November 26, 2015

Thanksgiving Brings a Free Lara Croft GO Expansion

Happy Thanksgiving, raiders! I'm grateful for all of you...and for the cooking tips I've learned from Lara over the years!


I am also very excited to see that Square Enix Montreal has just released a free expansion pack for Lara Croft GO. The Shard of Life includes 26 puzzles incorporating several new game mechanics, enemies, and achievements. It is available for iOS and Android, and will be coming soon to Windows Phone/PC/Tablet. If you haven't yet bought the original game, it's 40% off for a limited time to celebrate the launch of the expansion.


Lara Croft GO is also a finalist in the Canadian Videogame Awards Fans' Choice category. If you'd like to support this title, you can cast your vote here.

For more information about Lara Croft GO, see these past posts and my Tomb Raider mobile games page.


Lara Croft GO screenshots

November 23, 2015

Congratulations Extra Life Raffle Winners!

The random number gods have spoken, and 33 lucky winners have been chosen to receive prizes in Team Tomb Raider Community's Extra Life prize raffle!

Thanks to the efforts of 24 team members and 183 generous donors, the team has raised $4,237 for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals during this Extra Life season. We are grateful to our donors and to everyone who helped spread the word and cheer us on as we played.

So far, in the entire Extra Life 2015 event, more than 40,000 players have raised over $7 million, a real testament to the power of gamers to do good!

If you missed the marathon and want to help, it's not too late to donate to Extra Life. Just click the thermometer banner below for details. We'll be accepting donations through the end of the year. Thank you!


The following raffle winners have been contacted individually by email. Congratulations to all!

Rise of the Tomb Raider Xbox One Bundle

Rise of the Tomb Raider 1TB Xbox One Bundle – Our grand prize,
shown above, goes to Matthew K.

Rise of the Tomb Raider PAX Controller

PAX Exclusive ROTTR Xbox One Controller – Nathan W.
Rise of the Tomb Raider Geof Darrow Poster

Rise of the Tomb Raider Poster by Geof Darrow – Rident

Rise of the Tomb Raider La Boca Poster

Rise of the Tomb Raider Poster by La Boca – Barb P.

Rise of the Tomb Raider Water Bottle

Rise of the Tomb Raider Water Bottle and Trading Card – Sina

Rise of the Tomb Raider Pin and Trading Cards

Rise of the Tomb Raider Gamescom Pin and Trading Cards – RardRaider

Tomb Raider 2013 Survivor Kit

Tomb Raider 2013 Survival Kit with Play Arts Kai Lara Figure – Graham R.

Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris Gold Edition

Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris Gold Edition with Steam Code – Laci

Lara Croft Watercolor

Original Lara Croft Watercolor by José Cruz – Eydas

Playmates Lara Croft Action Figure

Lara Croft Playmates Action Figure – Mary G.

Tomb Raider CCG 2-Player Set

Tomb Raider Collectible Card Game 2-Player Quest Deck Set – Marilena

Tomb Raider Collectible Card Game

Tomb Raider Collectible Card Game Quest DecksFour winners: Rufos, The Pebble Master, Brionna P. and Sam N.

Ladies' Escape Shirt

Ladies' Tomb Raider 2013 Escape Shirt – Hayley Croft

Lara Croft Watercolor Mug

Men's Tomb Raider 2013 Escape Shirt – Brian G.

Tomb Raider Chronicles

Tomb Raider Chronicles PC CD with Level Editor – Zipper

Classic Tomb Raider Comics Bundle

Tomb Raider Classic Comic Collection – Carla

Classic Comic Bundle #2

Tomb Raider Classic Crossover Comic Collection – Jamie S.

Reboot Comic Collection #1

Tomb Raider Reboot Comic Collection #1 – Hexzell

Reboot Comic Collection #2

Tomb Raider Reboot Comic Collection #2 – Jerad Z.

Reboot Comic Collection #3

Tomb Raider Reboot Comic Collection #3 – Petar T.

GOG Game Downloads

Free game download from GOG.com. – Ten winners: Joshua H., Laratharaider, Bob B., Suzanne C., Martina T., Adam S., Jonathan P., Jesse F., John L., and Her M.


The team would also like to thank our wonderful sponsors. The first eight prizes listed above, including the Xbox One console bundle, were donated by Tomb Raider's developers, Crystal Dynamics. The game downloads were provided by GOG.com. José Cruz graciously donated his original artwork. The classic Lara Croft action figure, as well as some of the TR CCG sets and classic comics, were donated by The Venus Falcors: Women Who Love Strong Women. Theodor O. donated the Chronicles game, and Marie D. the Escape T-shirts. We are grateful to all of you!

