Zen Studios brings the iconic Lara Croft to life across two new tables in their Tomb Raider Pinball DLC for Pinball FX VR. Read on for our hands-on first impressions.
Coming soon after last month’s release of nine officially licensed tables with the Williams Pinball volumes 1, 2, and 3 packs, Zen is back at it again, this time bringing one of gaming’s most recognizable characters and franchises into the Pinball FX universe. With the Tomb Raider Pinball DLC, players can now lace up their boots and embark on adventures across two new and original tables that have been unlocked in a new smaller back room of the arcade called, Pinball Wildcards.
Adventures of Lara Croft
Gameplay captured by UploadVR
As I walked up to this table for the first time, I just had to pause and soak it all in. I played a lot of Tomb Raider when it first appeared for the original PlayStation back in 1996. As I got closer to this work of art that Zen has created, and once again heard that beautiful music I’d listened to for so many hours back in the day while the game was paused, a massive wave of nostalgia washed over me. While the title music took me back to the original, the table art itself depicted a modern Lara Croft and seems to be a mixture of nods to the films and more recent games in the series.
The Zen treatment shines on this table as cool animations and flashing lights filled the surface and side walls, complemented by a miniature recreation of the Cradle of Life spinning to my right and Egyptian relics to my left. Seeing all of this coming together was great and definitely set the stage for a Tomb Raider style experience, but I immediately looked around wondering where was Lara? I had a tiny version of her under the glass jumping and darting about, but where was the life-sized recreation standing next to the table that many would expect in a Zen Studios Pinball game?
After playing BeefRaider, the full VR and MR recreation of the 1996 classic, and getting to experience standing next to a life-sized Lara Croft, I can say that this is an experience that fans would have welcomed. I’m quite surprised this was not added by Zen like we’ve seen in other tables released lately. We got to see a full-sized Indiana Jones cracking his whip, so why not Lara side-seating a session with her signature pistols?
The table itself is very fast-paced and the ball movement is fluid with a feeling like the silver ball is rolling on a waxed surface. There are several ramps and hidden paths to roll across, and the mini-games that unlock along the way are fun and challenging. There’s a lot here for Tomb Raider fans to take in, but even if you have never played the games or seen any of the films, this table is still one that anyone can enjoy.
Secrets of Croft Manor
Gameplay captured by UploadVR
With the Secrets of Croft Manor, we get to explore a bit of Lara’s home base. What was once a training level in the game now becomes the backdrop for Zen’s second Tomb Raider-based table. This one features some great artwork depicting different areas of the mansion where we’ve seen Lara train and hone new skills over the years.
The mini-games here were clever, and I loved how they took on the feeling of playing a 2D platformer. One in particular had me jumping and ducking with the ball as different swing arms tried to knock it back onto the table below. All of this came together nicely across a session that seemed a bit slower and easier to control. The upper deck section was also a nice touch and added a bit more dimension to the experience.
With this table, again I hoped to see Lara cheering me on here but instead was greeted by an enormous armored knight that thrusts his sword into the ground with each lost ball, eventually falling apart when the game ended. There were other animations to be enjoyed, and we’re presented with another miniature version of Lara Croft inside the table. Still, this is not what I and many others would have wanted here, and that is to see the Tomb Raider herself standing by our sides.
Gameplay captured by UploadVR
Overall, as the Pinball FX VR arcade continues to grow with new areas and tables, both of the new Tomb Raider offerings are outstanding additions to the rapidly growing collection of DLC tables now available for the game. We will continue to cover Zen’s new additions as they’re released and can’t wait to see what they bring out next.
Do you have a personal favorite? If so, please let us know in the comments section below.
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