There are many reviews for this game that (rightly) criticise the incomplete soundtrack that made this 90s classic so memorable and is a huge part of the experience. It's not really GOGs fault - Rayman Forever cut out huge swathes of the soundtrack to save on disk space, and spliced many together so that each world has a continuous track on a loop. It makes for a very disjointed and nostalgia-crushing experience. However, there is a simple fix in the form of the Rayman Control Panel, which is easily findable by any good search engine. With it, you can restore the full soundtrack with the click of a button - no messing around with replacing files. Most importantly, there is also a second option to have each world play its own track. I found enabling this option (and not enabling the 'complete soundtrack' option) restored the game to exactly how I remembered it - each level has its own unique track which adds bags of flavour and atmosphere. With this simple fix, the game gets 5 stars. It's an absolutely classic platformer that despite its beautifully colourful and playful presentation is devilishly difficult. Hugely enjoyable, and well worth the price.
When it comes to the exciting outings of Lara, Core Design's 'The Last Revelation' is, for me, the pinnacle of the Tomb Raider series. As a fresh return to the series' roots, the fourth game focuses more on high adventure and exciting exploration, sending the player on an epic journey across ancient locations in Egypt to resolve a prophecy that spans millennia. Gone are gloomy London skylines and secret military installations of the previous two games. Instead of diving into underwater bases, Lara will delve into ancient tombs and mysterious ruins. You'll search for archaic artifacts instead of keycards, dodging devious traps and whirling blades, instead of laser wires and auto-turrets. The game still has plenty of frenetic gunplay, with new weapons, ammo choices and smarter enemies. But exploration and puzzles take centre stage here. The atmosphere is fantastic. You'll feel isolated as you tiptoe through dark corridors, treading where no foot as stepped for centuries. The graphics are a step up, but the sound makes the most impact. Musical cues still feature, but for the most part you'll hear nothing but your own footsteps, the wind rolling through passageways, and the occasional crumble of stones somewhere in the distance. Exploration has never been so exciting or tense! The game is well balanced. Tomb Raider 3 often had the player wandering aimlessly around, not sure where to go; Levels were completed almost by accident. Here, everything makes sense: You'll always know the item you need to proceed - even if you don't know where it is. The puzzles are challenging, but never tedious trial and error. A great feat, considering puzzles can span multiple levels and require multiple items. You'll rarely find yourself backtracking simply to see if you missed a hidden switch or obscure item. Overall, the game provides the series' best adventure. It gets the important parts right, and brings enough fresh features to keep the series interesting. Highly recommended.