Extra Life Sponsors Crystal Dynamics

November 11, 2015

Tomb Raider Community Extra Life Update: $3,000 and Counting!

Congratulations to Team Tomb Raider Community on raising more than $3,000 to benefit Children's Miracle Network Hospitals! Thanks to 159 generous donors who contributed an average of $19.67 each, we're able to declare this weekend's videogame marathon a huge succes.

UPDATE: As of December 16, the total stands at $4,237!

Tomb Raider Community Extra Life Team
Extra Life Team Tomb Raider Community banner by AJ Rich.

Donations are still coming in, and the Tomb Raider team will continue to do our part, but we're very proud of our small contribution to this massive effort. So far the 40,000+ gamers playing for Extra Life 2015 worldwide have raised nearly $7 million to help sick kids—truly a testament to the power of gamers united for good!

If you have not yet made a donation, there's still time. Extra Life accepts contributions through the end of the year. Just head over to our team page and follow the instructions to contribute with a credit/debit card or PayPal. To donate offline with a check or money order, contact me or any other team member. Donations of any amount are welcome. You can donate anonymously if you like, and 100% of your tax-deductible contribution goes directly to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.


If you need a little incentive, check out 5 Reasons Why You Should Make a Donation to Extra Life by Kelly from The Arachaeology of Tomb Raider. Kelly has so far raised more than $500 for Extra Life. She is also running a prize raffle for her donors, which ends November 15.

The team's Extra Life Raffle runs through November 21. There are more than 30 prizes up for grabs, including the following:

  • Rise of the Tomb Raider 1TB Xbox One Bundle signed by the development team
  • PAX Exclusive ROTTR Xbox One Controller
  • Limited-edition ROTTR posters
  • Original classic Lara Croft Watercolor by José Cruz
  • Classic and reboot TR comic bundles
  • Classic TR Collectible Card Game sets
  • TR 2013 and Temple of Osiris collector's sets
  • Game download codes from GOG.com

Plus TONS of other swag from classic and new games. You don't have to donate to win, but donors receive bonus raffle entries. Click the banner below for details.


Although the official marathon is finished, many players will continue to livestream for Extra Life through the end of the year. Follow this link for a list of our channels and contact details.

Very special thanks to Crystal Dynamics, GOG.com, The Venus Falcors, José Cruz, Theodor O., Marie D. ...and YOU for your generous support!

November 4, 2015

Rise of the Tomb Raider Launch Trailer Features 'I Shall Rise' by Karen O

Rise of the Tomb Raider's  Xbox launch is now less than a week away and Microsoft and Crystal Dynamics have released the official launch trailer.

Karen O
Karen O. Photo by Getty Images.
The featured song was written and sung especially for the game by Karen O, frontwoman for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Although she's not a gamer, the singer told Rolling Stone she had no trouble relating to the themes in Rise: "transformation and survival and realizing one's own destiny and pushing past one's own limits.... They wanted drama and high-stakes and melodrama. That was very appealing to me because I love making music connected to a storyline. It was all stuff I loved, like having the theme song to [Lara Croft] becoming an icon and the creation myth [surrounding] the moment she becomes Lara."

The full version of "I Shall Rise" is available on iTunes and Google Play.

Note that the trailer does include a few minor spoilers—locations, NPCs, and such. If you've been following the official publicity campaign, there are only a few small things you haven't seen before.



Rise of the Tomb Raider premieres on Xbox One and Xbox 360 November 10 in the Americas and Asia; November 13 in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The PC version will follow early next year, and the PlayStation 4 version in late 2016.

November 1, 2015

Extra Life Charity Livestream Schedule

As I mentioned in my Extra Life Announcement, many Tomb Raider Community team members will be livestreaming throughout the official marathon weekend (November 7-8) and during the days surrounding it. Here is a very rough schedule which I will update as as things evolve.

Team broadcasts from the last 30 days are archived on my Twitch channel.

Extra Life Team Tomb Raider Community

Players may change their time slots or add spur-of-the-moment streams, so I encourage you to follow individual players for timely notifications. Many also have websites, blogs, YouTube channels, etc., which you can find by following the Twitch/Twitter links below. We may also have several guest players who are not part of the fund-raising team. Follow me (Stella) for details.

