What some players seem to be missing are the intricately designed puzzle-like segments that so many of the older levels had scattered all over. That was certainly a nice gameplay element and added a certain element of charm to the game, but the current style isn’t exactly bad either.
One thing is certain right now – “Tomb Raider” can go on for quite a while as a franchise, and Crystal Dynamics will definitely take full advantage of this fact and develop it for as long as they can. The fan base will eventually get used to the changes, whether they want to or not.
And after that, players might discover that they actually prefer the new style of the game and don’t want to look back at the older installments with their clunky controls and unusual plot development.
They will always have their place in the history of the franchise, sure – and we wouldn’t be surprised if there was a future installment designed as a homage to those games. But the only way for this franchise to stay relevant is to evolve actively, and sometimes this means throwing out all of the established gameplay ideas and starting all over from scratch, trying out new things that could potentially help bring out the best of this type of gameplay.