Fan-made Tomb Raider 2 Remake Gets New Demo
1.2 demo of Tomb Raider: The Dagger of Xian, a fan-made remake of Tomb Raider 2 on Unreal Engine 4, has been released.
For five years, a group of fans has been working on an unofficial remake of Tomb Raider II: The Dagger of Xian, the second part of Lara Croft's adventures. The project is still a long way from completion, but we can already play a demo. What's more, a second, new demo has just been released.
The first demo, numbered 1.0, was released in 2017. The latest one is numbered 1.2 and we can download it here. The project is available in 32- and 64-bit versions. Both weigh about 1.9 GB.
The latest version brings many new features. A photo mode has appeared, as well as improved lighting and water simulation effects. Lara gained an alternative costume, and an additional attraction is the ability to highlight climbable elements of the environment. For purists, there is an option to disable the latter feature.
The remake is powered by Unreal Engine 4, and the creators want to offer visuals that meet modern standards, but at the same time the priority is to maintain the style and atmosphere of the original. The effect of this approach is, among others, Lara's 3D model, which resembles the heroine from older installments rather than the modern rendition of the character.
These types of projects are usually treading on thin ice and can be C&D-ed into oblivion at any time after the intervention of IP owners. In the case of Tomb Raider 2's remake, fortunately things look different. The creators have the blessing of Crystal Dynamics, which has nothing against the project, as long as it remains a completely non-commercial venture.
How to play the original Tomb Raider 2 today?
If the new demo makes you want to relive the 1997 original, it's worth doing so with game-enhancing mods. Widescreen Patch project will allow you to play comfortably on modern widescreen monitors. An older mod called Unofficial Patch fulfills the same role, but adds gamepad support as well. High quality sound effects enables you to enjoy higher quality sound, and Nightmare in Vegas Fix gets rid of an issue that caused the game to crash after loading the title map.
