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It feels like just yesterday, but it’s already been 11 years since the reboot of the story, and during this time, we’ve seen Lara face trauma, overcome the loss of her parents and friends, and grow stronger through it all. However, in the anime, it seems like none of that ever happened! And honestly, we’re tired of seeing the same story repeated over and over. I’m not saying this as a hater of Lara Croft’s origins, but as someone who deeply loves her.
So, what’s the issue?
In the animation, it seems like Lara forgets everything she’s lived through. Additionally, the narrative keeps intensifying problems that fans have already widely criticized, such as the toxic relationship with Richard Croft. Lara says she loves him, but the script makes us hate him for being irrelevant to the story while trying to force him into being important, always in this cycle. The constant mentions of him, always accompanied by tears, don’t move us—they just irritate. I’m not saying Lara can’t cry, but if she’s always crying, the emotional impact is lost. Not everything needs to be emotionally draining.
On the other hand, visually, the animation is flawless. It brings familiar characters, excellently choreographed fight scenes, and lots of “tombraiderisms.” There’s obvious beauty in Lara, in the settings, and in the performances. The jokes are great, filled with sarcasm and irony, just how we like them. Hayley Atwell, you’ve won our hearts—it’s such a delight to have you in our franchise.
Speaking of the characters, there are other unpleasant issues.
Nothing too complex, but uncomfortable for those who’ve followed the series for years. Alex and Grim are completely erased from the memories of the Endurance. In the anime, Reyes isn’t even mentioned. The connection to Tomb Raider 2013 causes plot holes, like Roth and Reyes’ motivation, and not even Reyes’ resentment over Roth’s paternal relationship with Lara is addressed, since their daughter is now ANOTHER character never mentioned before. Then there’s Sam, who’s been a missing character despite being so important to Lara; she could’ve been developed, but instead, she’s trapped in a cheesy suspense that makes her even more forgettable than if she hadn’t been mentioned at all.
And the contradictions with the reboot don’t stop there. The Croft Manor is in ruins, even though at the end of Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Lara restored it. In another scene, she easily kills a crocodile, even though in Tomb Raider 2013 she hesitated to kill deer for food. And reactivating the remorse over Roth and Richard’s deaths is completely unnecessary and a waste of time, as they could’ve explored other alternatives. Speaking of which, Amelia was left out, wasn’t she? While some characters get many mentions, others that should’ve been included are completely ignored.
Narratively, there’s nothing that truly hooks us because it’s full of clichés that repeat themselves. A frustrated antagonist, a lost jewel, family drama, underdeveloped supporting characters... Yeah, nothing new, unfortunately. To be clear, I’m not being unfair—I get that there’s a new game on the way—but they could’ve explored Lara’s reconstruction in her new post-Shadow persona, where she clearly leaves her tragic past with her parents behind, with new mysteries and that good old suspense that only Tomb Raider knows how to deliver. So, no dinosaur or acrobatic stunts can make up for the torture of watching eight episodes rehashing the same issues we’ve already seen over the last 11 years.
Final Verdict: 4.9/10
This path of repeating narratives and intensifying issues already faced by the Tomb Raider community made me reflect on the future games. The creators don’t seem to listen to our concerns, and I feel disrespected as a fan. I hope that in the future, Lara Croft will overcome all this trauma and LIVE. That she’ll be happy, take risks, love, make mistakes, destroy the world, and rebuild it like she always has—without any man in her shadow, which nowadays is unacceptable.
I feel like the franchise always has the potential to get it right, but it seems like someone is making mistakes intentionally, out of incompetence, or due to a lack of proper consultation. A beautiful animation with witty humor isn’t enough to represent Tomb Raider. It’s missing mystery, puzzles to solve, plot twists, and interesting antagonists. Repetitive drama is no longer welcome; there’s been enough exploration of emotional aspects and family issues in the past—enough! Making Lara human doesn’t mean turning her into a fragile, traumatized character who keeps dwelling on everything she does. That makes her exhausting, empty, and less human, even when that kind of discourse wasn’t as prevalent as it is today.
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