PlayStation State of Play this week showed that PS5’s future is about aesthetic risk taking, with plenty of new and diverse ideas on display. But as well as fresh titles like God of War: Laufey, The Lost Wild and Kemuri: Hunt the Unseen, there was no shortage of revivals.
We saw a taster of new games from much-loved franchises in the form of Stuntman: Hollywood and Silent Hill: Townfall, and also remakes in Tomb Raider: The Legacy of Atlantis and Rayman Legends Retold. Unsurprisingly, fans have been quick to compare imagery and footage from the remakes with the original games.
pic.twitter.com/HE2DCCyjMGJune 2, 2026
Both Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis and Rayman Legends Retold look set to deliver radical modern upgrades on the original games, each in their own way.
Placed side-by-side with the original, the difference is unsurprisingly much more notorious with Tomb Raider since the leap from 1996 PlayStation graphics to Unreal Engine 5 realism is night and day. The Legacy of Atlantis expands the original's grid-based puzzles and isolated rooms into semi-open, connected environments.
„LoA looks terrible. I’d rather just play the original Tomb Raider 1”Meanwhile LoA vs. OG TR1: pic.twitter.com/SVRApyHDXdJune 3, 2026
these sections feel like they're from the survivor trilogy to me. the ambush animation, the swinging and grappling, the swimming.. these are all straight out of rise and shadow. that worries me a bit :/ pic.twitter.com/xYJCz3o7cNJune 3, 2026
Some fans are surprised at how Tomb Raider: The Legacy of Atlantis is still recognisably the same game. With dinosaurs, Atlantis lore, and cinematic scope, it could be the perfect blend of nostalgia with modern design.
Lara Croft is the most iconic video game character to have emerged from the low-poly art style of the late 90s. Now she looks like how we always imagined she really looked.
Rayman Legends vs Retold pic.twitter.com/YpUzVzHdqHJune 2, 2026
More Rayman Legends Retold comparisons since you guys liked the last one so much pic.twitter.com/E3n6XZnCV8June 3, 2026
Rayman Legends is a relatively recent game to get a remake. Loïc Gounon, the brand manager at Ubisoft told Polygon that the developer chose Legends rather than an older title because they saw it as the most complete game and the best option to introduce a relaunched franchise to a new audience.
Retold is a ground-up remake of the 2013 2D platformer, reimagined in stunning 2.5D using the Snowdrop engine. The remake also adds narrative depth, voiced cinematics, dynamic camera work and new realms. The original's charm came from its 2D art style, but many fans have been praising how the 3D designs in the remake match the style, while the ambient lighting makes the game look super vibrant. Platforming isn’t flat anymore – it feels more physical with the 3D elements, more like a playable theatre.
Rayman Legends Retold will be released on 1 October for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC. Tomb Raider: The Legacy of Atlantis will follow in February 2027.
