In the new Tomb Raider Anniversary Collection, Lara Ashley is once again the center of attraction in the game. This time, however, she’s not an archaeologist-she’s an actor and model, working for a cosmetics company in London. While there’s no indication that her personality will shine through in any way, the game does revolve around her; as the game takes you through the London red light district, Lara must navigate the many obstacles placed in front of her. Along the way, she’ll encounter a wealth of new friends and enemies-both human and canine-and come face to face with an intriguing plot involving murder, drugs, and identity theft.
As far as gameplay goes, the focus on the adventure-based segments is on solving puzzles instead of shooting enemies. As such, Lara’s moves are limited while she hides and engages in puzzles, and she can only progress to certain heights after completing each level (though, she can still fall down, albeit less often). Unlike the previous games where Lara couldn’t interact with her environment, in Tomb Raider Anniversary she’s required to use a journal to record information about her current whereabouts and any discoveries made along the way. Lara must also avoid running into obstacles or other players while pursuing her puzzles and missions, though she still has the option to leave them at their current stage should she find herself trapped or otherwise unable to complete a mission.
For some gamers, the lack of facial expression is a deal breaker. In any case, Lara Ashley’s English character does a great job of conveying her feelings of friendship and trust to the player, especially given the fact that most adventure sequences take place in dark, dimly-lit areas. Her thick dark hair and her slightly plump physique don’t give her the sexy appeal of some previous Tomb Raiders protagonists, but she’s definitely more on the bland side than sexy, though that’s not to say that she doesn’t have her own attributes. Lara Ashley’s partner in this game is a robot-like character named Ivy, who serves as a sort of sidekick and is only revealed of her true identity after the end of the game.