History VideoGame / TombRaiderTheLastRevelation

* TheAtoner: Von Croy recovers from his possession at the end of the game and attempts to rescue Lara. [[spoiler:Unfortunately he fails.]]

* InstantWinCondition: Crossing the trigger to end a level is an instant win for the player, regardless of Lara's condition or any enemies that may be giving chase. This is taken to particularly JustForFun/{{Egregious}} levels by the train level, where you can finish the level by ''killing yourself'' as long as Lara crosses the end trigger in mid-air. This is, naturally, the favourite trope of Tomb Raider [[{{Speedrun}} speed runners]].
** In case of interconnected levels, this means all enemies chasing Lara will stay in the previous level and upon return, will (depending on the game version) either vanish or be re-positioned into their original location.

* InterfaceScrew: Getting poisoned in this game causes Lara to hallucinate, represented by the screen blurring and wavering until she heals herself. Oddly, her movement isn't impaired at all--it's just a camera effect.

* NoFairCheating: A subtle one. If you use the level skip code to breeze through the game, you will hit a snag after you skip the Coastal Ruins level, as the next level the game loads is Pharos, Temple Of Isis. Since you start underwater facing west, it seems impossible to do the level skip code (which requires you to face exactly north, and is usually accomplished by grabbing a ledge that faces north), so a novice's first instinct is to swim to the top of the cavern, enter the cave and slide down, with the idea that they can load the next level and then resume skipping levels from there. Problem is, this path takes you ''back'' to Coastal Ruins (albeit a different section of it), and trying to level skip from ''here'' puts you ''back'' at Pharos, Temple Of Isis. It's still possible to skip past Pharos, Temple Of Isis, but it's not apparent at first: You have to pull yourself out of the water into the aforementioned cavern, then drop back into the water and, without touching the directional buttons, perform an underwater roll to face yourself directly north. Now the level skip code will work, and allow you to advance to Temple Of Poseidon.
** Also, due to the game's "interconnected levels" motif, certain items (such as keys necessary to advance) will not be in your inventory if you use the level skip code, since they carry over from level to level if not used. You have to remember to enter ''another'' code, which gives you all the items in the game, for the level skip to be of any value.

* SaveGameLimits: While it's possible to save at any moment, there is a limited amount of save slots in all versions of the game, with [=PS1=] and Dreamcast release standing out the most. Those ports allow one level save per two memory card blocks in the Playstation version (and similarly, each save file on the Dreamcast version is a whopping ''33'' blocks), as opposed to the first three games where every completed level is playable from the main menu. This means that if you want to replay levels after you beat them, prepare to sacrifice a ''lot'' of memory cards to do so.
** The PC version is a lot more forgiving on this, allowing you to save whenever you want, but it still has limited slots--generous at first sight, yet still too few to save at the start of every single level, in case you wanted to replay just one; but considering exactly how long this game is (with a whopping 35 levels, and that's not counting the need to go back and forth between them), that's not surprising.

* TooAwesomeToUse: The revolver stands out as it's nearly as powerful as the Desert Eagle in the [[VideoGame/TombRaiderIII previous game]], and can be manually aimed with the laser sight. Revolver ammo is really scarce compared to any other standard ammo.

''Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation'' is the fourth entry in the ''Franchise/TombRaider'' series. It was also meant to be the last, until fans and Eidos Interactive persuaded Creator/CoreDesign otherwise. The game was released on UsefulNotes/PlayStation, PC, and UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast in 1999; the next game, ''[[VideoGame/LaraCroftTombRaiderChronicles Tomb Raider Chronicles]]'', was released next year.

* TankControls: Turning monkey swings from one rope to another into a nightmare.
* ThreePlusFiveMakeFour: Used in multiple puzzles during ''The Temple of Horus'', the final level, requiring different amounts of water each time. As an allusion to Egyptian beliefs about the afterlife, Lara has to use a scale with proper measures to prove that she's worthy... or will unleash [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammit Ammit]] from her cage.

