بقلم Online Games VIP Editorial
·
IGN reports that Legacy of Atlantis will reimagine Tomb Raider’s first game with a skill tree, herb brewing and a chargeable Focus meter for modern combat.
IGN reports that Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis will reimagine the series’ first game with several systems drawn from more modern action games. The project will include an RPG-like skill tree, herb brewing and a chargeable Focus meter that can support Lara Croft’s combat and acrobatic moves.
According to IGN, the game is being developed by Flying Wild Hog, the studio behind Trek to Yomi, in collaboration with Crystal Dynamics, the lead studio for the Tomb Raider series. The remake is intended to update the original adventure with new visuals and gameplay designed to feel more familiar to current audiences.
IGN’s report also confirms that Legacy of Atlantis has been delayed and is now scheduled to launch on February 12, 2027. Crystal Dynamics’ separate game, Tomb Raider: Catalyst, is expected to follow in 2028, according to IGN. The newly described systems give a clearer picture of how the remake will modernize the original, but they also raise an important question: how far can it move toward the reboot trilogy before it stops feeling like a return to the 1996 game?
IGN reports that the remake’s progression system will be built around artifacts collected during the adventure. Players will be able to redeem those artifacts for skill points, then spend the points across a web of weapon upgrades and ability improvements. The examples identified by IGN include reduced damage and improved healing.
This is a meaningful change from the structure associated with the original Tomb Raider. Rather than presenting Lara’s abilities as a mostly fixed part of the character, the remake will let players improve aspects of her combat and survival capabilities as they progress. IGN describes the system as RPG-like, but the available information does not establish how large the skill tree is, whether skills can be reset, or how strongly upgrades will affect the wider adventure.
Herb collection and brewing will provide another layer of progression. According to IGN, players can gather herbs and brew them into buffs. The report does not specify the full range of effects, how long those buffs last, or whether brewing requires a dedicated resource system beyond the herbs themselves. It also remains unconfirmed whether herbs will be placed mainly in optional exploration areas or distributed throughout the main path.
These details suggest that exploration will feed directly into Lara’s development. That is an analysis of the systems described by IGN, not a confirmed statement about the game’s overall structure. If artifacts and herbs are placed away from the critical route, careful exploration could become a central way to prepare for difficult encounters. If they are handed out frequently, the systems may function more as light customization than as a major change to the campaign.
IGN reports that Focus is a new meter built through combat actions. Taking damage, dealing damage and dodging attacks will contribute to the meter, according to game director Raul Siqueira’s explanation as reported by IGN. Once charged, Focus will let players slow time around Lara and perform some of her more acrobatic maneuvers.
The system is designed to connect Lara’s movement with her combat rhythm. IGN says the developers want Focus to showcase actions associated with Lara’s 1996 portrayal, while also making that acrobatic identity accessible through modern controls. In practical terms, the meter appears intended to reward players who stay active during fights rather than simply waiting for safe openings.
That creates a potentially important distinction between Focus and a conventional special-attack gauge. IGN’s description ties the meter to both offensive and defensive behavior, so building it should not depend only on dealing damage. This could encourage a more mobile style in which dodging, taking calculated risks and responding to enemy attacks all contribute to the next burst of control.
However, several functional details are still missing. IGN does not report how long the time-slow effect lasts, how much the meter can store, whether it drains continuously or in fixed uses, or whether every acrobatic maneuver requires Focus. The report also does not confirm whether the system can be used outside combat for traversal or environmental challenges. Those details will determine whether Focus is a flexible part of Lara’s toolkit or primarily a combat resource with a visual connection to her classic moves.
The original Tomb Raider is the source material for this project, but IGN reports that the remake will borrow elements from the more recent Survivor trilogy. The skill tree, artifact-based upgrades and herb buffs all point toward a progression model that was not the defining structure of the 1996 adventure. The Focus meter similarly adds a resource-driven layer to Lara’s movement and combat.
IGN notes that some veteran fans have reacted cautiously to these additions because they had viewed Legacy of Atlantis as a return to more traditional Tomb Raider design. That response reflects a clear tension in the project. A remake can preserve the locations, characters and broad premise of an older game while changing the way players move through it. The more systems it imports from later entries, the more its identity depends on the balance between preservation and reinterpretation.
For players who preferred the Survivor trilogy’s progression, these additions may make the remake easier to understand. Upgrades give exploration a visible reward, crafting can make environmental resources more useful, and Focus may give combat a stronger moment-to-moment loop. For players seeking a closer restoration of the original, the same features may feel like evidence that the remake is building a new action-adventure framework around familiar material.
This is analysis based on the systems described by IGN. It is not confirmation that the remake will play like the Survivor trilogy, nor does the available report establish that the original game’s level design, puzzles or atmosphere have been substantially changed. The confirmed information is narrower: Legacy of Atlantis is being presented as a reimagining, and its combat and progression will include these newer mechanics.
The supplied catalog includes two related Tomb Raider games for players who want another way to spend time with Lara Croft while waiting for more information about Legacy of Atlantis. They should be treated as separate games, not as demonstrations of how the new remake will play.
Neither catalog entry confirms that its mechanics will carry over to Legacy of Atlantis. Their value here is as context: they let players compare different approaches to Lara’s adventures without treating those earlier games as evidence of the remake’s final design.
What remains unknown before launch
The February 12, 2027 release date is the clearest confirmed timing detail in IGN’s report, but the report does not provide platform information, pricing, editions or a more precise launch window. It also does not identify the full scope of the remake’s content. The available evidence does not confirm whether the campaign will follow the original game’s locations in the same order, expand them with new areas, or add optional objectives tied to the progression systems.
The combat presentation will need to answer several player-focused questions. IGN confirms that Focus can slow time and support acrobatic actions, but not which moves are available, how enemies interact with the system, or whether the meter can be used effectively by players who avoid aggressive combat. The report also does not explain whether difficulty settings alter resource availability, upgrade costs or Focus generation.
Progression balance is another major point to watch. Reduced damage and improved healing are confirmed examples of upgrades reported by IGN, yet the wider design is unknown. Players will want to know whether the skill tree offers meaningful choices or simply funnels everyone toward the same best upgrades. Herb buffs could add useful preparation before major encounters, but their impact will depend on how many recipes exist and whether gathering them competes with other exploration priorities.
The next useful evidence will be more gameplay footage or a detailed developer presentation showing a complete combat sequence. That would clarify how often Focus is earned, how the slow-motion effect fits into encounters and whether classic acrobatics are optional flourishes or essential tools. More information about artifacts, crafting and level design would also show whether these systems support exploration or mainly decorate a linear campaign.
For now, IGN’s reporting establishes a remake that is deliberately mixing the original game’s identity with mechanics associated with later Tomb Raider design. The confirmed release date gives the project a longer runway before launch, while the unanswered questions concern the issues that will matter most in play: pacing, control, exploration rewards and the balance between a classic adventure and a modern progression system.