Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis Makes Prequels Into Surprise Sequels

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis arrives as a remake of the 1996 original, but do not assume this means going back to the very beginning. Crystal Dynamics decided to shake up the timeline by confirming that the events of this new game actually occur after the Survivor trilogy rather than before it. The Survivor trilogy explored Lara Croft’s journey from a scared young woman stranded on Yamatai to the hardened adventurer everyone knows today. Does anyone else find it hilarious that a remake of the first game now serves as a sequel to games that came out two decades later?

The Survivor Trilogy Still Matters

Legacy of Atlantis features the same Lara who survived that creepy island all those years ago, except now she operates in her so-called prime. The original 1996 release kicked off the entire franchise, but this remake treats that story as something that happens later in her career. Crystal Dynamics essentially pulled a time travel trick without actually involving any time travel, and fans have every right to feel confused.

Jeff Adams, who serves as the Experience Director for Crystal Dynamics, sat down with IGN to explain how Legacy of Atlantis connects to the broader Tomb Raider mythos. When someone asked whether this remake functions as its own independent adventure, Adams gave a very definitive no in response. He then clarified that the events of the Survivor series did indeed occur, and this new game features the exact same Lara Croft from those titles. Have you ever played a remake that acts as a sequel to games that came out after the original? Because that sentence alone causes headaches for timeline purists.

The team finds Lara at a specific point in her career, after she has already gone through all those reboot adventures. That decision opens the door to some very strange continuity questions that fans will debate on forums for years to come. If the original Tomb Raider now sits after the Survivor trilogy in the timeline, does that mean the next two original games also become canon to the reboot universe?

A Standalone Adventure for Newcomers

Despite the confusing timeline shenanigans, Crystal Dynamics promises that newcomers do not need to play any of the modern reboot titles before jumping into Legacy of Atlantis. The game tells a mostly standalone adventure that works perfectly fine on its own without any homework required beforehand. Players who experienced the Survivor trilogy will notice extra layers of depth and character development that others might miss entirely.

Does anyone actually believe that a company will release a game without catering to new players who never touched the older titles, because that would be financial suicide? Legacy of Atlantis features the same core story from 1996, but now with the added weight of everything Lara has already survived in the reboot games.

That twist gives longtime fans a reason to replay a familiar story while also attracting newcomers who want to see what all the fuss is about. Crystal Dynamics wants to have their cake and eat it too, and honestly, that approach might just work perfectly.

What This Means for the Franchise

Lara Croft from Tomb Raider aiming a gun. — Image of Tomb Raider, Courtesy of Unsplash.

The original Tomb Raider from 1996 always played as a standalone adventure with no real connections to anything that came before it. Legacy of Atlantis follows that same basic structure, dropping Lara into a self-contained mystery involving sunken cities and ancient artifacts. The big difference comes from knowing that this version of Lara has already lost friends, fought supernatural forces, and survived horrors that would break most people.

Have you ever watched a character go through a whole origin story only to then see them tackle their very first adventure afterwards, because that makes about as much sense as eating dessert before dinner? Crystal Dynamics clearly wants to honor the classic game while also rewarding players who stuck with the reboot trilogy from the beginning.

This approach allows the studio to keep moving forward narratively while still dipping back into the well of nostalgia that made the franchise famous. Tomb Raider Legacy of Atlantis exists in a strange middle ground between remake and sequel, and that ambiguity might become its greatest strength.

Lara Croft Finally Hits Her Prime

The marketing materials for Legacy of Atlantis keep using the word prime to describe this version of Lara Croft, and that choice feels very intentional. The Survivor trilogy showed her growing up, making mistakes, and learning how to become a tomb raider in the first place. Now players get to control a Lara who has already figured things out, someone who knows exactly how to handle herself in a dangerous situation. Does anyone miss the awkward, terrified Lara who could barely climb a ladder without falling, or does everyone prefer the confident version who swings across chasms without breaking a sweat?

Legacy of Atlantis promises a more capable, more experienced Croft who matches the image that fans have held in their heads since the 1990s. Crystal Dynamics finally delivered on the promise of showing Lara at the top of her game rather than struggling to survive yet another disaster. The remake honors the past while also moving the character forward, and that balancing act deserves genuine appreciation even from the most cynical fans.

A Final Leap Into the Unknown

Tomb Raider Legacy of Atlantis launches players into a familiar story with a brand new context, and that twist might catch some people off guard. The 1996 original introduced millions of players to the world of video game archaeology, complete with wolves, bears, and ancient puzzles that made no logical sense.

Now that same story carries the weight of everything Lara experienced on Yamatai, in Siberia, and across every other reboot adventure. Will Crystal Dynamics continue this trend by remaking Tomb Raider 2 and 3 as sequels to the Survivor trilogy, because that would create one of the most bizarre timelines in gaming history?

The studio clearly enjoys messing with player expectations while still delivering the core experience that fans actually want. Legacy of Atlantis serves as both a love letter to the past and a stepping stone to whatever comes next for this version of Lara Croft. Tomb Raider keeps finding new ways to stay relevant, even if that means turning its own history into a pretzel-shaped timeline that only the most devoted fans can fully untangle.