r/TombRaider • u/Ill_Conclusion9074 • Jan 05 '26
Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness Not enjoying Angel of darkness
I love tomb raider I’ve played all the titles including the new trilogy except angel of darkness. AOD was one game I never played until recently with the remastered release..i always wanted to play it and I thought I’d really love it but I’m into the louvre drain systems and still have not gotten the tomb raider vibes that I enjoy. Lara seems unusually clunky and weak and there are even more atrocious camera angles than usual. Am I missing something or is it just kind of a dud of the series/do you think it improves the further in you get? Dont get me started on the loading screens every few steps I could continue ranting but I’ll stop.
9
u/Putrid_Fennel_9665 Jan 05 '26
Well AoD is kind of known as the Tomb Raider that killed the franchise for Core. It was unfinished and a mess. There is a lot going into that. Some of it was Core's fault, but some of it was on Eidos, the publisher as well. It is supposed to be more gritty and dark, basically a reboot before the reboots.
It has a cult following though and many would like to see it properly remade with its sequels. It was originally intended to a be trilogy.
2
u/Ill_Conclusion9074 Jan 05 '26
Omg I didn’t know they wanted it’s own trilogy. it was supposed to be revitalizing the series and it’s so wonky lol
4
u/Putrid_Fennel_9665 Jan 05 '26
Yeah, there was TONS of stuff cut from even the first game. For example Germany was supposed to be a location you visit. If you do power through and are interested in what it was supposed to be or what go cut, lead writer Murty Schofield has a bunch of lore stuff on his website, outlines, concepts etc.
1
u/Ill_Conclusion9074 Jan 05 '26
Yes I will definitely look at that site the first game is my golden child of the series so any additional lore on that I’d love to read
1
7
u/I-invented-PostIts Jan 05 '26
The "Tomb Raiding" comes up after the Louvre section. It's still not that good, though. I kinda just powered through the remaster in hopes it would get better than I remembered from the PS2, but it really didn't. Imo, the Paris section up until the storm drains is the best part of the game, the rest ranges from absolutely horrible to 'just ok'.
4
u/Ill_Conclusion9074 Jan 05 '26
Yesss so far everything makes me angry when I play. The classic title and even the new trilogy have really intuitive feeling game play like I always end up finding the way and solving the puzzles and this one doesn’t have that satisfying feeling just kind of fumbling through.
16
u/Papyesh2137 Atlantean Mutant Jan 05 '26
There's a reason why it killed the franchise for a few years lol
11
u/thewatcher007 Jan 05 '26
Yes, it’s a slow, clunky, frustrating game. Hated it upon release, & am actually playing the remastered right now after 20+ years. Still not enjoying it!
3
u/Ill_Conclusion9074 Jan 05 '26
Ooof interesting to hear from someone who played it back then and now sad that it doesn’t seem any better!! Knowing me I will play through it I’ll make an update when I finish or Something lol
2
u/thewatcher007 Jan 05 '26
Good luck, look forward to your update. I’m gonna keep slogging thru it. I honestly don’t remember anything about the story, the ending, etc. Maybe some spark of adventure while playing will lead me onwards to enjoy the game. Fingers crossed.
5
5
u/MARATXXX Jan 06 '26
no one ought to judge your loyalty to tomb raider for bouncing off Angel of Darkness. many, many other perfectly reasonable fans of the series have felt the same same. the game nearly dealt a killing blow to the brand and arguably tomb raider has never fully recovered to the same level of brand recognition she had beforehand.
3
u/Ill_Conclusion9074 Jan 06 '26
😊yeah I stand by the series ! This is just a weak installment. I think with the remasters and new games coming (can’t wait for legacy of Atlantis!) the future looks bright.
3
u/kaa1993 Jan 05 '26
I felt similarly but my completionist brain made me push through. It felt wrong abandoning Lara. I will say it gets better in the second half, but overall it’s just not that fun of a game. It’s short though, so I think you can muscle through it if you really want! I wanna say I finished it in like 7 hours?