* WeUsedToBeFriends: According to the manual, Lara was on good terms with Von Croy at first. By the time the game starts in Cambodia, however, they're already bickering somewhat, though it's mostly good-natured banter until they arrive at the Iris and Lara thinks they should leave the artifact alone. After Von Croy returns from being trapped under the ruins, however, he bears a deep grudge against Lara, possibly because he thinks she abandoned him to save her own skin; even though from our point of view it's clear Lara is distressed at Von Croy's predicament, but simply realizes there is no way she can both save him ''and'' get out of the rapidly-closing tomb herself--and even if she ''did'' manage to save him, there didn't appear to be any other way out. It's enough for them to antagonize each other completely, and eventually cause him to combine with Set.[[note]]The fact that, as revealed in the sequel, [[VideoGame/TombRaiderChronicles Chronicles]], she eventually stole the Iris back from him--it's never made quite clear how exactly he got our of the Iris' trap--probably wouldn't have helped either, but as The Last Revelation was meant to be the final game, it's unlikely the writers were thinking of that having an impact at the time. It can be argued that as the Iris can clearly be seen in Lara's trophy room in previous games, it was always hinted at that she stole it back, but there is no real confirmation one way or the other.[[/note]]

* WeCanRuleTogether: [[spoiler: Von Croy/Set]] offered this to Lara.

* NoFairCheating: A subtle one. If you use the level skip code to breeze through the game, you will hit a snag after you skip the Coastal Ruins level, as the next level the game loads is Pharos, Temple Of Isis. If you swim to the top of the cavern, enter the cave and slide down, it takes you back to Coastal Ruins (albeit a different section of it). Trying to level skip from ''here'' puts you ''back'' at Pharos, Temple Of Isis. The only way to get past this level is to do the level skip, but it's more difficult than usual because you start the level underwater facing west, which makes it near impossible to face ''exactly'' north for the inputs to work. It is possible, though: You have to pull yourself out of the water into the aforementioned cavern, then drop back into the water and, without touching the directional buttons, perform an underwater roll to face yourself directly north. Now the level skip code will work, and allow you to advance to Temple Of Poseidon.

* {{Nerf}}: The amount of ammo you get per pickup of Uzi Clips is now so small as to render the weapon practically useless.

** If not picked as a secret during ''Desert Railroad'' level, the grenade gun can be obtained much, much later in the game, where it will be laying in plain sight, ''but'' reaching this point of the game without the gun is [[{{Understatement}} quite a feat]].

* InstantWinCondition: Crossing the trigger to end a level is an instant win for the player, regardless of Lara's condition or any enemies that may be giving chase. This is taken to particularly {{Egregious}} levels by the train level, where you can finish the level by ''killing yourself'' as long as Lara crosses the end trigger in mid-air. This is, naturally, the favourite trope of Tomb Raider [[{{Speedrun}} speed runners]].

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tomb_raider_iv_the_last_revelation.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''I make my own luck.'']]

[[quoteright:220:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screen_shot_2014-06-02_at_4_20_55_pm_6589.png]]
[[caption-width-right:220:''I make my own luck.'']]

* InvincibleMinorMook: the bulls in the Guardian of Semerkhet, Trenches, and Underneath the Sphinx levels cannot be killed. The Minotaur in Chambers of Tulun is another example of this (although with some clever positioning of the motorcycle, [[WeaksauceWeakness it can be run over and killed instantly]]).

* SaveGameLimits: While it's possible to save at any moment, there is a limited amount of save slots in all versions of the game, with [=PS1=] and Dreamcast release standing out the most. Those ports allow one level save per two memory card blocks, as opposed to the first three games where every completed level is playable from the main menu. This means that if you want to replay levels after you beat them, prepare to sacrifice a ''lot'' of memory cards to do so.

