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And I STTTTTTTTTTTTTTTRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGLLLLLLLYYY recommend it.

Seriously.

https://www.gog.com/en/game/tomb_raider_goty

EDIT: Thanks Leland. (No one here will know who that is)

Sorry, Tawm ... I've only just seen your post!

I've been looking at this for a while, despite never having played a Tomb Raider game. But some of the reviews mention that the camera controls are very difficult to control, which means you'd get sick trying to find things.

Is this true? Bad camera controls are a bugbear of mine.

Rath Darkblade wrote: ↑Tue Jan 20, 2026 2:58 am Sorry, Tawm ... I've only just seen your post!

I've been looking at this for a while, despite never having played a Tomb Raider game. But some of the reviews mention that the camera controls are very difficult to control, which means you'd get sick trying to find things.

Is this true? Bad camera controls are a bugbear of mine.

So other than the original Tomb Raider game EONS ago on the Playstation, I've not played a Tomb Raider game... until this one.

I've now played this one through, three times.

I also went through the next two that follow this one (Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, or something like that - which are both good - but this one is by far the best of the newest ones).

Camera is not difficult at all to control. At all. There's only a few times, where Lara is falling in a river - and things are moving QUICK that you need to steer her away from being impaled... but you can lower the settings and just take "damage" rather than dying on a stick, if it's too difficult during that segment.

I'd recommend just getting it cheap, and turning it all the way down, to play the game and get a feel for it.

*searches for the "thumbs up" icon, but remembers this isn't Facebook or MS Teams*

Thank you, Tawm. I'll pick it up - and since we're both fans of classic adventure games, here's a recommendation in turn: Beyond a Steel Sky by Revolution Software, the same people who created the classic Broken Sword adventure games. It is the sequel to the classic game "Beneath a Steel Sky", but you don't need to have played the original.

It's a very fun sci-fi game, even according to people like me who don't normally enjoy sci-fi. I think you will enjoy it! And it's on sale right now for even less than $5 (and will be for another 2 days and a bit).

***EDIT EDIT ... BREAKING NEWS***

Well, I picked it up ... IN SPITE OF GOG and gmail being a pain in the you-know-what.

I used my gmail address to create a GOG account, but I noticed in recent days a tendency for gmail (when I try to log in) to use TLA. That's not a surprise or usually a big deal, but usually the TLA means going to my phone and pressing a button.

Now, it means opening another browser window, going to gmail again, and logging in again.

WTF?? It's so confusing, it feels like a scam. And I know - that's what I get for having a gmail account - but it shouldn't be THAT hard to log into gmail. (And I only logged into gmail because GOG also asked me to verify my identity with a 4-digit number that - guess what - was sent to gmail).

TLAs are becoming more of a hassle than they're worth, I swear. Have you noticed this too?

Well, I started playing TR:GOTY (and died a whole bunch of times, especially getting crushed by the giant rock in the beginning caves) because I couldn't get the keys right in time. :-\ But I eventually got out, found a bow, started hunting, went up a level (and took a survivor perk to have "more hit points" - I'm guessing???), and found some of the others ...

... only for them to split up again, and now one of the archaeologists went ahead, and is calling for me to come and find him. :-\ I tried, was attacked by two wolves, and died.

What is it with this game? Do these people not stick together on purpose, just to annoy me?

On a more serious note: I tried to pry open a large chest, but it told me I need a stronger pry axe. I looked up how to do this, and was told I needed 50 Salvage points. Fine ... sSo, I collected 70 Salvage points, just to be safe, and went back to the bonfire ... but I still can't upgrade my axe.

I'm confused. Any idea what I'm doing wrong, please? Spoilers welcome.

Oh, last question: can I fight with this axe? If so, how? And ... can I use my torch as a weapon (e.g. to burn enemies with)?

If you perish a lot in the game, turn down the difficulty. First time I played it, I turned it ALL the way down. Just to play through the game and get a feel for what to expect.

I've now beaten it three times I think (and STILL DO NOT HAVE 100%!) There are some things you will see that you can't do unless you have something else you get LATER in the game - but at some campfires, you can go to previously discovered campfires.

Rath Darkblade wrote: ↑Wed Jan 21, 2026 6:19 am found some of the others ...
... only for them to split up again, and now one of the archaeologists went ahead, and is calling for me to come and find him. :-\
What is it with this game? Do these people not stick together on purpose, just to annoy me?

Hahahah! This happens. A lot.

Rath Darkblade wrote: ↑Wed Jan 21, 2026 6:19 am I tried, was attacked by two wolves, and died.

