Lara Croft’s latest journey to the archaeological badlands returns to the puzzle-riddled tombs that saw her first make her name. For better or worse, Temple of Osiris plays almost identically to its superb predecessor, the last top-down multiplayer Tomb Raider, Guardian of Light, meaning a hefty focus on co-op adventuring – hence two of us tackling this review together – as players gather artefacts to defeat the Egyptian god, Set. Played in isometric perspective, and supporting up to four temple-plundering team-mates, gameplay cycles between light run-and-gun combat and mental or navigational challenges that scale in accordance with the number of players.
Sadly, the co-op focus is betrayed by some genuinely crippling bugs. Cut-scenes give way to players falling into an infinite abyss, leaving only a looping animation of their endlessly plummeting silhouette, and the save data between group and solo play also corrupted during our play through. Consequently, a game that should be remembered for its graceful level design and collaborative spirit is, instead, condemned to the tomb of missed opportunity – a fine concept undermined by technical shortcomings.
