Tomb Raider I–III Remastered Update Sparks Backlash Over “Awful” New Lara Croft Outfits

Updates for classic games usually bring excitement, but the latest patch for Tomb Raider I–III Remastered has done the opposite. Instead of celebration, the update has triggered frustration among fans, mainly due to questionable new outfits for Lara Croft and reports of technical problems.

The patch, released last Thursday, introduced a new Challenge Mode along with 10 additional outfits for Lara. While free content is typically welcomed by players, many fans say the new character designs look unfinished and clash with the quality expected from the remastered trilogy.

Players Complain About Broken Features

The backlash quickly spread across community platforms, especially in user reviews on Steam. Several players claim the patch caused significant problems in the game.

One Steam user reported that the update damaged multiple elements of the experience, stating that it broke audio, visual effects, enemy AI behavior, and even deleted saved files. Another long-time player with nearly 200 hours in the remastered collection criticized the update more bluntly, urging the developers to keep artificial intelligence out of the franchise and arguing that Lara Croft deserves better treatment.

Concerns About Possible AI-Generated Content

Part of the controversy comes from speculation that the new outfits may have been created using generative AI tools. While there’s no official confirmation that AI was used, the discussion gained traction online due to the unusual design quality.

Journalists reached out to the studio responsible for the remaster for clarification, but at the time of writing there has been no confirmed explanation regarding how the assets were created.

Original Developers Say They Weren’t Involved

The situation became even more interesting when Giovanni Lucca, the original lead artist on the remastered trilogy, addressed the update publicly. In a post on social media, Lucca explained that neither he nor other original developers from Saber Interactive were involved in creating the new patch or its artwork.

Two days later, he shared a video showing the new outfits and referred to the update as a “monstrosity,” adding a clown emoji to emphasize his disappointment.

AI Controversy Isn’t New for the Remasters

This isn’t the first time the remastered Tomb Raider collection has faced AI-related criticism. In September of last year, developers had to remove several unauthorized AI-generated voice lines after players discovered them in the game.

Because of that incident, many fans are particularly sensitive to anything that looks automated or artificially generated in the latest update.

A Patch That Missed the Mark

Although the update was meant to add fresh content to a beloved classic, the response from the community suggests it may have missed the mark. Between visual concerns, performance complaints, and ongoing AI debates, the patch has turned what should have been a small celebration for the remastered trilogy into a heated discussion across gaming forums.

For now, players are hoping the developers address the issues quickly—and perhaps give Lara Croft the visual upgrade they feel she deserves.