Tomb Raider II Basics & Controls | AntMag

Understand Tomb Raider II's controls, including tank controls, button combos for faster actions, and how to use Photo Mode.

Understand Tomb Raider II's controls, including tank controls, button combos for faster actions, and how to use Photo Mode.

Understand Tomb Raider II's controls, including tank controls, button combos for faster actions, and how to use Photo Mode.

Understand Tomb Raider II's controls, including tank controls, button combos for faster actions, and how to use Photo Mode.

Understand Tomb Raider II's controls, including tank controls, button combos for faster actions, and how to use Photo Mode.

Walkthrough

1
To access the Main Menu, press the left side of the touchpad.
2
Pressing the "Options" button toggles between Classic and Updated graphics.
3
Simultaneously pressing down on both sticks (L3 + R3) pauses the game and enters Photo Mode.
4
In Photo Mode, you can virtually move around an area, viewing terrain and locating enemies. Try this early on to get a feel for it, as it can be very useful.
5
To make Lara draw weapons immediately after picking up an item, hold the Weapons button during the pickup animation. This can work with almost any animation and command button.
6
To skip a cutscene (a non-interactive cinematic the game plays automatically) that immediately follows throwing a switch, stand in front of the switch, press Action, then hold Look during the switch-throwing animation. This does not work for all cutscenes.

Tips

The guide uses controller button names (e.g., "Action") instead of symbols.
Screenshots may vary in graphics style (Classic or Updated) as the author switched between them.
All button sequences are described for traditional "Tank" controls.
Special move button combinations are often outlined in the "Lara's House" portion of Tomb Raider II.
Directions like "Follow the path to the right" mean there is no other choice.
"Turn right" means you have the option to go straight but should take a branch to the right.
"Rotate right" means to stand in place and turn 90º clockwise.
"Rotate slightly right" means to turn less than 90º clockwise, usually about 45º.
"Take a hard right" means to go through an opening and immediately turn right.
"Jog right" usually means you will encounter an obstacle going straight, requiring a turn right then immediately left.
Screenshot lines indicate actions: straight arrows show running direction, vertical arrows show climbing/dropping, curved arrows show jumping, and curved lines on surfaces show running/swimming along a path.
Tomb Raider II uses a stopwatch instead of a compass, so directions are relative to Lara's facing.
Lavender text boxes at the start of levels contain notes for New Game + Mode and can be skipped initially.
"Trophy Alert" indicates an action towards earning a Trophy; "Trophy Time" indicates earning a Trophy.
Always read bullet-pointed step-by-step descriptions.