Team Captain - Stella – Hosting and playing on team livestream Nov 7-8. Additional streams TBA. Twitch Stellatombraider | Twitter @stellalune | Donate to Boston Children's Hospital

Ahmed – Follow him for updates. – Twitter @iwant4626 | Donate to CMNH General Fund

AJ – Frequent livestreams. Follow him for details. – Twitch AjRich17901 | Twitter @drake17901 | Donate to The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

CV – Frequent livestreams. Follow her for updates. – Twitch cvw220 | Twitter @cvw220 | Donate to Sparrow Childrens Center

Dre Anthony – Follow him for updates. – Twitch tombraiding | Twitter @CroftDiaries | Donate to Children's Hospital Colorado

Emerson – Follow him for updates. – Twitch herbienut1337 | Donate to Rainbow Babies & Childrens' Hospital

Joshua – Follow him for updates. – Twitch JoshuaGirardin | Twitter @Joshua_Girardin | Donate to All Children's Hospital

Kelly – Livestreaming throughout October and November. Follow her for details. – Twitch TRArchaeology | Twitter @TombRaiderArch | Donate to CMNH General Fund

Kevin – Livestream schedule on his blog. – Twitch kkutlesa | Twitter @TheMentalAttic or @TheLawfulGeek | Donate to CMNH General Fund

Laura – 24-hour stream starting Tuesday, Nov 4, 8PM GMT – Twitch cactuspractise | Twitter @LauraLousie | Donate to Children's Hospital Los Angeles

L.E. Croft – Follow her for updates. – Twitter @IndyCroftcom | Donate to St. Rose Dominican Hospitals

Leigh – Solo and team livestream schedule TBA. Follow her for updates. – Twitch fmlcrispylara_again | Twitter @FMLcrispylara | Donate to Boston Children's Hospital

Luka – Team livestream time slot TBA. Follow him for updates. – Twitter @TRfan12 | Donate to CMNH General Fund

Matthew – Follow him for updates. – Twitch ARID0NAS | Twitter @iSt0ked | Donate to Riley's Hospital for Children

Mark – Team livestream Saturday Nov 7 approx. 5pm GMT. Possibly other times as well. Follow him for updates. – Twitch GamerManMark | Donate to Seattle Childrens' Hospital

Michelle – Friday Nov 6, 7-11 pm: The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. Saturday Nov 7, 9am-midnight: LCTOO, Lara Croft GO!, Remember Me. Sunday Nov 8, 9 am-5pm: games TBA. – Twitch seashell093 | Twitter @seashell093 | Donate to Akron Children's Hospital

Nathan – Solo and team livestream schedule TBA. Follow him for updates. – Twitch NathPlays | Twitter @NathPlays | Donate to CMNH General Fund

Plexippus – Streaming for Extra Life the weekend of Nov 14-15. Follow him for updates. – Twitch Plexippus | Twitter @plexippustwitch| Donate to CMNH General Fund

Rident - He's not an 'official' team member, but our friend Rident is streaming TR 2013 in its entirety between Nov 6-8 to support Extra Life. Twitch - RidentFFXI | Twitter | Donate to any Extra Life Player

Sinead – Livestream schedule on her blog. Follow her for details. – Twitch SineadCroft | Twitter @SineadCroft1 | Donate to CMNH General Fund

Taryn – 24-hour marathon. Follow her for updates. – Twitter @21guns_novacain | Donate to Children's Hospital Colorado

Will – Follow him for updates. – Twitter @gothfilm1313 | Donate to Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago


The team's Extra Life Raffle runs through November 21. Prizes include a Rise of the Tomb Raider Xbox One Console Bundle, a unique Lara Croft watercolor by artist José Cruz, and a treasure trove of other Tomb Raider swag!


Very special thanks to Crystal Dynamics, GOG.com, The Venus Falcors, José Cruz, Theodor O., Marie D. ...and YOU for your generous support!

Extra Life 2015 Charity Marathon and Prize Raffle

Next weekend, November 7-8, I will once again be participating in Extra Life, a gaming marathon to benefit Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.


Video courtesy of Extra Life.

I will be playing for Boston Children's Hospital, which provides specialized care for children from across North America and more than 100 other countries. If you'd rather support a local hospital, I encourage you to check out this list of Team Tomb Raider Community members. There are 19 of us playing for a bunch of different hospitals, each of which serves children with special needs and/or financial hardships.

Donating online is safe and easy. Just visit my Extra Life page to get started. If you'd like to donate offline with a check or money order made out to "Children's Miracle Network Hospitals," that's fine too. Contact me and we'll work out the details. Your contribution is tax deductible and ALL PROCEEDS go to help hospitalized kids.