The sequel to ''VideoGame/TombRaiderIII'', it marked a return to Lara's tomb-raiding roots. The story opens with a 16-year-old Lara accompanying Professor Werner Von Croy on an expedition to Angkor Wat, Cambodia, to recover an ancient artifact known as the Iris. Things go awry, and Lara barely manages to escape the collapsing ruins while her mentor is trapped by the Iris' defensive mechanism. Fast forward to the present: a more familiar, pistol-wielding Lara visits Egypt to recover the Amulet of Horus, located in the Tomb of Seth. Turns out this wasn't the best decision; she releases the evil god Set himself when she removes the Amulet from his sarcophagus, and as the world begins to fall apart around her, she needs to find a way to set things right... as well as deal with her former mentor, now her enemy.

** In Cairo, Von Croy uses Seth's power to reanimate a couple of larger skeletons. These are invulnerable, and must be goaded into breaking certain walls for Lara to escape.

* Myth/EgyptianMythology: Like ''VideoGame/TombRaider'', this game uses real-life elements of Egyptian culture as reference points, but delves much further into them than the 1996 game did. The gods Horus and Seth play integral roles in the plot, as does the High Priest of Horus, Semerkhet.

* LevelInBossClothing: [[spoiler:The "battle" against Seth amounts to this. He's completely invulnerable to Lara's attacks; all she can do is climb back out of the summoning chamber and use the Amulet of Horus to seal Seth inside the shaft.]]

** Jeep levels, ''Valley Of The Kings'' and ''[=KV6=]'', are generally considered as this after ''[[MarathonLevel Burial Chamber]]''. Finishing ''[=KV6=]'' truly marks the end of easier early game.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Congratulations Lara for unsealing the can containing a wrathful God of Chaos. We all hope you enjoyed that big shiny ankh! [[spoiler: Oh, wait, that's right--you didn't even get to keep it, since you had to use it in the end to ''seal him back in a tomb so the entire world wouldn't get destroyed''.]] At least you got some nice sight-seeing in, so it was all worth it, right? Saw some gods? [[Spoiler:Got a nice NearDeathExperience and PTSD? Yeah, didn't think so either.]] Talk about it being AllForNothing.

The sequel to ''VideoGame/TombRaiderIII'', it marked a return to Lara's tomb-raiding roots. The story opens with a 16-year-old Lara accompanying Professor Werner Von Croy on an expedition to Angkor Wat, Cambodia, to recover an ancient artifact known as the Iris. Things go awry, and Lara barely manages to escape the collapsing ruins while her mentor is trapped by the Iris' defensive mechanism. Fast forward to the present: a more familiar, pistol-wielding Lara visits Egypt to recover the Amulet of Horus, located in the Tomb of Seth. Turns out this wasn't the best decision; she releases the evil god Set himself when she removes the Amulet from his sarcophagus, and as the world begins to fall apart around her, she needs to find a way to set things right...as well as deal with her former mentor, now her enemy.

The game was notable for several reasons: it marked a return to Lara's tomb-raiding roots, with far less emphasis on modern civilization compared to the previous game, ''Tomb Raider III'', and focused mainly on exploring long-forgotten, ancient ruins. It was also the first ''Tomb Raider'' game to take place entirely in one location (Egypt, save for the tutorial levels), which would not occur again until ''VideoGame/TombRaider2013'', and feature no outfit changes. Other new additions include a remodeled Lara, the removal of the Spinventory, the ability to combine items, and huge, interconnected levels.

Overall, this is generally considered the longest, most complex game in the Core Design line of ''Tomb Raider'' games, and is legendary for its difficulty, though probably not to the level of its predecessor.

* AllForNothing: [[spoiler: All the efforts made by Lara through the game are rendered ''completely pointless'' by the end - Set simply destroyed the statue and armour required to summon Horus. Miss Croft has to seal him in the summoning chamber instead]].

* AntiHero: This side of Lara's personality is made much more apparent here. It is also her fault that Set is released into the world.

* BlindedByTheLight: One of the types of ammo for grenade launcher are flash grenades. Anything having eyes and being alive will stop for a while upon detonation, trying to regain sight. You would be surprised how much this narrows down potential targets.