The wolves in that part are a pain. Your best bet is to back up - and wait them out - and have them come to you. Don't go forward once the wolves appear. Just back up - and pluck them with arrows as they come out of the bush.

Rath Darkblade wrote: ↑Wed Jan 21, 2026 6:19 am On a more serious note: I tried to pry open a large chest, but it told me I need a stronger pry axe. I looked up how to do this, and was told I needed 50 Salvage points. Fine ... sSo, I collected 70 Salvage points, just to be safe, and went back to the bonfire ... but I still can't upgrade my axe.
I'm confused. Any idea what I'm doing wrong, please? Spoilers welcome.
Oh, last question: can I fight with this axe? If so, how? And ... can I use my torch as a weapon (e.g. to burn enemies with)?

So - some items have prerequisites. You might not be able to do XYZ to an item, because it needs ABC done to it first. Check to see if the pry axe has other things that need to be done to it first. (I can't remember off the top of my head)

You can not use the axe as a weapon; it's for opening things/prying doors/lockers/boxes open. You will get a different axe that will be used for climbing.

As for the torch, I believe you CAN use the torch to attack people. But it's not very effective.

Tawmis wrote: ↑Thu Jan 22, 2026 12:58 am If you perish a lot in the game, turn down the difficulty. First time I played it, I turned it ALL the way down. Just to play through the game and get a feel for what to expect.

Hmm - I turned the difficulty all the way down to easy, but I'm still dying a lot, mostly because of those wolves. (Who are a pain). Are there more of these wolves to come?

Also, does Lara have stats you can see (e.g. stamina, strength etc.) like Elder Scrolls and so on? If not, how can you tell how injured she is? Is it possible to heal her?

Oh, one more thing: will she get cold again (and have to find fire), or hungry again (and have to find food) like in the opening? I remember thinking "Geez, I hope I don't have to do that again."

Tawmis wrote: ↑Thu Jan 22, 2026 12:58 am

Rath Darkblade wrote: ↑Wed Jan 21, 2026 6:19 am I tried, was attacked by two wolves, and died.

The wolves in that part are a pain. Your best bet is to back up - and wait them out - and have them come to you. Don't go forward once the wolves appear. Just back up - and pluck them with arrows as they come out of the bush.

They are a big pain. I tried again, and died ... and died ... and died. I keep missing them with my arrows (or even doing a headshot!), but they still keep coming and killing me.

*play, play, play ... click, click, clickety click*

Agggh!!! So I killed one of the two wolves and ran away, and got away by luck. The other one ran off, and the doctor said "It's all clear, Lara. Come up." So I did ... by circling back to that bridge, and two MORE wolves showed up! I killed one of them, and drew my bow to get the other -- but he got me first. *swears in asterisks and little symbols from the top of the keyboard*

Is there a way to just get away from those plucking wolves?! (And what's next, giant spiders?)

Tawmis wrote: ↑Thu Jan 22, 2026 12:58 am

Rath Darkblade wrote: ↑Wed Jan 21, 2026 6:19 am On a more serious note: I tried to pry open a large chest, but it told me I need a stronger pry axe. I looked up how to do this, and was told I needed 50 Salvage points. Fine ... so, I collected 70 Salvage points, just to be safe, and went back to the bonfire ... but I still can't upgrade my axe.

I'm confused. Any idea what I'm doing wrong, please? Spoilers welcome.
Oh, last question: can I fight with this axe? If so, how? And ... can I use my torch as a weapon (e.g. to burn enemies with)?

So - some items have prerequisites. You might not be able to do XYZ to an item, because it needs ABC done to it first. Check to see if the pry axe has other things that need to be done to it first. (I can't remember off the top of my head)

You can not use the axe as a weapon; it's for opening things/prying doors/lockers/boxes open. You will get a different axe that will be used for climbing.

As for the torch, I believe you CAN use the torch to attack people. But it's not very effective.

All right. How can I check the pry axe? I don't even know how to look at my inventory (or even if this game HAS an inventory system). Please help?

Rath Darkblade wrote: ↑Thu Jan 22, 2026 1:42 am Hmm - I turned the difficulty all the way down to easy, but I'm still dying a lot, mostly because of those wolves. (Who are a pain). Are there more of these wolves to come?

I think that part - there is only TWO wolves. Just back up - and they should come one at a time.

