Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation

Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation is the fourth video game in the Tomb Raider series. It was developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive. It was released on PC, PlayStation and eventually to the Sega Dreamcast with exclusive graphical and sound enhancements.

Storyline
The story begins with Lara Croft's teenaged tomb-raiding origins, accompanied by her former mentor Werner Von Croy. They travel to the temple of Angkor Wat, Cambodia in the hope of finding the mystical "Iris." However, the trip is cut short by an accident where Lara is forced to abandon her companion in order to save her own life. Back in the year 1999 Egypt (this is the only game in the series to keep the globehopping to a minimum, aside from the prequel level the entire game takes place in one country), Lara Croft uncovers an ancient tomb where a fearsome Egyptian God Set was once imprisoned. She unwittingly unleashes him and finds herself in a deadly race against time to restore the god to his resting place before an apocalypse befalls Earth. Unfortunately, Von Croy becomes Lara's new rival as he is possessed by Set himself and he makes things considerably more difficult. Lara travels across Egypt to collect the pieces of Horus's armour in order to defeat Set. They are found in Pharos, Temple of Isis, Temple of Poseidon and Cleopatra's Palaces. She combines them (with the Amulet of Horus) in the Temple of Horus to finally defeat her enemy. However before Horus can be summoned, Set arrives and destroys the armour, knocking the amulet into the water. Lara quickly recovers it and exits the Temple sealing the entrance shut with the amulet. She must leave it in place to keep Set imprisoned for eternity. As she reaches the exit of the temple, injured and exhausted, she is confronted by Von Croy. Fearful that he may still be possessed she is reluctant to hold onto his hands and so falls into the darkness beneath the collapsing temple.

Features
The game features many new moves. Lara can now grab hold of ropes dangling from the ceiling and swing from them. These can be used to cross large gaps. She can climb up and down ropes and poles also. She can now shimmy around corners unlike previous titles.

Lara herself in this instalment has a smoother, more refined appearance prior to the previous instalments. This is due to moving and flexible joints between meshes, creating a more realistic approach to the heroine.

In this game, Lara has the ability to return to previous levels, with some levels taking place in a non-linear order. She also has the option of taking different routes through some of the levels, each with their own set of challenges.

Instead of the previously used "item ring", the inventory screen places the items into a "line." There is also a compass in the lower left hand corner of the inventory screen, but it is only important to activate cheats or to help solve a puzzle in the Citadel level.

Also, when in the inventory, some items will have the word "combine" in its menu. Selecting it will cause a second item line to appear. The player must then select an item to combine it with to form a new item.

A new weapon, the revolver, can be used in this game. Though it does not appear until late in the game, it is very powerful and effective at stopping enemies. When combined with the laser sight, which lights a red dot at the point where the bullet will strike, the player can use it to shoot specific small targets. The player can also attach the laser sight to the crossbow.

Level editor
In 2000, Core Design released their level editor for Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, as part of the PC CD version of Tomb Raider Chronicles. This is the only release so far of in-house design tools for any of the Tomb Raider series.

Beta version
Several levels included in the final version of the game underwent changes as development proceeded. The most noticeable change was to The Lost Library which was used as a demo. Although the main room remained, the layout of the rest of the level was drastically changed. Other possible beta levels are included with the Tomb Raider Level Editor.

The Times Exclusive
The Times, in association with Core Design, designed a one-off special level to celebrate the finding of Tutankhamen's Tomb.

Voice actress
Jonell Elliott replaced Judith Gibbins as the voice of Lara Croft. She would voice Lara over the next two instalments before Keeley Hawes took over in Tomb Raider: Legend. Judith Gibbins voiced Lara in both Tomb Raider II & III.