History VideoGame / TombRaiderIII

* TooAwesomeToUse: The rocket launcher, as there are only about 15 rockets in the whole game, and the enemies against which you'd most want to use them [[MadeOfIron can easily soak them up]]. The save crystals in the [=PlayStation=] version also become this due to their being few in number, and the majority of them being hidden in secret areas.

** Unlike Tony and Puna, who you just shoot at until they die, Sophia Leigh's boss battle isn't quite as simple. [[spoiler: You have to blast a fuse box near a bridge to electrocute it and her after she climbs to said bridge, but nothing in the game tells you that you can do this and you never do anything like it again]].

* {{Speedrun}}: Just remember that "fast" is not the same as "get all the useful pickups".
** The first level can be traversed in 36 seconds with proper jumps.
** Thames Wharf can be finished in around a minute.
** With a sufficient amount of medipacks, the first level of Antarctica can be finished without ever going for the inflatable boat.
** If the level is designed with alternative routes, one of them will surely allow the player to finish the level in about a quarter of the normal time.

* EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs: The South Pacific islands are infested with them to the brim, with a few different species. Of course, the T-Rex makes its third appearance (this time with updated graphics), and the Velociraptors from the first game make a comeback. Now they're bullet sponges that take far more firepower to kill than before. [[spoiler: Crash Site ends with a non-obligatory fight with ''seventy'' velociraptors]].

* ChairReveal: Puma reveals himself in this way. When Lara is about to pick the Ora Dagger, the structure in which it is mounted is revealed to be the back of his throne, and he was waiting for the final confrontation.

* SequelDifficultySpike: For various reasons, as described above. This led to the game getting a "love it or hate it" reception, and [[VideoGame/TombRaiderTheLastRevelation the next game]] went back to a rather more sane difficulty curve.

** "The Lost City of Tinnos" takes it UpToEleven, being the final "full" level of the game (the next one is [[spoiler: just a boss fight with a short escape afterwards)]]. By the time players think that they've reached the final chamber, they are not even in the middle and the route starts branching.

* WorldOfSnark: [[UpToEleven Every single character]] with spoken lines is a qualified DeadpanSnarker and a sizable chunk of dialogue is made of snark battles.

** The Jungle theme is a remix of a track from the original [[VideoGame/TombRaider Tomb Raider]].

** Going to Lara's gym in her mansion will have her tell the player that players who been to the gym previously may notice some new décor added to it. The original ''VideoGame/TombRaider'' had a gym inside the ballroom serving as a tutorial.
** The hidden trophy room contains [[VideoGame/TombRaider fragments of the Scion]] and [[VideoGame/TombRaiderII the Dagger of Xian]].

* FamedInStory: Just like in [[VideoGame/TombRaider the first game]], Miss Croft is famous enough to have one of the bosses a fan of her, waiting for an autograph.

** Unlike [[VideoGame/TombRaiderII TR2]], flares are everywhere and there is no real point to saving them.

* TrophyRoom: Like in ''II'', Lara's mansion contains a secret treasure room housing the artifacts she's collected over the years. Getting there isn't as obscure as it was in ''TRII''. Lara shows off [[VideoGame/TombRaider the remaining bits of the Scion]], [[VideoGame/TombRaiderII the Dagger of Xian]], a golden skull from the first ''Indiana Jones'' film, and even [[VideoGame/TombRaiderTheLastRevelation the Iris]] [[VideoGame/TombRaiderChronicles artifact]], at this point unnamed and its significance unknown. There's also a T-Rex head mounted on the wall.

* ArtEvolution: The game's graphics, textures and models are ''much'' better than in the previous two games, enough to distinguish it from them. There are many minor improvements along with the headlining features listed above, including smoke coming out of the pistol barrels, a smoother water texture, blood pooling in water, and multilayered sky-boxes. Many sprites (fire, pickups) were replaced with models/3D effects. The in-game cutscenes themselves were also improved by having higher quality animations and more expressive body language between characters.

* TheUnintelligible: Willard has a thick Scottish accent and in his first scene, his boss complains over a walkie-talkie that he can't understand one word he says. Assuming that this isn't because of a poor connection or because of his team loudly mining in the background, this could mean that Willard is this to his boss.

* PoliticallyCorrect: The second level, Temple Ruins, was originally named Temple of Shiva. Since no-one was that willing to desecrate an actual temple, the name was dropped.

* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: Zig-zagged. In the first level, where monkeys won't harm Lara unless she shoots them, they will make off with useful items like medipacks and even a key, which will most likely cause her to shoot them. With the exception of the key, chasing the monkey without killing it will make said monkey eventually drop the item anyway and lead Lara to a place she needed to go to next (such as a room with a switch). In the second level onward, they're aggressive by default.

** There are only 4 crows in the game and they show up in Thames Wharf, the only London level with open sky. To add to their uniqueness, they use separate model from much more common vultures.

The game is built on the advanced graphics engine from ''Tomb Raider II'', adding multicolored lighting effects, environmental rain, fog, and wind direction. Lara herself gained the ability to crouch and crawl on the ground, monkey-swing over chasms, and sprint to gain short bursts of extra speed. Various sound effects were also changed or improved (the most recognizable example being the pistol shooting sound), and the use of short musical cues/stings was ''greatly'' expanded. However, the game is probably most (in)famous for its [[NintendoHard ridiculous difficulty level]]; playing the first two games in the series is considered a prerequisite to even attempting the first level of this one, and even then you're going to have a ''tough'' time.