In case you need a little incentive to help out, the team is hosting a Tomb Raider livestream and PRIZE RAFFLE throughout the marathon weekend and beyond. I hope you'll join us on Twitch.tv. You can also follow me on Twitter for regular updates on the the games we're streaming, guest players, and our fundraising progress. For a chance to win some awesome Tomb Raider swag, including a Rise of the Tomb Raider Xbox One Console Bundle and more than 30 other prizes, just click the banner below.


Questions? Contact me by emailFacebook, or Twitter.

Very special thanks to Crystal Dynamics, GOG.com, The Venus Falcors, José Cruz, Theodor O., Marie D. ...and YOU for your generous support!

October 29, 2015

Tomb Raider 2 Now on Android

While most fans were distracted by all the hype surrounding the upcoming Rise of the Tomb Raider  release, Square Enix stealthily dropped their brand new Tomb Raider II Android app in the Play Store. Like the Tomb Raider 1 app released earlier this year, this mobile port of the classic game includes updated graphics, touchscreen interface, and the Golden Mask expansion pack.

I've only had a chance to take a peek at the first level, but it looks pretty good—well worth the 99¢ price!

TR2 was previously released for Macintosh OSX and iOS, and it's still available for Windows PCs on Steam and GOG.com, and for PS3/PSP/Vita through the PlayStation Store.

As always, you can find my Tomb Raider 1 walkthrough and Golden Mask walkthrough in the usual place.

October 19, 2015

Rise of the Tomb Raider Season Pass and Expeditions FAQ

When the Rise of the Tomb Raider Season Pass and Expedition Cards were announced a few weeks ago, many fans immediately wanted to know more. Crystal Dynamics has provided this Q&A with details on the new game modes, in-game purchases, and unlockable content.

In other news, IGN released a video earlier today showing the first 27 minutes of Rise of the Tomb Raider. I have not watched it yet and will not post it here, since it's obviously chock full of spoilers, but you can follow the link if you want to check it out. Now, on to the FAQ....

UPDATE 7/19/16: The 20th Anniversary Edition for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC includes all Expedition modes, everything in the Season Pass, and more.


Remnant Resistance - Craft custom missions


Score Attack - Customize your cards and experience

EXPEDITIONS

Q: What are Expeditions?

A: Expeditions are additional modes of gameplay in Rise of the Tomb Raider. Each mode allows you to play "Expedition Cards" to modify your experience, and complete challenges for credits, which can be then used to acquire additional cards. At launch, the Expeditions you'll be able to play include Chapter Replay, Chapter Replay Elite, Score Attack, and Remnant Resistance.

Q: Will Expeditions be available on the Xbox 360 version of the game?

A: Yes. Extra gameplay modes will be available on both Xbox One and Xbox 360 with the same content.

Q: What are Chapter Replay and Chapter Replay Elite?

A: The Chapter Replay modes allow you to select and replay parts of Rise of the Tomb Raider's campaign. In Chapter Replay, you start the chapter with pre-determined inventory and skills. In Chapter Replay Elite, you start with the gear in your latest profile data from the campaign.

Q: Can you replay the entire game in Chapter Replay Elite mode?

A: In Chapter Replay and Chapter Replay Elite you choose specific chapters to replay rather than starting the game over in full.

Q: What is Remnant Resistance?

A: Remnant Resistance is an objective-based challenge mode that is played in Rise's large "hub" spaces. You can choose to play existing Remnant Resistance missions made by your friends and the Tomb Raider community, or create your own mission. A Remnant Resistance mission is composed of 5 objectives, which can involve things like taking down a high value target, collecting intel documents, hunting animals, and more. Additionally, as the creator you can set Lara up with the costume and weapons of your choice, as well as apply up to five of the standard expedition cards. Lastly, you can choose where the challenge takes place, at what time, and what weather is active.

The harder the mission, the higher the reward (in credits). However, you must beat your own mission for it to be posted to the leaderboards. Difficulty can vary from objective to objective. For example, a normal difficulty objective to rescue hostages, followed by a high difficulty objective to take down a bear. Players familiar with Hitman: Absolution's Contracts Mode should feel right at home in Remnant Resistance.

Q: Are cards kept forever once I get them, or are they consumable?

A: It depends on the card. The majority of cards are consumed once you've completed a mode. If you've created a Score Attack mission that is too difficult to complete and choose to quit, you won't lose your cards.

