Aspyr, the developer responsible for the Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered, has admitted to unintentionally releasing two different versions of the game on both Steam and the Epic Games Store. Eurogamer reported that they reverted what some considered the superior version back to the standard one. Eurogamer’s investigation revealed a notable divergence among players of the remastered trilogy, who keenly observed disparities between the different game versions.
This observation gained traction when a Twitter user with the handle @small_medpack took to social media to meticulously detail and share a comprehensive list of these discernible distinctions.
The online community quickly engaged in discussions surrounding these findings, sparking debates and inquiries into the underlying reasons behind such disparities.
Fans were taken aback when Aspyr, in an unexpected move, labeled the version available on the Epic Games Store as unfinished, despite it featuring additional poses in photo mode, superior quality textures and animations in the Nevada level, and more realistic snowflakes compared to its counterpart on Steam. However, this version also suffered from issues such as broken achievements.
To align both versions, Aspyr decided to update the Epic Games Store version to match the originally intended release on Steam. Consequently, the enhancements previously enjoyed by players on the Epic Games Store, including the extra poses, enhanced textures, animations, and snow effects, have been removed. This decision sparked mixed reactions among the fanbase, prompting discussions about the implications of such adjustments and the overall gaming experience across different platforms. Many fans seem to find themselves understandably perplexed by the unexpected turn of events. As they had anticipated the Steam version to receive the additional features instead of witnessing their removal from the Epic Games Store version.
There still has been confusion surrounding the issues with the Steam version of the game, which goes beyond the broken achievements. Incomplete assets and technical problems have also been reported, which has resulted in frustration among fans. It is difficult for them to understand how such discrepancies could occur, especially given the developer’s reputation in the industry.