Gaming On-The-Go: 'Lara Croft Go' Turns Tomb Raider In A New Direction, Putting Croft In Captivating Puzzle Game

Gaming On-The-Go is a weekly series that explores the mobile gaming industry as well as uncovering current trends, with hands-on guides for the latest smartphone and tablet games.

Lara Croft is back again in a new mobile game by studio Square Enix Montreal, the company responsible for Hitman Go. And just like that popular mobile game based on its video game franchise, Lara Croft Go ditches the action of the console franchise, and instead turns it on its head in a turn-based puzzle game. But just because the gameplay isn't like past Tomb Raider titles, it doesn't mean that the game is lacking in any way (in fact, Croft still uses her gun and other weapons in the mobile game). Conversely, Square Enix has created a captivating game that will have you hooked from the first chapter.

Following in the footsteps of the Tomb Raider reboot in 2013, we see Croft as the beloved archaeologist who is younger and isn't all about the sex appeal factor. While Croft is still sporting her signature look (players can collect relic fragments to unlock more outfits like the Catsuit), she (well, you) will have to use her brains to defeat snakes, spiders and saws that threaten to take her life on her quest to hunt down ancient artifacts.

To do so, the player must get Croft through each level, which comprises five chapters. Follow the board game-like nature of each of the 40 levels that make up the chapters with hopes that you survive the various obstacles in your way. That might mean useing fire to push back lizards, turning a switch to move a piece of the board, or dodging rolling boulders.

Some tips to remember is that the enemies can only attack you when you are facing them, so feel free to shoot them from the side or behind. Some of the more advanced levels require strategic planning of your moves, so that means you might have to move back and forth a few times to prevent a saw from slicing you in half or when having to push a pillar to the right place. You can shoot spears from far away, and make use of the cracks in the walls to eliminate a lizard on your heels.

And these puzzles never get boring. While they are relatively easy to figure out, by the time you get to the more advanced levels in "The Maze of Stones" and "The Maze of Spirits" you will have to rely on trial and error before cracking this level's code. The first two chapters I was able to finish quickly; the harder levels obviously take more time, but I was still able to finish the entire game in three days, playing off and on.

I didn't collect all the gems and relics the first time around, but players can go back to these chapter levels to unlock the outfits later.

And this is a game to check out just for its beautiful visuals inside these caves and jungles, as well the musical accompaniment that really makes you feel like you are in the game yourself.

Square Enix took to Twitter to celebrate the mobile game's release by teasing a Lara Croft Go expansion pack in the style of Pokemon. While this was just a joke, the studio will release the augmented reality game Pokemon Go next year.

Laura Croft Go is available for iOS and Android for $4.99 with in-app purchases like the Square Enix Universe Outfit Packs that cost $1.99 and a puzzle hint pack when you get stuck for an additional $4.99.