Some cards are what we call "Foil Cards." Foils are cards that are not consumed on use. All costume and weapon cards are foils to make sure Remnant Resistance players don't have to worry about setting up player inventory.

Q: Are there any cards that can only be acquired with microtransactions or by buying the seasons pass? Is Big Head Mode gated behind a pay wall?

A: Cards associated with pre-orders and DLC will be available with their associated downloadable content. The Big Head Mode card is not a pre-order exclusive and has a chance to show up in any card pack.

Q: Do I have to buy or earn credits to start using cards when I first play the game?

A: You're automatically given a starter set of cards when you first begin playing so you can experiment with our extra game modes. Earning or purchasing additional cards beyond the starter set is up to you, and you are never required to purchase a card in order to play a gameplay mode.

Q: Do I need cards in order to play Expeditions?

A: Chapter Replay modes and Score Attack can be played once you've unlocked a level, without using any cards. Remnant Resistance requires location and objective cards, several of which are provided when you first start the game.

Q: How do I get credits?

A: There are many ways for you to earn credits to use in Rise of the Tomb Raider's Expeditions:
  1. Playing the campaign. Various activities such as challenges, finding relics, and story progression will gift players with additional credits.
  2. Challenge Tombs. Completing challenge tombs while playing the campaign will earn you additional credits.
  3. Backpacks. Similar to Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris' canopic jars, when people on your friends list die they will occasionally leave a backpack where they fell. Finding one of these backpacks while playing campaign will net you some credits.
  4. Expedition Challenges. In Chapter Replay, Chapter Replay Elite, and Score Attack, you can select up to five challenges to attempt when selecting a chapter to play. Completing challenges results in a credit reward, the value of which is determined by the difficulty of the challenge.
  5. Score Attack. As previously mentioned, if you score high enough in a game of Score Attack to earn a medal, you will earn credits based on which medal you earn.
  6. Remnant Resistance. Playing and completing missions will earn you credits both for completing objectives and for entire missions.
  7. Playing other Square Enix games. Players who register as a Square Enix member will get credits for playing other games such as Life is Strange, Hit Man and Deus Ex.
There are additional ways to earn credits in Rise of the Tomb Raider, ensuring you always have enough cards to experiment and challenge your friends in Expeditions.

Q: How many credits do I get when I earn some? How many credits do I need to buy card packs?

A: We've worked hard to ensure card packs can be unlocked as quickly as they are consumed.

Q: Are credits used to unlock outfits?

A: No. Expedition credits are only used to purchase card packs. There are alternate means of crafting and unlocking costumes in the single-player campaign.

Q: When you guys talked about letting players compete with each other, what did you mean? Is there a competitive multiplayer mode?

A: There are no multiplayer modes in Rise of the Tomb Raider. However, there are ways in which you can face off against your friends and the Tomb Raider community:
  1. Score Attack. You can look at Score Attack leaderboards and see how your friends or the community have scored per chapter. You can bring up the details of a player's performance, including their kills, deaths, and what cards they used. If you think you can do better than they did, you can challenge their score, which costs a small value of credits per card the player used. This way you can challenge your friends' scores, even if you don't have the cards they used.
  2. Remnant Resistance. When you post a Remnant Resistance challenge, your friends are able to play it. When you play someone else’s Remnant Resistance challenge, your score on their challenge is tracked, with the top 3 players being posted on the challenge. A week after the challenge was posted, the player with the highest score in that challenge is awarded credits and the challenge is removed.


Score Attack Mode in Rise of the Tomb Raider


Remnant Resistance Mode in Rise of the Tomb Raider

SEASON PASS

Q: Is there a difference between the season pass for Xbox One and Xbox 360?

A: The content for the Season Pass for Xbox One and Xbox 360 will be the same.

Q: Is there an edition of the game that comes with the season pass?

A: Yes, the digital deluxe edition on the Xbox Store includes the full base game and the season pass. You can also pre-order to receive the Remnant Resistance pack.

Q: Was extra content pulled out of the core game for the season pass?

A: No. After Rise of the Tomb Raider went gold, the team shifted focus to creating content for the season pass, including much-requested story DLC, and two additional Expedition modes.

NOTE: The Season Pass also includes the upcoming expansion packs Endurance Mode, Baba Yaga: The Temple of the Witch, and Cold Darkness Awakened. The Official Tomb Raider Blog has details.