* BrokenBridge: You've find yourself a vehicle? Good for you, but have you got the ignition keys?
* CameraScrew: Like its predecessor, this game sometimes shifts the camera to a fixed angle which provides a panoramic view of the area, but due to the controls of the game (which are based not on camera direction but Lara's), this can make getting around more difficult than it should.
* CrapsackWorld: After Set possesses Von Croy, the Cairo and Giza levels take a very dark turn. The sky turns to a sickly shade of dark green to dark red, lightning storms constantly blow apart buildings, the cities have been turned into warzones, have been abandoned except for some soldiers who are being methodically slaughtered by undead mythical beasts, and everything is eerily quiet. [[FridgeHorror The hanging clotheslines and materials suggest that Cairo fell very quickly.]]

* DeadGuyOnDisplay: One unfortunate explorer got impaled on some spikes near a plinth in Cambodia. Lara takes his backpack for herself. The eerie Cairo levels feature some dead soldiers with limbs ripped off; in one case, Lara needs to drag a body off of a trapdoor in order to open it.

* DemBones: Skeletons, showing up after reaching Alexandria. They can't be killed in normal way - you can stop them for a while with a shotgun blask before they reconfigure again, use said blast to throw them off ledges or into water which will disable them for good or [[TakeAThirdOption blow them apart with some explosive weapons]]. You can also disable them by sniping their scull off with scoped weapons, rendering their actions into walking aimlessly. They are extremely fast, agile and ''stubborn'', following Lara around like no other enemy.

* DemBones: Skeletal knights lurk deep within the catacombs of Alexandria. Explosives are most effective against them, followed by shotgun blasts, which can knock them into deep pits. Otherwise, they're invulnerable to Lara's attacks.

* GiantMook: The Giza levels are infested with flying beetles and scorpions large enough to pick up Lara, skewer her, and throw her away. The scorpions can withstand up to *three grenades* before dying.

** The order of doing things in Karnak temple complex is confusing with guide at hand. Without it, it can turn into ''hours'' of going back and forth, especially since it's the first time interconnected levels are used, without any warning.

* ImmuneToBullets: While this entry to the franchise is infamous for countless outright immortal enemies that keep on chasing Lara, most of those you ''can'' "kill" require explosives to do so - bullets will only slow them down. So until reaching at least ''Desert Railroad'', where the grenade launcher is hidden as one of the secrets, mummies and alike can't be dropped either.

* InstantWinCondition: Crossing the trigger to end a level is an instant win for the player, regardless of Lara's condition or any enemies that may be giving chase. This is taken to particularly {{Egregious}} levels by the train level, where you can finish the level by ''killing yourself'' as long as Lara crosses the end trigger in mid-air.
** In case of interconnected levels, this means all enemies chasing Lara will stay in the previous level and upon return, will (depending on the game version) either vanish or be repositioned into their original location.

* InterfaceScrew: Getting poisoned in this game causes Lara to hallucinate, represented by the screen blurring and wavering until she heals herself. Oddly, her movement isn't impaired at all - it's just a camera effect.
** A minor example is the flash grenades - they explode with a bright flash of white light that stuns all human enemies *and* the player. Justified, since that's their purpose.

* JustifiedTutorial: Core Design decided to skip Croft Manor free-roaming in favour of plot-related first two levels, taking place in Lara's youth, where she is assisting famous AdventurerArchaeologist Werner Von Croy during an expedition to uncharted section of Angkor Wat. Instead of training room, Von Croy plays as a mentor, instructing Lara how to approach new challanges.

* MagikarpPower: Selection of crossbow bolts include: normal ones with stopping power of single shot from basic pistols, those spiked with poison, slowly turning living enemies into {{One Hit Wonder}}s and then there are ''[[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill explosive tips]]'', able to obliterate pretty much eveything that can be obliterated with single shot at ''unlimited range''.
* MarathonLevel: Countless, especially since many of them are interconnected and you can (and often ''must'') travell back and forth.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Congratulations Lara for unsealing the can containing wrathful god of chaos. We all hope you enjoyed that big shiny ankh.

