Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis hands-on: puzzles, raptors, and Lara's dual pistols

Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog are remaking Lara Croft's first adventure with Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, drawing from both the original game and the 2008 remake Tomb Raider Anniversary. At Summer Game Fest 2026, press got roughly an hour with the game — one session dropped players into the Lost Valley area in Peru.

The demo centered on a reimagined version of Tomb Raider's classic cog puzzle. Two cogs are needed to reconnect a mechanism that shuts off a waterfall and opens a door deeper into the jungle. The first cog is straightforward to find; the second is not, and Legacy of Atlantis gives you almost no hand-holding — just environmental clues. Experience Director Jeff Hays explained the thinking: hand Lara a map or GPS directions and you've killed both the challenge and the connection to her as an archaeologist and explorer. Game Director Raul Siqueira was quick to add that the game isn't meant to be hard by default — the team wants players to have the tools to shape their own experience, including separate difficulty sliders for puzzles and combat, plus the option to crank up navigation guidance. Exploration pays off on its own terms too: diving into the pool with Circle can reveal underwater caves, hidden handholds lead into ruined buildings, and scattered items drop rare materials that hint at a crafting system — though crafting wasn't part of this demo.

Lara moves like you'd expect: she hangs and leaps between ledges with X, swings across gaps with a grappling hook on Triangle, and times pole swings to drop at exactly the right moment. The puzzle resolved with Lara kicking the second cog loose from an ancient wooden contraption, letting it tumble down into the stream and flow to the mechanism below — waterfall off, door open.

Then the velociraptors showed up. Lara's classic dual pistols come out here, firing continuously while holding R2. You can shoot on the move or hold L2 to tighten your aim and go full-auto. The raptors are fast and aggressive, so the combat section demands constant movement.