Rise of the Tomb Raider Expedition Cards
Rise of the Tomb Raider Expedition Cards can be purchased or earned by completing in-game challenges

October 18, 2015

Reminder for Email Subscribers

I know I've posted a lot today, but I wanted to send one final reminder about email subscriptions. As of October 31, I will no longer be using Feedburner to deliver updates. If you'd like to continue receiving posts from Stella's Tomb Raider Blog in your inbox, or if you're a new subscriber and want to sign up, please do so through Bloglovin'.

Just follow this link to subscribe.

After verifying your email address, you can choose to receive email for each post, weekly updates, only read posts only on the Bloglovin' site, or download the Bloglovin' mobile app.

If you are receiving more email from Bloglovin' than you'd like, you can change your preferences by going to the Bloglovin' settings page and checking/unchecking various options. You can also edit your privacy settings (i.e., whether other users can see which blogs you follow) from that page.

If you still follow my blog using an RSS feed reader, nothing will change for you.

Those who do follow me through Bloglovin' and Feedburner will receive a few duplicate posts during the few weeks when both services are active, but after November 1 everything will be handled through Bloglovin'.

If you have any questions or problems with the service, please do let me know. Thanks for following! —Stella

Lara Croft GO Soundtrack Free on SoundCloud

As if a major Relic Run update wasn't enough, this week developers Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix Montréal treated fans to a free soundtrack release in honor of "Lara Croft GO Music Week."

These atmospheric tracks were created by Pixel Audio, a three-man team comprised of Ulric Corbeil Trudel, Eric Shaw, and Mathieu Beaudet. Listen using the player below or pop on over to SoundCloud to download the entire Lara Croft GO OST.


Crystal Dynamics' SoundCloud also includes a recently released preview track from Rise of the Tomb Raider, which is being scored by Game of Thrones composer Bobby Tahouri. The complete Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris OST is available as well.

Lara Croft Go screenshot

10 Million Downloads and an Update for Lara Croft Relic Run

Earlier this week Lara Croft Relic Run passed a major milestone: 10 million downloads across all platforms. To celebrate, the mobile adventure-runner received a content update, which includes a revamped interface, new game modes, and the much-anticipated Mountain Pass area.

Lara Croft Relic Run new menu interface
Lara Croft Relic Run updated level menu. Screenshot courtesy of Raider Daze.

Here's a quick rundown of the new features:

Structured levels – Instead of two major locations with endlessly repeating scenery, each area is now broken down into 40 smaller levels of increasing difficulty. Levels alternate between relic finding and other challenges, such as score/coin collecting, killing enemies, collecting gems, and so on. Endless running is still an option, though. Once you've completed a level, return to the main menu, tap the infinity icon at the bottom left corner of the screen and go, go, go!

Upgrades tied to advancement – In the original game, most weapons and other upgrades were solely dependent on the number of coins or gems you were able to collect. Play enough, even in the first area, and you would be able to unlock most of the goodies. In the updated game, upgrades are linked to level progression.

Mountain Pass area – Upon beating level 80, players unlock this icy location featuring new enemies like spiders and yeti, a new vehicle: the snowmobile, and a new unlockable weapon: the minigun.

Clue counter and ability to save clues – In Relic Run's original incarnation, players collected clues during each run in order to unlock relics. This is still the main way to advance, but now the clue meter clearly indicates the number of clues you've found and how many are needed in order to unlock the next relic. (This is not shown in the screenshots below but can be seen here.) Also, if you fail a run before unlocking the next relic, a new feature allows you to save your clues. You must spend gems to do so, but it may be worthwhile in the more difficult later levels.

Revamped in-game purchases – There are a few new things to buy, and more of the upgrades require gems to unlock. On the plus side, achievements are now rewarded with gems, and there seem to be more gems scattered through the levels. Still, I've heard many players complaining that it's difficult to advance in the later parts of the game without buying gems.

Overall I like most of these changes, and I'm looking forward to exploring the Mountain Pass. Unfortunately, after installing the update, the game no longer runs on my phone. I hope this will be fixed eventually. I had to wait a few months beyond the initial release before my device was supported. Most players I've spoken with have found the transition trouble-free, and were able to keep their accumulated progress, unlocked items, achievements, and in-game purchases following the update.

Just to recap, Lara Croft Relic Run is free but includes optional in-app purchases. It's available for iOS and Android. There is also a Windows Phone version, but it has not yet received the update.

If you don't own a device that can run the game, it is possible to play on PC or Mac using the Bluestacks Android emulator.


Lara Croft Relic Run Mountain Pass screenshots