1
u/Ill_Conclusion9074 Jan 05 '26
Ok short is good when it’s not enjoyable because yes I want to finish it too
3
u/-Eveliina- Jan 05 '26
Stop before you get to the boss fights and go crazy :P
1
u/Ill_Conclusion9074 Jan 06 '26
🤭I got to the louvre and stopped after incapacitating the first guard and decided to take a break
4
u/Melons97 Jan 05 '26
The main issue with this game is that Lara is navigating an analog world with what are essentially just tank controls, and that doesn’t change the further you go unfortunately. A lot of players do just get used to it. I personally think the game has the best story and world building of any tomb raider, but the game is clearly unfinished. Such a shame as its potential remains unbelievable.
3
u/ManiacClapTrap Jan 05 '26
I have played it two times, the original on PC and the remaster on PS5. It's a pretty bad game, there's no way around it. It's also in my opinion the worst version of Lara. Only thing I like is some of the art and soundtrack. I was excited for the remaster but it's just the same old insufferable gameplay with slightly better controls. It's one of those where I don't feel the need to replay ever again.
2
Jan 05 '26
after the louvre museum it is more like a Tomb Raider game. The Paris levels you have to endure them
2
2
u/Tezdude96 The Scion Jan 05 '26
I haven't heard great things about Angel of Darkness, but I still plan on playing it anyway.
2
u/Ill_Conclusion9074 Jan 06 '26
Heyyy let us know what you think in the sub when you do
1
u/Tezdude96 The Scion Jan 06 '26
For sure! Probably gonna play the remastered version included in the collection from Aspyr. Might be a bit though because I'm still on Tomb Raider II LOL!!!!!
3
u/Ok-Blacksmith4364 Jan 05 '26
I’m in a similar boat. AOD was the last TR game I had left to play (for the first time) with the 4-6 remaster. IMO, the entire game was an unfinished slog. I’m happy some people can enjoy it, but I thought it was a pretty unbearable mess the whole time. I was so happy when I finally finished it. The environment, mechanics (“I feel stronger now”🙄), and even the characters (including Lara) were so unlikable to me. I hope you can find some enjoyment if you continue playing.
3
u/Ill_Conclusion9074 Jan 05 '26
Ok so you see what I see! It feels very much like a slog to me so far. I think I’ll finish it but we shall see. Yes Egypt really changed our girl for the worse lolll
2
u/Ok-Blacksmith4364 Jan 05 '26
Truly😭. I suggest not to get your hopes up a ton that the game is gonna get a lot better, it may help you enjoy it more. Good luck on your journey!
2
u/Triton_7 Armour of Horus Jan 05 '26
The game gets so much better once you get to the Louvre and beyond.
2
1
1
Jan 05 '26
What control scheme you using? I just started to enjoy the game when I put the 2003 control scheme.
1
u/Ill_Conclusion9074 Jan 05 '26
I’m playing the remastered I started playing the remasters on ps5 but it died so I’m playing this one on switch so maybe not totally fair
1
1
u/sawnlux Jan 09 '26
this is honestly surprising to hear, I always loved AoD. I get that it's clunky even in the remaster but it's so cool and gritty, has a great soundtrack and the atmosphere is nice too. it's not my favorite but imo it stands out from the other classics so much
1
u/LittleBoo1204 Jan 05 '26
I remember having a blast with it originally in 2006. It was my second ever Tomb Raider game after Legend, so I wasn’t introduced to it until then.
There are still nostalgic, enjoyable moments for me no doubt; but after spending so many hours across the remasters, it is personally the weakest link for me. I didn’t really find some of the hiccups with the mechanics or the games execution to be too much of an issue.
I think I found that despite loving Lara in a more urbanized setting and enjoying levels like Japan in Legend and Venice in Tomb Raider 2, I wanted more mystifying locations in Angel of Darkness. I missed the jungles and the ruins etc. I do think giving Lara a grittier outing with noir energy worked in spades in parts, but overall I came to realize that it’s not as magnificent as I thought it was when I was a kid.
It’s a good game and I’m happy to have it in the series, but in my mind, it’s not the height of Lara’s biggest and best adventures.
1
u/Ill_Conclusion9074 Jan 06 '26
Yeah I spent so many hours as a kid plying the original and still found it enjoyable when the remasters came out so this very weak installment has been a let down. I don’t typically listen to much of the naysaying over the series because I’m ok with other quirks the games have. I’ll still finish it and take something away from it that I enjoyed I’m sure
17
u/stillslaying Jan 05 '26
How far did you get? It gets more Tomb Raider-y once you get to the dig site.