‘Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light’ for iPhone and iPad review

The classic Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light just made its way to iPhone, iPad and Android. It’s an action-puzzler that’s been around for 15 years on other platforms because it’s so much fun to play.

Is the new port to mobile devices worth your time and a bit of cash? Read on.

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light for iPhone and iPad review

Way back in 2010, the Tomb Raider franchise got a new addition: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. In this adventure, the busty archeologist explores Mayan jungle tombs searching for the Mirror of Smoke.

In the fifteen years since that initial release, the game has been ported to a wide range of platforms. Most recently, Feral Interactive brought out the iOS port that I tested on both iPhone and iPad. To be thorough, I played via external game controllers and without.

Table of contents: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light review

A classic for a reason

In Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, our heroine must team up with Totec, the Guardian of the Light, to defeat Xolotl, the Keeper of Darkness. The bad guy must be stopped using the Mirror of Smoke, hidden somewhere in a huge collection of Mayan ruins. Naturally, Xolotl brought along an army of baddies.

The game emphasizes puzzle-solving over fighting. Really, the monsters are only there to make the puzzles more exciting. Much of gameplay involves jumping over spike traps, climbing walls, finding hidden switches, moving boulders into specific spots… that sort of thing. But there are times when Croft needs to pull out her trademark pistols to blow away a few of Xolotl’s minions.

Some would say Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light isn’t technically an RPG because the character doesn’t get stronger, faster or gain new abilities by leveling up. But that’s quibbling — her total health increases as you solve challenges throughout the game, and the character gains new abilities by finding relics and other magical items.

In single-player mode, you play Croft, without any help. Unlike similar games, Totec doesn’t come along as a computer-controlled character to help out. To get the Aztec god’s assistance, you need to play in multiplayer mode. When two people are playing, one plays Croft and the other as Totec. This requires signing in to Calico, Feral Interactive’s online matchmaking service.

Some friends and I first played all the way through the game from Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix on Windows about a decade ago, so this isn’t my first experience with it. I really enjoyed the combination of puzzles and fighting back then, so I was pleased to hear about the port to iPhone and iPad (Android too).

Performance of the iPhone/iPad port

For the TL;DR, Feral Interactive did a brilliant job of porting Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light to iOS/iPadOS.

I remember the days when mobile versions of games were stripped down, lame things. In contrast, this one offers all fourteen levels of the original release. And three DLC packs are thrown in for good measure.

The graphics are comparable to PC and consoles. It looks like what I remember, and everything seems essentially identical to the walkthroughs I checked online.

In all the time I played on iPhone and iPad, I never ran into a glitch. The application certainly never crashed. And Feral Interactive even added support for iOS’s new Game Mode. That reduces background activities on your device, and it cuts down on Bluetooth controller latency.

Switching between devices is easy because games are saved to the cloud. You can pick up on your iPad where you left off on your iPhone without a hitch.

Multiple options for game controls

On either iPhone or iPad, you can play Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light with touchscreen controls. Use your left thumb to control Croft walking around, and the right thumb to aim and fire your weapon. You also frequently need to hit the jump button, the roll button, etc.

Because these controls are on a touchscreen, there’s no tactile feedback to let your fingers know they’re in the right spots. That makes playing a bit more challenging than if you used an external controller. It’s completely playable this way, though.

Still, you have the option to switch to a game controller with physical sticks, buttons, triggers, etc. iPhone games might be interested in a clip-on controller like the Backbone One, which I reviewed. For gaming on an iPad, just use the wireless controller you probably already have. I played Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light with my PlayStation controller.

When playing this action puzzler at home with a game controller, I highly recommend connecting your tablet or phone to a TV or monitor. You can better enjoy the full effect of the game’s gorgeous graphics that way.

Alternatively, play using a mouse and keyboard if that’s your cup of tea. I tested this option and it worked fine.

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light final thoughts

I’m grateful to Feral Interactive for making this classic available to millions more gamers. And for doing a brilliant job with the port. The whole game is included, it looks beautiful, and the software is solid as a rock.

★★★★★

If it isn’t obvious, I have no complaints. The game and the port are both outstanding.

Pricing

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is available now priced at $9.99 / €8,99 / £7.49. That’s reasonable — the typical cost is $15. And you’ll get many hours of fun for your small investment.

iPhone and iPad gamers can find it in the App Store. Alternatively, look for the Android version in the Google Play Store.

Feral Interactive provided Cult of Mac with the review units for this article. See our reviews policy, and check out more in-depth reviews of Apple-related items.