* OneHitPolykill: The upgraded grenades, which are clusters of small explosive charges, able to clean whole rooms full of enemies. There are about 8 of thems in the entire game and you will need every single one of them to turn certain moments from insanely hard to simply hard.

** Serving as the driving force behind the plot - for almost the whole game Lara is trying to reseal Set, whom she accidently unleashed from his prison. And doing so before he turns the world into literal hell.
** Things only get more messed up when Von Croy gets involved and tries to settle a score for old grudge against Lara.
* RevolversAreJustBetter: Short from explosives, revolver is the most powerful weapon in the whole game, working as reliable HandCannon able to put down most of killable enemies in less than four shots at quite long range. And you can combine it with a scope, turning it into crude, but extremely useful SniperPistol.
* SaveGameLimits: While it's possible to save at any moment, there is a limited amount of save slots in all versions of the game, with [=PS1=] and Dreamcast release standing out the most. Those ports allow one level save per two memory card blocks, as opposed to the first three games where every completed level is playable from the main menu. This means that if you want to replay levels after you beat them, prepare to sacrifice a ''lot'' of memory cards to do so.
* ScaryScorpions: In two variations - barely harmful, normal scorpions, which venom only influence camera for a short while... and their bigger brothers, in size of a horse and ready to kill everything on their way.
* SchizophrenicDifficulty: The DifficultySpike is on mood swings. Each BreatherEpisode is treated like a rare, celebration-worthy moment, after which the game is doing a brutal 180 degree turn into NintendoHard. It is generally [[HarderThanHard even harder]] than infamously difficult VideoGame/TombRaiderIII, ''but'' there is no CheckpointStarvation and the games opens with two enemy-free tutorial levels, giving the false impression that it's easier than the last time. After finishing said prologue levels, the game takes no prisoners, even in more toned moments: countless enemies that can't be kill, but able to drop Lara on the spot, timed sequences requiring perfect executions, secret collection being a vital part of ammo ''and'' weapons management, general application of survival horror scaricity in action adventure game and plethora of enemies MadeOfIron. As a cherry topping, multiple levels are interconnected, creating massive labirynths with ''no'' indication where and how progress - you can "finish" level only to realise you simply entered new location without tools to penetrate it and then get lost on return trip, entering ''another'' level (this can start as soon as in 5th level of proper storyline). Any level that is easy to navigate and with countless, but human enemies is treated like a godsent. They usually indicate that the next three to five levels will give you depression.
* SentryGun: Many of these are present in Cairo and will not hesitate to unload a barrage of bullets (or possibly a stream of fire) as soon as Lara comes within range. In at least 2 situations, it is impossible to avoid taking damage from them. She will need to find a way to sneak up behind them and target the red symbol on their back with the revolver or crossbow equipped with the laser sight; this will instantly destroy them.

* SpikesOfDoom: They're still everywhere, as usual. For some reason, it's no longer possible to safely walk through them, so Lara needs to avoid them altogether.

* SummonBiggerFish: After accidently releasing Set free from his eternal prison, Lara's only hope is to summon Horus, so he can seal Set again.

** If not picked as a secret during ''Desert Railroad'' level, grenade gun can be obtained much, much later in the game, where it will be laying in plain sight, ''but'' reaching this point of the game without the gun is [[{{Understatement}} quite a feat]].

* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Let just say that Lara and Werner didn't get along during their joint expedition to Cambodia.
* ThreePlusFiveMakeFour: Used in multiple puzzles during ''The Temple of Horus'', the final level, requiring different amounts of water each time. As an allusion to Egyptian believes about afterlife, Lara has to use scale with proper measures to prove that she's worthy... or will unleash [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammit Ammit]] from her cage.

* TrickShotPuzzle: The main use of laser sight and normal bolts for crossbow - their actual combat use is almost impossible, the latter because of lacking stopping power and the former because of controls.
* TheUndead: Mummies of the Ancient Egyptians, skeletons of Greek hoplites, reanimated corpses of crusaders... just name it.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: According to the manual, Lara was on good terms with Von Croy at first. By the time the game starts in Cambodia, however, they're already bickering somewhat, and after Von Croy returns from being trapped under the ruins, he bears a deep grudge against Lara - enough for them to antagonize each other completely, and eventually cause him to combine with Set.

