Lara Croft is back! Well, kind of. It is another Tomb Raiding adventure with everyone's favorite...er...tomb raider but things are a little different this time around.
Most especially, the dramatic change in game play style from a third person adventure game to a top down Gauntlet style co-op heavy action game. The change while vastly different, turns out to be a pretty good thing.
Guardian of Light also marks the first Lara Croft title not falling under the Tomb Raider brand and the first digital download release in the franchise.
This go around Lara must team up with Totec, a 2,000-year-old Mayan warrior to defeat an evil spirit called Xolotl and his demonic minions to reclaim the mysterious Mirror of Smoke.
In the co-op mode you can choose between Totec and Lara but, inexplicably, there is no online support for the game yet so you can only do co-op with your friends. Rumor is this will change soon, and to be honest, it doesn't bother me all that much so I didn't detract from the score at all. I prefer solo play to co-op anyway, especially if I have to rely on the other person to do something to solve a puzzle. That said, the co-op is pretty fun and takes the Tomb Raider franchise to another level. Lara and Totec need to utilize each other’s skills in order to progress. In the Single player, Lara is on her own so there is no troublesome A.I. to worry about.
I did spend most of my time, we're talking hours, in the single player campaign. It is insanely addictive and a lot of fun. It took me a few minutes to get used to the controls but once I had it, there was no stopping me. Even as the clock approached midnight and I began the "just one more level" routine that so many gamers are familiar with, I kept going.
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