There are wolves later. There's some in a cave... and then there's an area where they're roaming (easy to avoid and easy to kill)... and then there's a chaotic area when you face several men shooting you and they have wolves... but you have a wide area to move around during this chaos... this took me a few tries to get through the first time... because the wolves are hard to see in the dark. lol

Rath Darkblade wrote: ↑Thu Jan 22, 2026 1:42 am Also, does Lara have stats you can see (e.g. stamina, strength etc.) like Elder Scrolls and so on? If not, how can you tell how injured she is? Is it possible to heal her?
Oh, one more thing: will she get cold again (and have to find fire), or hungry again (and have to find food) like in the opening? I remember thinking "Geez, I hope I don't have to do that again."

Nope, no stats. The hunting thing was more of a "here's how you do this"... When you kill animals, be sure to "skin" them for resources, by the way.

And she auto heals over time.

Rath Darkblade wrote: ↑Thu Jan 22, 2026 1:42 am Is there a way to just get away from those plucking wolves?! (And what's next, giant spiders?)

Sadly no. However, what I would recommend if you have it, is using an XBOX USB Controller. I found that to be easier than the keyboard, personally.

Rath Darkblade wrote: ↑Thu Jan 22, 2026 1:42 am All right. How can I check the pry axe? I don't even know how to look at my inventory (or even if this game HAS an inventory system). Please help?

You can only check the prereqs/upgrades of items at campfires.

Tawmis wrote: ↑Thu Jan 22, 2026 12:24 pm

Rath Darkblade wrote: ↑Thu Jan 22, 2026 1:42 am Hmm - I turned the difficulty all the way down to easy, but I'm still dying a lot, mostly because of those wolves. (Who are a pain). Are there more of these wolves to come?

I think that part - there is only TWO wolves. Just back up - and they should come one at a time.

How far should I back away? I backed off about halfway across the bridge, but IIRC, both wolves came at me. I ran away, but they kept chasing me and snapping at me. I tried finding some ledge to jump to, so I could focus on taking my shot, but they keep following where-ever I go. Those things are damn fast.

If a wolf catches me, is there a way to shake it off? I know the game says "Use the left and right keys" (i.e. A and D), and then press F to fight back. I do that, but the wolf kills me anyway.

I think this game is rigged.

Tawmis wrote: ↑Thu Jan 22, 2026 12:24 pm There are wolves later. There's some in a cave... and then there's an area where they're roaming (easy to avoid and easy to kill)... and then there's a chaotic area when you face several men shooting you and they have wolves... but you have a wide area to move around during this chaos... this took me a few tries to get through the first time... because the wolves are hard to see in the dark. lol

I give up. Clearly this game is out to get me.

Tawmis wrote: ↑Thu Jan 22, 2026 12:24 pm Sadly no. However, what I would recommend if you have it, is using an XBOX USB Controller. I found that to be easier than the keyboard, personally.

Sorry, I don't have one. I didn't think this game would be so tough with a keyboard! I've never known a game this unforgiving. (I'm used to taking my time with a bow and aiming, but this game doesn't give you time to do that.

If this is tough, maybe I should play Dark Souls or Elden Ring.

Tawmis wrote: ↑Thu Jan 22, 2026 12:24 pm

Rath Darkblade wrote: ↑Thu Jan 22, 2026 1:42 am All right. How can I check the pry axe? I don't even know how to look at my inventory (or even if this game HAS an inventory system). Please help?

You can only check the prereqs/upgrades of items at campfires.

Hmm. Unfortunately the campfire doesn't even give me that option - only the "upgrade your skills" or "exit" option is available, the other two are not. (And I already upskilled once).

Rath Darkblade wrote: ↑Thu Jan 22, 2026 4:27 pm How far should I back away? I backed off about halfway across the bridge, but IIRC, both wolves came at me. I ran away, but they kept chasing me and snapping at me. I tried finding some ledge to jump to, so I could focus on taking my shot, but they keep following where-ever I go. Those things are damn fast.
If a wolf catches me, is there a way to shake it off? I know the game says "Use the left and right keys" (i.e. A and D), and then press F to fight back. I do that, but the wolf kills me anyway.
I think this game is rigged.

So the Bridge is a good spot to fight them - that stops them coming at you from the sides. And then just keep your bow focused at the middle of the bridge when they come forward.

That shaking when they get you - it's all timing. You need to shake A,D very fast - and then there's a small window to press "F" and it has to be timed.

Rath Darkblade wrote: ↑Thu Jan 22, 2026 4:27 pm Sorry, I don't have one. I didn't think this game would be so tough with a keyboard! I've never known a game this unforgiving. (I'm used to taking my time with a bow and aiming, but this game doesn't give you time to do that.
If this is tough, maybe I should play Dark Souls or Elden Ring.

This thing with the wolves is probably one of the hardest parts, ironically. I felt like after this it gets way easier. There is a spot, on a bridge, where a person grabs you and you have to do the A, D then F that took me a few times. So there is for sure one more of those coming.

