Tomb Raider II
Tomb Raider II expands Lara Croft's adventures with new vehicles, weapons, and globe-trotting locations. The sequel introduces swimming mechanics, more complex puzzles, and a greater emphasis on combat as Lara searches for the mythical Dagger of Xian across Venice, Tibet, and China.
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Story
Lara Croft is searching for the Dagger of Xian, a magical weapon once used by an ancient Emperor of China to command his army; by plunging the weapon into its owner's heart, the weapon has the power to transform its bearer into a dragon . Having tracked the Dagger's chamber to beneath the Great Wall of China , Lara is accosted by a member of the Fiamma Nera, an Italian cult obsessed with the Dagger. Before killing himself, the cultist reveals that his master Marco Bartoli seeks the Dagger, and she tracks the Fiamma Nera to an abandoned opera house in Venice , Italy. Stowing away aboard a seaplane leaving Venice with Bartoli on board, Lara overhears Bartoli discussing the Seraph, an object key to retrieving the key to the Dagger's chamber that was with his father Gianni when his luxury liner Maria Doria was bombed and sunk.
Lara is found on the plane and captured, being imprisoned in a repurposed oil rig above the Maria Doria . Lara escapes and encounters a monk of the Barkhang Monastery in Tibet, who originally defeated the Emperor and sealed the Dagger away. The monk was there to prevent Bartoli from salvaging the Seraph. Bartoli kills the monk, and Lara narrowly escapes and dives alongside a submersible to discover the shipwreck, and searching throughout the remains she eventually retrieves the Seraph.
Using the plane, she heads for Tibet and reaches the Barkhang Monastery, which is under siege from the Fiamma Nera. Using the Seraph, she opens the way to retrieve the key to the Dagger's chamber, killing its monstrous guardian in the process. Escaping the Fiamma Nera, she unlocks the Dagger's chamber, but is plunged into the catacombs beneath before she can reach it. Making her way back, she witnesses Bartoli stabbing himself with the Dagger and being carried through a portal by his cultists.
Following them through, Lara navigates a magical space of floating jade islands and animated statues, finally confronting Bartoli as he transforms into a dragon. Lara renders the dragon unconscious and pulls the dagger from Bartoli's heart, killing him and escaping back into the real world just as the area starts to collapse, causing part of the Wall to explode in the process. The Fiamma Nera launch a final unsuccessful attack against Lara at Croft Manor; the final scene is Lara about to disrobe for a shower, then breaking the fourth wall as she shoots at the camera.
Gameplay Systems
The game is split into levels: the Great Wall of China , Venice , an oil rig and shipwreck in an unspecified ocean area, and the foothills of Tibet . Lara's home of Croft Manor can be accessed from the start menu as a training area, and is used in the final level. Much of the gameplay is carried over from the original Tomb Raider . The game is presented in a third person perspective focused on Lara, with levels and movement built around a grid-based system, with Lara's movement built around tank controls .
Progress is based on puzzles revolving around finding keys and completing platforming sections, avoiding traps and environmental hazards in the process. Lara can run, walk (which prevents her from falling off ledges), look around areas, jump forwards and backwards, shimmy along ledges, crawl, swim through bodies of water, and move blocks. In addition, Lara is able to walk through shallow water, climb ladders and other designated surfaces, turn 180 degrees while jumping or swimming, and during the Venice and Tibet levels drive a speedboat and snowmobile respectively. Zip lines in some areas can be used to traverse large gaps, and flares can be used to light dark areas for a limited time.
By default in combat, Lara uses two pistols with infinite ammo, with her unable to perform actions aside from jumping while her weapons are drawn. Supplementary weapons with limited ammunition can be found during the game; these are a shotgun , dual automatic pistols , dual Uzis , an M16 rifle , a grenade launcher , and a harpoon gun used in underwater combat. In some urban areas, windows can be shot out to create new routes. During exploration, Lara can find supplies such as medipacks which heal damage, flares and ammunition for weapons both from defeated enemies, and around the environment.
Each level contains three secret collectables−a silver , jade and gold dragon−which reward supply caches and sometimes weapons when all three are collected. Players can perform saves anywhere in-game. If Lara is killed, the player must restart from a previous save.
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About Tomb Raider II
Tomb Raider II is a classic video game released for the PlayStation on January 1, 1997. This title has become a beloved entry in the retro gaming library.
This wiki entry provides comprehensive information about Tomb Raider II, including release details, gameplay information, and story synopsis. Whether you're looking to revisit a childhood favorite or discover classic games for the first time, Emulator Games Wiki has you covered.
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