Some love for TR3

[Draculol]

So I played all these games on release (saturn and psx) and had my mind blown away back then. I enjoyed TR1 a lot, absolutely loved TR2 (still my favorite, just got through ng+ awesome stuff). TR3 I was naturally very excited to get into but it ended up being an extremely frustrating experience. The game was very dark on psx and most importantly the save system made the game way more punishing than it needed to be. Considering the overall unfair level design, it meant having massive portions of the game to be replayed over and over again until you somehow got it right.

I remember having to use the weapon cheat code just to have extra save crystals and eventually used some walkthrough which I ended up following religiously in order to beat the game and I never touched it ever again since, forever thinking it might have been one of the hardest most unfun game I ever played.

So obviously replaying it today I wasn't expecting a good time, especially because I forgot almost everything and that childhood trauma was still lingering I guess lol. Yet I was willing to give it a fair shot and I took it as a mini personal challenge, trying to overcome it legit, kinda blind, once and for all.

So many times you end up stuck for dumb reasons :
That wierd slope that doesn't look like a path is actually a legit platform?
That barely inclined platform turns out being a sliding death trap?
That slightly different wall texture is actually a ladder?
Hey let's have a super tight timing based death trap room lol.
Am I allowed to swim here? Nope.
Why do I always forget I can do the monkey bars thing? xD Look up dummy :D
Let's have some poison too why not.
The list goes on.

But you know what? Despite all of this I must say I actually had a blast replaying it, being older now I couldn't help but pay attention to things I never did at the time : the level design is some levels is just excellent. The branching paths, the special scenery some secrets have : TR3 might have some of the best levels. India and Pacific are just awesome. Some of the worst levels too, right? Who stands for London? The best thing in this chapter is probably the level skip in Thames Wharf lol. I don't even hate it, in fact I kinda like the ideas behind this chapter it's just often needlessly unclear where you should be going.

One funny thing I noticed is the amount of ammo you're given when in truth none of it is ever useful : there's not that many ennemies to begin with and most of them are so weak that basic guns are more than enough. Just have fun blasting snakes and eagles with rockets I guess lmao.

So anyway, I just felt like sharing some random memories and give TR3 some love as it tends to be overshadowed by TR1 and 2, on top of its legendary difficulty stigma which is a bit untrue. The infinite saves alone make it so much more enjoyable and getting through the weakest parts will let you enjoy what I would consider to be the best ones in the entire trilogy. 100% deserves its place amongst the best TR games (which happen to be 1 and 2 lol how convenient) Give it a try, it's worth it !

[Thornok]

TR3 was and still is great

these remasters in general make all 3 titles way more enjoyable

[chakkman]

I couldn't agree with you more. The first (and only) time I played through TR3 was pretty frustrating, and impossible without a walkthrough. Even though I still have my issues with it (forced path choices which make you miss secrets, secrets ranging from easy to peasy to almost impossible to find, crappy kayak controls etc.), I really enjoy playing it. There's a lot to like about it, but also some things I surely would have done different in terms of game design.

[Mayer]

TR2 was also my favourite and I felt frustrated with TR3.
TR3 has nice locations and a good variety, but the level design made me question my sanity. As a kid, I couldn't even finish India without a walkthrough.
In my opinion, being stuck in the same game area for an eternity because the path is obscure was worse than having limited save options or darkness (I just increased the brightness on my old CRT TV).

[tishinna32]

same, 3 is my favourite of the trilogy (aside from the kayak)
My personal favourite of the classics is actually The Last Revelation but 3 has a nice variety of locations (that look absolutely gorgeous in the remaster) and I just love its crazy world.

[chakkman]

I just finished Aldwych, and, a bit scared to start Lud's Gate now... I specifically remember that one to be mind boggling complex and difficult to navigate. ALready needed 3 hours for Aldwych, and had some difficulties with it I wouldn't have solved without a walkthrough.

[kakiss4]

I was astoinished that the lost Artefact is so much better, level design, difficulty and the pacing overall.

Yes, in do agree, TR3 has really nice Locations, but here the Ratio of having too much BS in it went to the wrong Direction.
Blessed everyone that had the Game on PC and was able to save freely.

[chakkman]

Originally posted by kakiss4:

I was astoinished that the lost Artefact is so much better, level design, difficulty and the pacing overall.

Nice. I will do that one after I finished TR3. Never played The Lost Artifact.

[Draculol]

The worst part about Lud's gate is that questionable underwater section lol. In order to make it somehow more tolerable I can only suggest what I did : fight BS with BS and photo mode all day to figure out a valid path, ignore the mini submarine thing and the ennemies, expand lung capacity with medpacks and I was done with it quicker than I thought lol. Good luck you're almost done xD

[DogMeat]

TR 3 had some of the best locations in the series, but I actually really didn't like the level design and I always find myself having the least amount of fun with it of the original trilogy. The expansion, on the other hand, goes a long way to redeem TR 3 as a whole imho. Some of my all time fav TR levels in Lost Artifact. Scotland up there as one of the most beautiful locations in the series!