Rath Darkblade wrote: ↑Thu Jan 22, 2026 4:27 pm Hmm. Unfortunately the campfire doesn't even give me that option - only the "upgrade your skills" or "exit" option is available, the other two are not. (And I already upskilled once).

Ah, see, it may not allow you to upgrade until you get past the wolves (or after), so that people can't farm and upgrade too soon, I imagine. (There is a campfire just beyond the wolves). As a matter of fact, now that I am thinking about it... I bet you can't upgrade till you pass the wolves, because what you need to do RIGHT after the wolves will require you to upgrade your axe to open a door... so I bet it can only be done at the campfire beyond the wolves (and before the door to the guy who yelled "It's all clear!" You will learn to hate that guy... lol)

EDIT -

Not sure how I missed this!

Rath Darkblade wrote: ↑Tue Jan 20, 2026 3:37 pm Thank you, Tawm. I'll pick it up - and since we're both fans of classic adventure games, here's a recommendation in turn: Beyond a Steel Sky by Revolution Software, the same people who created the classic Broken Sword adventure games. It is the sequel to the classic game "Beneath a Steel Sky", but you don't need to have played the original.
It's a very fun sci-fi game, even according to people like me who don't normally enjoy sci-fi. I think you will enjoy it! And it's on sale right now for even less than $5 (and will be for another 2 days and a bit).

Oh, nice! I will give this a try when it goes on sale again! <3
Sadly I missed the sale and it's back up to 34 dollars.

Tawmis wrote: ↑Fri Jan 23, 2026 10:26 am

Rath Darkblade wrote: ↑Thu Jan 22, 2026 4:27 pm How far should I back away? I backed off about halfway across the bridge, but IIRC, both wolves came at me. I ran away, but they kept chasing me and snapping at me. I tried finding some ledge to jump to, so I could focus on taking my shot, but they keep following where-ever I go. Those things are damn fast.
If a wolf catches me, is there a way to shake it off? I know the game says "Use the left and right keys" (i.e. A and D), and then press F to fight back. I do that, but the wolf kills me anyway.
I think this game is rigged.

So the Bridge is a good spot to fight them - that stops them coming at you from the sides. And then just keep your bow focused at the middle of the bridge when they come forward.

That shaking when they get you - it's all timing. You need to shake A,D very fast - and then there's a small window to press "F" and it has to be timed.

Rath Darkblade wrote: ↑Thu Jan 22, 2026 4:27 pm Sorry, I don't have one. I didn't think this game would be so tough with a keyboard! I've never known a game this unforgiving. (I'm used to taking my time with a bow and aiming, but this game doesn't give you time to do that.
If this is tough, maybe I should play Dark Souls or Elden Ring.

This thing with the wolves is probably one of the hardest parts, ironically. I felt like after this it gets way easier. There is a spot, on a bridge, where a person grabs you and you have to do the A, D then F that took me a few times. So there is for sure one more of those coming.

Uggh! I tried wolf thing again, and again, and again ... about 5 times ... and every time, one arrow is enough for one of the wolves (coming from the left), but the right wolf takes at least TWO arrows and just doesn't die.

Like I said, I think this game is rigged. What is this thing, some kind of immortal werewolf? Once he gets hold of Laura, there's nothing I can do to save her.

I'm tired of watching that thing tear Laura's throat out. I give up.

See if you can export your save - if you can - send it to me. I will get you past the wolf if it's compatible.

Wow! Now the game is $2.99 on gog!

Tawmis wrote: ↑Sat Jan 24, 2026 1:56 am See if you can export your save - if you can - send it to me. I will get you past the wolf if it's compatible.

I was playing on Steam, but had it on gog too - so installing the gog version to see if I can do the wolf part for ya. But I wonder if saves are based on profiles... which would mean maybe even if I do since it's not your profile it won't see it? We shall see. I have a little time before I run off to my D&D game today. Installing gog version....

Tawmis wrote: ↑Sat Jan 24, 2026 1:56 am See if you can export your save - if you can - send it to me. I will get you past the wolf if it's compatible.

Here - I played through it on GoG - and this will get you RIGHT past the wolves and at the next campfire - next to Mister "It's all clear"...





Save on my Google Drive

Unzip and overwrite your save (or rename the save so it goes to another slot if that works)...

My saves were located in....

C:\Users\USER_ID\OneDrive\Documents\My Games\Tomb Raider

USER_ID being whatever your Windows profile name is.

Your saves may be in a different spot? Not sure. I didn't change anything, so I assume that's the default.