In the latest example of ‘Don’t trust anything a video game developer promises until you see it with your own eyes’, despite the game’s eye-rolling disclaimer informing players that the collected titles would be presented in their “original form, unaltered”, it has been found that Tomb Raider I-III Remastered has censored a ‘risqué’ illustration found in the series’ first entry.
As previously reported, upon booting up the newly released collection for the first time, players are greeted by a one-time content disclaimer informing them that though the original Tomb Raider games featured imagery that the developers, Crystal Dynamics, felt were ‘offensive’, they had ultimately chosen to present them without alterations.
“The games in this collection contain offensive depictions of people and cultures rooted in racial and ethnic prejudices” wrote the Marvel’s Avengers developers. “These stereotypes are deeply harmful, inexcusable, and do not align with our values at Crystal Dynamics. “Rather than removing this content, we have chosen to present it here in its original form, unaltered, in the hopes that we may acknowledge its harmful impact and learn from it.”
Or at least that’s what they claimed.
In reality – much to the dismay of the many who had taken the disclaimer at its word – while the specified “racial and ethnic” depictions were left untouched, the same, the same could not be said of the distinctive graphic emblazoned on series antagonist Pierre DuPont’s bomber jacket in the very first Tomb Raider.
Appearing more as an ‘Easter Egg’ than anything else due to the fact that it is only viewable during those rare moments during his boss fights where the player is able to get behind him, the graphic in question features a completely nude woman, herself depicted in a pin-up style-pose, sitting underneath the text ‘Lady Luck’ and its abbreviation, ‘LL’.
But in the version featured in the Remastered collection, Lady Luck is instead seen wearing a red bikini.
Further, the two red ‘Ls’ which previously adorned the coat have been replaced by the Greek symbol for Phi Tau – it’s unknown whether this is in reference to the binary star Phi Tauri or Pierre’s college fraternity – itself also colored red.
In the interest of fairness, it is possible that the disclaimers promise that Tomb Raider I-III Remastered would be presented uncensored only applied to the ‘racial and ethhnic’ stereotypes it specifically mentions, and not the admittedly ‘too hot for general audiences’ jacket sported by Pierre.
However, even if this was either developer’s intention, the fact that they did not specifically clarify this detail to potential customers is nothing short of dishonest and sets a worrying new precedent in an industry that is already crumbling under the weight of its own continued hubris.
As of writing, neither Crystal Dynamics nor co-developer Aspyr Media have offered any public comment on this deceptive change to Lara Croft’s debut adventure.
Meanwhile, shoulder players wish to check out the remasters for themselves, Tomb Raider I-III Remastered is now available for purchase on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S platforms.