Core Design was working on Tomb Raider: 10th Anniversary, a remake of the original Tomb Raider for Sony’s PSP console, in 2006. Core Design’s studio manager, Gavin Rummery, recently revealed that the game was in its final stage when the project was canceled. Instead, Crystal Dynamics’ Tomb Raider: Anniversary was accepted and launched in 2007.
The 10th Anniversary game was then reskinned as a demo for an Indiana Jones game for LucasArts and National Treasure. But it was never released, and the whole project was finally shut down in 2010.
Given the situation, you’d think that the game would’ve gotten lost for good, but the playable alpha just resurfaced on the Internet Archive alongside installation instructions, courtesy of a Tomb Raider fansite called Tomb of Ash.
Where’s the combat?
Although the game includes levels taking place in Peru, Greece, and Croft Manor, and there’s plenty of climbing, acrobatics, swimming, and platforming featured in the original game, don’t expect any dialogue or enemies. In other words, there’s no combat, only a peaceful journey across some of the series’ most iconic maps.
The trip is an enjoyable one, for sure, but be aware that you’ll need to install a patch and have PC-compatible controllers for this to work. Still, this surely won’t be that much of a fuss for real Tomb Raider fans.