** There are only 4 crows in the game and they show up in Thames Wharf, the only London level with open sky.

The game is built on the advanced graphics engine from ''Tomb Raider II'', adding multicoloured lighting effects, environmental rain, fog, and wind direction. Lara herself gained the ability to crouch and crawl on the ground, monkey-swing over chasms, and sprint to gain short bursts of extra speed. Various sound effects were also changed or improved (the most recognizable example being the pistol shooting sound), and the use of short musical cues/stings was ''greatly'' expanded. However, the game is probably most (in)famous for its [[NintendoHard ridiculous difficulty level]]; playing the first two games in the series is considered a prerequisite to even attempting the first level of this one, and even then you're going to have a ''tough'' time.

* ArtEvolution: The game's graphics, textures and models are ''much'' better than in the previous two games, enough to distinguish it from them. There are many minor improvements along with the headlining features listed above, including smoke coming out of the pistol barrels, a smoother water texture, blood pooling in water, and multilayered sky-boxes. Many sprites (fire, pickups) were replaced with models/3D effects. The ingame cutscenes themselves were also improved by having higher quality animations and more expressive body language between characters.

** The game introduced swamps and quicksands. Some of them must be traversed, usually with mud to the chin or above and slowly going deeper. While there is always a safe path to do so, there are ''no'' suggestions in-game about it.

* HotterAndSexier: Zig-zagged. This game is the first to include outfits (for the South Pacific and Nevada levels) where Lara shows her belly button. On the other hand, Lara wears a winter coat and snowpants for the Antarctica levels, and the catsuit for the London levels similarly covers her legs.

** There are only 4 crows in the game and they show up in Thames Wharf, the only London level with open sky. What's important is the fact they use separate model from much more common vultures.
* UniversalAmmunition: Averted. Lara carries two mini Uzis and [=MP5=] submachine gun. Both guns have separate ammo count, even though in real life they use the same [=9mm=] Parabellum bullet.

* WasOnceAMan: The mutants in Antarctica. There is also a [[{{Fanon}} fan theory]] that the Tinnos guards might have been humans at some point in the past.

* AffablyEvil: [[spoiler: Dr. Willard]] is soft-spoken, polite and compared with Tony, his late employee, quite reasonable. [[spoiler: It's only when Lara starts to object his plan upon delivering the meteorite pieces he turns nasty on her, but even the plan is explained in the polite manner]].

** The first time Lara encounters a statue in India, it's simply that... a statue. In the next room, a similar statue comes to life and tries to kill her.

** It's impossible to prematurely cross the swamp connecting the Coastal Village to the Crash Site; some of the solid swamp patches are missing until Lara obtains the map from the wounded soldier.

* UniversalAmmunition: Inverted and subverted. Lara carries two mini Uzis and [=MP5=] submachine gun. Both guns have separate ammo count, while in real life they use the same [=9mm=] Parabellum bullet.

** Locking Winston in the freezer wasn't cruel enough? Who cares, if he wears a uniform with a bulls-eye on his chest and you can shoot at him?

* ArtisticLicenseSpace: Upon impact, asteroids and meteors that aren't going to cause an EarthShatteringKaboom and plow through the surface of the Earth, leaving a trail of destruction behind. They simply don't become buried deep in the ground.

* ArtisticLicenseAstronomy: Upon impact, asteroids and meteors that aren't going to cause an EarthShatteringKaboom and plow through the surface of the Earth, leaving a trail of destruction behind. They simply don't become buried deep in the ground.

* AffablyEvil: [[spoiler: Dr. Willard]] is soft-spoken, polite and compared with Tony, his late employee, quite reasonable. [[spoiler: It's all [[FauxAffablyEvil a facade to lure Lara]]]].

* AffablyEvil: [[spoiler: Dr. Willard]] is soft-spoken, polite and compared with Tony, his late employee, quite reasonable. [[spoiler: It's all a facade to lure Lara]].

%%* AffablyEvil: [[spoiler: Dr. Willard]].

%%* ChairReveal: One of the bosses reveals himself in this way.
%%* CheckpointStarvation: Thanks to which the game is [[FakeDifficulty considerably harder]] to beat on the [=PS1=].

%%* ClippedWingAngel: [[spoiler: Dr. Willard]].

%%* DeadlyEuphemism: "They're staying put."

* WhatTheHellHero: The very final cut-scene has Lara infamously [[spoiler: shoot a random pilot just because he was there and she needed his helicopter. As if telling him to simply get out at a gunpoint wasn't an option]].

* AffablyEvil: [[spoiler: Dr. Willard]].

* CallBack: The Jungle theme is a remix of a track from the original [[VideoGame/TombRaider Tomb Raider]].

* ChairReveal: One of the bosses reveals himself in this way.
* CheckpointStarvation: Thanks to which the game is [[FakeDifficulty considerably harder]] to beat on the [=PS1=].

* ClippedWingAngel: [[spoiler: Dr. Willard]].

* ContinuityNod: Going to Lara's gym in her mansion will have her tell the player that players who been to the gym previously may notice some new décor added to it. The original ''VideoGame/TombRaider'' had a gym inside the ballroom serving as a tutorial.

* DeadlyEuphemism: "They're staying put."

* DummiedOut: Exit data discovered in a beta build of this game reveals that the bonus level for collecting all secrets, All Hallows, was in fact a London level originally. All Hallows contains a curious area at the very end, a room containing lots of ammo pickups (that cannot be picked up, as the level ends just before Lara enters).

''Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft'' is the third game in the ''Franchise/TombRaider'' series, developed by Creator/CoreDesign and released for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation and PC. It is the sequel to ''VideoGame/TombRaiderII'' and was released in 1998. The next game in the series is ''VideoGame/TombRaiderTheLastRevelation'', released a year later.

* LastBreathBullet: Human enemies with firearms will often get off one last shot as they're falling down dead. This shot will also be more damaging than their normal fire. If you've been jumping and flipping to avoid their fire, ''keep doing it'' until you're sure they're down for good.