Tomb Raider Remastered Patch Sparks Outrage Over Lara’s New Outfits

Opinions on the remake of Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered are sharply divided. Personally, I found it to be a complete disaster, while Zack hailed it as “fantastic.” As the one with the correct viewpoint, I’m feeling validated by the community’s response to a recent free update on Steam. This update introduced a slew of poorly designed new outfits but still lacks the quality-of-life enhancements that the second trilogy of Tomb Raider games received in their remaster.

The 2024 remaster of Lara’s classic ’90s adventures somehow managed to worsen the already clunky control schemes, merely slapping on some rough new textures instead of delivering a true remaster. Despite several updates since its launch, it still hasn’t received the improvements that players were hoping for, leading to growing frustration. The latest free update, which features some lackluster new costumes that even the original remastering artists have distanced themselves from, has really stirred up the community.

Released on March 12, the patch introduced a new Challenge mode, allowing players to tweak health, damage, enemy counts, and more. Completing specific challenges rewards players with the new outfits, which come with passive bonuses. However, as many have pointed out on Reddit, the quality of these new outfits is abysmal.

From shades that appear singed to bizarrely wobbly lines on the clothing, the designs look incredibly rushed and unfinished. Some Reddit users have even speculated that generative AI might have been involved in creating these designs, given the sloppy symbols and patterns. YouTuber RUUs Room showcased some of the disastrous designs, contrasting them with the promotional versions.

The situation has become so dire that one developer from the original remaster took to social media to clarify that he and his team had no part in the new patch. “Just to clarify,” he stated, “I was not involved in the art direction of this new patch.” He emphasized that none of the original developers at Saber were involved either.

Those responsible for this update, Aspyr Media, have yet to comment, and we’ve reached out to them for clarification on what went wrong. Aspyr has recently faced criticism for similarly poor-looking skins and textures in the first trailer for another remaster, which was initially set to launch in February but has since lost its release date entirely.