Tomb Raider in Japan
In Japan, Lara Croft didn't become as well known as she did in English-speaking countries. She was more known as being a supermodel rather than an archaeologist and adventurer.
Some of the most noticeable changes in the localized Japanese versions of the series is the difficulty rating being lowered, especially in the earlier Playstation versions. Prime examples being that an enemy's health was lowered, making them easier to kill, the medipacks cured her more and most of the manuals that came in the game casing, contained a walk-through. Other changes include the use of Japanese kana in the menus, and all in game dialogue was changed as well using a few famous Japanese Seiyuu (Voice Actors).
Contents
Tomb Raiders
| Tomb Raiders | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Tomb Raiders * トゥームレイダーズ | ||
| Release Date | January 24, 1997 | |
| Platforms | PlayStation, DOS, Sega Saturn | |
| Levels | 15 | |
| Secrets | 45 | |
| Developer | Core Design, Victor Interactive Software | |
| Publisher | Eidos Interactive, Virgin Interactive Japan | |
| Game Chronology: | ||
| Tomb Raiders | Tomb Raider II | |
Tomb Raiders (トゥームレイダーズ) was the first Tomb Raider Series game to be localized into Japanese. Due to the Sega Saturn's popularity in Japan at the time, the most copies were sold on the Sega Saturn. Pre-release, most advertising was not of shots of the game itself, but rather Anime versions of the characters.
Most fans believe the title Tomb Raiders was just a translation error. The reason for the mis-translation has never been revealed.
Release Dates in Detail
PC
- Japan - 19th January 1997
PlayStation
- Japan - 14th February 1997
Sega Saturn
- Japan - 14th February 1997
Cast
More Information
For more information on this game such as Plot, Gameplay etc... Please refer to the original Tomb Raider page. All the information there is much the same.
Tomb Raider II
| Tomb Raider II | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Tomb Raider II * トゥームレイダー II | ||
| Release Date | January 22, 1998 | |
| Platforms | PlayStation, PC | |
| Levels | 18 | |
| Secrets | 48 | |
| Developer | Core Design, Victor Interactive Software | |
| Publisher | Eidos Interactive, Virgin Interactive Japan | |
| Game Chronology: | ||
| Tomb Raiders | Tomb Raider II | Tomb Raider III |
Tomb Raider II (トゥームレイダーII) was the second Tomb Raider Series game to be localized into Japanese. This edition was the first to include localized in game menu text in the Playstation Version only. It was also the first to contain obvious decreased gameplay difficulty.
Release Dates in Detail
PC
- Japan - 25th Febuary 1998
PlayStation
- Japan - 22nd January 1998
Cast
More Information
For more information on this game such as Plot, Gameplay etc... Please refer to the original Tomb Raider II page. All the information there is much the same.
Screenshots
Tomb Raider III
| Tomb Raider III | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Tomb Raider III * トゥームレイダー III | ||
| Release Date | 24 December, 1998 | |
| Platforms | PlayStation, PC | |
| Levels | 18 | |
| Secrets | 48 | |
| Developer | Core Design, Victor Interactive Software | |
| Publisher | Eidos Interactive, Virgin Interactive Japan | |
| Game Chronology: | ||
| Tomb Raider II | Tomb Raider III | Tomb Raider IV |
Tomb Raider III (トゥームレイダーIII) was the third Tomb Raider Series game to be localized into Japanese. The Japanese version of TR3 also contained obvious gameplay changes to add simplicity. The Playstation release came with 2 disks. Disk 1 containing the Japanese edition and Disk 2 containing the original English edition.
Release Dates in Detail
PC
- Japan - 24th December 1998
PlayStation
- Japan - 4th March 1999
Cast
More Information
For more information on this game such as Plot, Gameplay etc... Please refer to the original Tomb Raider III page. All the information there is much the same.
Screenshots
Tomb Raider IV Last Revelation
| Tomb Raider IV | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Tomb Raider IV Last Revelation * トゥームレイダーIVラスト・レべレーション | ||
| Release Date | 24 December, 1999 | |
| Platforms | PlayStation, PC, Dreamcast | |
| Levels | 35 | |
| Secrets | 70 | |
| Developer | Core Design, Capcom | |
| Publisher | Eidos Interactive Japan | |
| Game Chronology: | ||
| Tomb Raider III | Tomb Raider IV | Tomb Raider Chronicles |
Tomb Raider IV Last Revelation (トゥームレイダーIVラスト・レべレーション) was the fourth Tomb Raider Series game to be localized into Japanese. As the first 3 games, this one was also simplified for players and all ingame text and dialogue was localized.
Release Dates in Detail
PC
- Japan - 24th December 1999
PlayStation
- Japan - 19th July 2000
Dreamcast
- Japan - 19th July 2000
Cast
More Information
For more information on this game such as Plot, Gameplay etc... Please refer to the original Tomb Raider IV The Last Revelation page. All the information there is much the same.
Screenshots
Tomb Raider V Chronicles
| Tomb Raider V | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Tomb Raider V Chronicles * トゥームレイダーVクロニクル | ||
| Release Date | 19 January, 2001 | |
| Platforms | PlayStation, PC | |
| Levels | 13 | |
| Secrets | 36 | |
| Developer | Core Design, Capcom | |
| Publisher | Eidos Interactive Japan | |
| Game Chronology: | ||
| The Last Revelation | Tomb Raider V | The Angel of Darkness |
Tomb Raider V Chronicles (トゥームレイダーVクロニクル) was the fifth Tomb Raider Series game to be localized into Japanese. Changes this game we're the same as the changes made to The Last Revelation.
Release Dates in Detail
PC
- Japan - 19 January 2001
PlayStation
- Japan - 31st May 2001
Cast
More Information
For more information on this game such as Plot, Gameplay etc... Please refer to the original Tomb Raider Chronicles page. All the information there is much the same.
Screenshots
Tomb Raider: The Pretty Fugitive
| Tomb Raider VI | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| The Pretty Fugitive * 美しき逃亡者 | ||
| Release Date | October 23, 2003 | |
| Platforms | PlayStation 2, PC, | |
| Levels | 34 | |
| Secrets | none | |
| Developer | Core Design, Electronic Arts | |
| Publisher | Eidos Interactive, Eidos Japan | |
| Game Chronology: | ||
| Tomb Raider Chronicles | Tomb Raider VI | Tomb Raider Legend |
Tomb Raider: The Pretty Fugitive (トゥームレイダー美しき逃亡者) is the sixth installment in the Tomb Raider game series, and also the sixth localized into Japanese.
Not much about this game is different to it's english counterpart, Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness. The only noticable exceptions are the implementation of Japanese language ingame text/subtitles, Japanese language audio, and noticable ingame changes to make the game easier. For example, lower health for enemies, making them easier to kill. This is quite common when it comes to games being localized for Japanese players.
This game was released in October, 2003 on the PlayStation 2 and PC platforms. The PS2 versions are rather easy to find and purchase online, yet the PC version is extremely rare now and not many foreigners can get their hands on it, let alone Japanese fans themselves.
Release Dates in Detail
PC
- Japan - 23rd October 2003
PlayStation 2
- Japan - 23rd October 2003
Cast
More Information
For more information on this game such as Plot, Gameplay etc... Please refer to the original Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness page. All the information there is much the same.
Screenshots
Tomb Raider: Legend
More info coming soon.
Tomb Raider: Anniversary
More info coming soon.
Tomb Raider: Underworld
More info coming soon.
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
More info coming soon.