* SaveGameLimits: You can save anywhere, but this game (and ''Chronicles'') only allow one level save per two memory card blocks, as opposed to the first three games where every completed level is playable from the main menu. This means that if you want to replay levels after you beat them, prepare to sacrifice a ''lot'' of memory cards to do so. [[labelnote:Note]](this only applies to the PS1 and Dreamcast ports; the Mac and PC versions have a more traditional saving system)[[/labelnote]]

* SaveGameLimits: You can save anywhere, but this game (and ''Chronicles'') only allow one saved game per two memory card blocks, as opposed to the first three games where every completed level is playable from the main menu. This means that if you want to replay levels after you beat them, prepare to sacrifice a ''lot'' of memory cards to do so. [[labelnote:Note]](this only applies to the PS1 and Dreamcast ports; the Mac and PC versions have a more traditional saving system)[[/labelnote]]

* ShownTheirWork: An amazingly large amount of trivia from Myth/EgyptianMythology was used for both the main plot and specific puzzles. Numerous famous locations are used as basis for the levels, rendered as close as possible with limited capabilities of the engine. What makes it all that more impressive is how it was all done with actual book reading and watching albums of Egyptian art, since the game was made in the infancy stage of the internet.

* [[spoiler: AllForNothing]]: [[spoiler: All the efforts made by Lara through the game are rendered ''completely pointless'' by the end - Set simply destroyed the statue and armour required to summon Horus. Miss Croft has to seal him in the summoning chamber instead]].

* CutsceneBoss: The dragon in Cairo cannot be defeated with Lara's weapons and must be avoided by sprinting past it the first couple times. Once Lara fully upgrades her motorcycle, she can take Sergeant Azizus to his ammunitions truck (loaded with explosives). He will drive the truck into the dragon, killing it at the cost of his own life.

* DeadGuyOnDisplay: one unfortunate explorer got impaled on some spikes near a plinth in Cambodia. Lara takes his backpack for herself. The eerie Cairo levels feature some dead soldiers with limbs ripped off; in one case, Lara needs to drag a body off of a trapdoor in order to open it.

* DelayedExplosion: in a rather cool sequence, Lara can fire an explosive arrow at a helicopter hovering behind two sentry guns, causing the helicopter to fall and explode. A few seconds later, the sentry guns meet the same fate.

* DependingOnTheArtist: The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usM9lhCtA_s U.S. ad]] for the game, animated by Animal Logic, has a different-looking Lara than the one featured in the game's FMV cutscenes. It also makes the game look cheesy, for lack of better word.

* [[spoiler: HeroicSacrifice]]: Azizas, the wounded Egyptian sergeant for whom Lara runs few tasks in exchange for explosives to defeat [[spoiler: the dragon. In the end, he drives a truck full of them right into the beast]].

* InterfaceScrew: Getting poisoned in this game causes Lara to hallucinate, represented by the screen blurring and wavering until she heals herself. Oddly, her movement isn't impaired at all- it's just a camera effect.
** A minor example is the flash grenades- they explode with a bright flash of white light that stuns all human enemies *and* the player. Justified, since that's their purpose.

** Another one occurs later in Alexandria-this time, it forms the wall of an underwater room. There is a fake opening on the roof of the room that can only be seen in the mirror's reflection. It gets a little strange when Lara breaks the surface and appears to be treading dirt.

* NoobBridge: Karnak temple complex introduces interconnected levels without any warning. This not only can confuse new players, but was also able to surprise veterans of the franchise. No Tomb Raider before had such mechanics and end of level meant full completion of it, with no back-tracking or shortcuts. Sufficient to say, many people stopped playing the game at this point.

* OnlyFriend: This game introduced Jean-Yves, Lara's first real friend who cares for her safety and helps her with his research. Thus far in the series, he's her only one; in previous games, nearly all NPC's were hell-bent on riddling Lara with bullets.