nostalgic: fond fans of the so-called “Classic Core Tomb Raiders”, the first titles out on Playstation 1 (considering also Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness, out on Playstation 2). They do not feel a connection with the new model of Lara and prefer to find her in her earliest and oldest adventures, delighting in their spare time with the most beautiful fan-made levels created with TR Level Editor. They do not disdain a possible remake of Lara’s past adventures on next-gen consoles. All they dream for the series is just a turn back to basics.

The Hermit: they play in monastic silence and prefer to isolate themselves, just like Lara, for all the duration of their playthrough. They do not like to be disturbed, and in the days following the release of a new TR adventure, they become untraceable to most people around. The legend tells of a return to light only after a thorough excursion in the various intricacies of Tomb Raider.

The Easy Winner: when the going gets tough, they prefer not to waste any more time, so they research the cheat that best suits their needs: how to skip a level, how to have infinite health or ammo, how to immediately unlock the most deadly weapons…they prefer to play it safe and enjoy the exploration of the levels in their own way, without a hitch.

The Anaffective: they can’t remember what Tomb Raider is or what the purpose of the game is, but they remember that the protagonist is a sexy archaeologist whom it’s worth exploring some tomb with. They vaguely remember the series for a poor butler locked up over and over in a cold room. In their spare time, they don’t mind playing the first TR title they have at hand.

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And you? Which category (or categories) do you identify with most?
If you want, let us know in a comment below or tell us which type of Tomb Raider you are. ^^

| Huge thanks to Tomb Raider’s Official Blog for mentioning this article! |

Pubblicato da Mark

Mi chiamo Marco e, nonostante giochi a Final Fantasy sin da quando ero bambino, non sono riuscito a ideare un nickname più fantasioso di Mark. La mia passione per le serie di Final Fantasy e Tomb Raider mi ha portato a creare Allgamestaff, un sito web nel quale ho pubblicato numerose guide strategiche nella speranza di aiutare altri fan come me a superare un ostacolo e ad esplorare ogni anfratto. Amo la scrittura e i videogiochi: il mio sito è il luogo nel quale questi due interessi si incontrano. Contattami per ulteriori info.

16 Risposte a “The Ten Types of Tomb Raiders”

  1. Great article! I identify with each of these a little bit, but I am probably most like “The Cleaner.” Even if it takes me 100 hours, I will find everything! 😀

    1. Thank you so much, Stella, I’m really glad you enjoyed it! I would love to be “The Cleaner”, but unfortunately in my first playthrough I always can’t help but proceeding with the main plot, also because I’m always so afraid to find some spoiler written somewhere. So, I have to admit I become a cleaner only in my second playthrough. 😀

  2. I’m a mix of The Cleaner and The Nostalgic. I try to find every item and solve every puzzle before moving on, and don’t really concern myself with the amount of time it takes me. I love the classic TR games by Core (the first 5 in particular), and have been disappointed by most of the games released by Crystal Dynamics, especially TR 2013. I’ve recently discovered the world of the Tomb Raider Level Editor, though, and have spent a lot of time recently playing some incredible fan-made TR games (love the old-school feel and classic controls)! In my opinion, some of them are just as good as (if not slightly better than) the official Core games! 🙂

    1. I think this is a great approach for a Tomb Raider game, especially for those titles which have that immersive atmosphere which is iconic to the series. I totally love TR games by Core, especially when it comes to level design, and I found a couple of fan-made levels which definitely blew me away, so I share the sentiment, even though I also appreciated TR games by Crystal Dynamics. Can I ask you what disappointed you most about TR 2013? 🙂

      1. It just didn’t feel like a Tomb Raider game to me. I wanted more tombs, and the lack of swimming disappointed me. It felt more like any other third person shooter to me…for me, it felt like everything that made the TR games so special and unique had been stripped away in order to make a game that was more mass appeal. It’s a fun adventure game, but just didn’t feel like Tomb Raider. 🙂

        1. I understand. I really felt the lack of tombs, as well, especially because the “secret” ones weren’t hidden at all, but I expect and hope the next TR title to be more “old-style” (Xbox exclusive aside…).
          I heard that many fans didn’t relate much to TR 2013 either and I have to say, from certain points of view, at times it didn’t feel like it (even if I appreciated the reboot). 🙂

  3. Great article! I identify with each of these a little bit, but I am probably most like “The Cleaner.” Even if it takes me 100 hours, I will find everything! 😀

    1. Thank you so much, Stella, I’m really glad you enjoyed it! I would love to be “The Cleaner”, but unfortunately in my first playthrough I always can’t help but proceeding with the main plot, also because I’m always so afraid to find some spoiler written somewhere. So, I have to admit I become a cleaner only in my second playthrough. ????

  4. I’m a mix of The Cleaner and The Nostalgic. I try to find every item and solve every puzzle before moving on, and don’t really concern myself with the amount of time it takes me. I love the classic TR games by Core (the first 5 in particular), and have been disappointed by most of the games released by Crystal Dynamics, especially TR 2013. I’ve recently discovered the world of the Tomb Raider Level Editor, though, and have spent a lot of time recently playing some incredible fan-made TR games (love the old-school feel and classic controls)! In my opinion, some of them are just as good as (if not slightly better than) the official Core games! ????

    1. I think this is a great approach for a Tomb Raider game, especially for those titles which have that immersive atmosphere which is iconic to the series. I totally love TR games by Core, especially when it comes to level design, and I found a couple of fan-made levels which definitely blew me away, so I share the sentiment, even though I also appreciated TR games by Crystal Dynamics. Can I ask you what disappointed you most about TR 2013? ????

      1. It just didn’t feel like a Tomb Raider game to me. I wanted more tombs, and the lack of swimming disappointed me. It felt more like any other third person shooter to me…for me, it felt like everything that made the TR games so special and unique had been stripped away in order to make a game that was more mass appeal. It’s a fun adventure game, but just didn’t feel like Tomb Raider. ????

        1. I understand. I really felt the lack of tombs, as well, especially because the “secret” ones weren’t hidden at all, but I expect and hope the next TR title to be more “old-style” (Xbox exclusive aside…).
          I heard that many fans didn’t relate much to TR 2013 either and I have to say, from certain points of view, at times it didn’t feel like it (even if I appreciated the reboot). 🙂

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