At five years old, Square Enix’s Lara Croft Go is a comparative oldie, but a goodie. The tomb-raiding puzzle game is also now free to download — making it perfect for a time when many of us are stuck in the proverbial (definitely not literal) tombs that are our apartments and houses.
What better time to play a globe-trotting, death-dodging, brain-tickling action game?
If you’re familiar with the classic Tomb Raider formula, Lara Croft Go may take you slightly by surprise. You still have to flip switches, pick up items, make jumps, avoid traps, and kill beasties, just as in the 3D version of the game.
However, it’s all from a minimalist isometric perspective in which Lara’s moves are turn-based, triggered by you swiping the screen to move her around, a little bit like a board game.
It’s a whole lot of fun, though, and perfectly captures the spirit of the original Tomb Raider games. So well-received was it back in 2015 that it was actually named Apple’s iPhone Game of the Year. Lara Croft GO features 115 puzzles in all, split into 7 different chapters. Along the way, there’s plenty of opportunity to collect relics relics and unlock outfits.
The game usually costs $4.99. Right now, it’s free to download, as spotted by Twitter user Wario64. It’s been a while since I played it, so I can’t recall all of the details, but the App Store description notes that it contains optional in-app purchases. Nonetheless, this is definitely one to add to your collection.
You can download it here.