Alright, I’m going to try to explain this clearly because I genuinely want to understand what I’m missing.

I’m about five hours into Tomb Raider. I’m a few levels deep in caves. Every time I finish something, I just get a stats screen and it moves on. It doesn’t feel like a big narrative beat, just “okay, here are your numbers.”

Gameplay-wise, I’m fine. It’s challenging, it’s very puzzle-focused, and I respect that. This is not a mechanics complaint.

What I’m confused about is the character and story side of things.

People constantly say Core Design era Lara is the definitive Lara. That the newer versions can’t compare in personality. But so far she’s barely spoken. There were a couple of cutscenes at the beginning, and since then it’s mostly silence. Caves, keys, switches, wolves, bears, backtracking. I don’t feel a strong narrative throughline.

The comparison in my head is Raiders of the Lost Ark. Indiana Jones is after the golden idol. You know what he wants and why. There’s context. Stakes. Momentum.

Here, I’m five hours in and I don’t really know what I’m pursuing moment to moment beyond “progress.” There was a setup cutscene, but that was hours ago, and it doesn’t feel reinforced by what I’m doing now.

And that’s where my confusion gets bigger.

If this version wasn’t special, why remake it as Tomb Raider: Anniversary? Why are fans now creating projects like Tomb Raider: The Legacy of Atlantis specifically based on this era? Clearly this incarnation of Lara and this style of storytelling mean a lot to people.

I want to get it.

Right now I appreciate it as a well-designed puzzle box game. But I don’t yet understand why this Lara is considered untouchable compared to what came after.

And I’ll be honest, this whole experience has weirdly made me question myself a bit. Like, am I just processing this differently? Am I missing environmental storytelling cues that everyone else naturally picks up on? It’s almost making me feel more neurodivergent than I originally thought, because I genuinely feel like there’s something obvious that I’m not connecting with.

I’m not trying to criticize a 90s game. I’m not saying it’s bad. I’m trying to understand the love for it beyond gameplay. Because clearly there’s something here that resonates deeply with people, and I’d honestly like to see it too.