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A while ago, we announced the new mini-series “Memorable Moment Monday”, kicking off the series by remembering the amazing Venice level from Tomb Raider II (1997).

We are really sorry for the lack of Memorable Moment Mondays after the first article was published on the website. We’ll do better now – promised!

Today’s Memorable Moment Monday will feature, since it is October, the month of Halloween, the most iconic, scariest and amazing Tomb Raider bosses and enemies in every Tomb Raider game from the original Tomb Raider in 1996 to the latest installment in the series, Rise of the Tomb Raider. Part 1 of the article deals with the enemies and bosses from Tomb Raider 1996 to The Angel of Darkness (Tomb Raider I – VI). For every game, three chosen iconic and memorable bosses or enemies will be shown and featured. Part 2, which will be released next Monday, October 23rd, will feature iconic and memorable bosses and enemies from Tomb Raider: Legend to Rise of the Tomb Raider.

Tomb Raider (1996)

Third place: Let’s start from the end. The third place goes to the “Torso Boss“, a legless, fleshy, gigantic creature that Lara has to face in the level “The Great Pyramid”. That enemy is said to be an outcome of Natla’s genetic engineering experiments. Definitely one of the most iconic, or rather scariest, Tomb Raider bosses of all time.

 

 

Second place: Speaking of Natla and her experiments. Of course our Atlantean Queen may not be missed here. Jacqueline Natla, head of Natla Technologies, was one of the members of the triumvirate ruling the lost continent of Atlantis and later was banned because she misused her power. Natla hired Lara Croft in Tomb Raider I to find the Scion and betrayed her.

 

First place: And the Oscar goes to… The T-Rex, of course! It cannot be denied that the T-Rex is not only the most iconic Tomb Raider I boss but probably the most iconic boss of all Tomb Raider games. We will never forget the moment the iconic T-Rex theme, composed by Nathan McCree, started playing in the background and we knew things were getting serious.

 

 

Tomb Raider II

Third place: The giant, aggressive (and pretty ugly) Yeti’s from Tomb Raider II‘s “Ice Palace” and “Catacombs of Talion” levels really deserve to be featured in the most iconic Tomb Raider bosses.

 

 

Second place: Let’s stay in the cold – the “Ice Palace” features another memorable enemy, the bird-like Guardian of the Talion, which protects the Talion artefact. At least until Lara Croft crosses its way.

 

 

 

First place: From ice to fire – the most iconic and memorable Tomb Raider II boss is no other than the Dragon that can be found in the “Dragon’s Lair”. Bad guy Marco Bartoli transforms himself into the Dragon by plunging the Dagger of Xian into his heart.

 

Tomb Raider III

Third place: Tomb Raider III impresses with a wide range of scary, difficult bosses and it wasn’t easy to find three of the most memorable ones.
However, the third place goes to the beastly and always hungry for Lara’s flesh Piranhas. These little fish can mostly be found in the India levels wherever there is a river, lake or water. The Piranhas cannot be killed.

 

Second place: We stay in the India levels of Tomb Raider III. In the level “Temple Ruins”, the Shiva Statues can be found. They look pretty exotic, but are tricky to kill. If Lara tries shooting them, they protect their bodies with their swords. Lara needs to provoke them to open their arms again.

 

First place: We jump at almost the end of Tomb Raider III. The Willard Spider is our most iconic boss found in the third installment of the Tomb Raider series and besides that the main boss of the game. Dr. Willard threw himself into the Meterorite Crater and was exposed to its radiation, which led to his mutation into a gigantic spider, sporting a Dr. Willard head and face.

 

Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation

 

Third place: Due to their capacity as not being killable by normal weapons, the Skeletons and Mummies of Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, share the third place of most iconic (and undead) Tomb Raider bosses.

Second place: Usually depicted with the head of a crocodile, the foreparts of a panther and the back of a hippopotamus, the Ahmet is a demoness from the Egyptian netherworld and appears in the level “Temple of Horus” in Last Revelation and makes a reappearance in Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, under the name Ammit.

 

First place: Seth is the Egyptian God of Chaos and Confusion and appears at the end of Last Revelation as immortal boss in the level “Temple of Horus” and later also reappears in Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris. Seth, pronounced “Set”, is one of the most memorable Tomb Raider bosses of all time, well deserving its iconic status.

 

 

 

 

Tomb Raider: Chronicles

Third place: In Tomb Raider: Chronicles, Lara Croft’s life and her adventures are remembered by her closest friends, when Lara got missing in the events of The Last Revelation and is believed to have died in Egypt. In the Ireland section of Chronicles, in the level “The Old Mill”, the Sea Hag makes his appreance and cannot be killed by young Lara but needs to be lured into his death by a silver coin. The Sea Hag gets trapped by Lara and then apparently eaten up by the Little Demons.

 

 

Second place: No other enemy deserves his spotlight in this article more than Larson does. Larson first appears in Tomb Raider 1996. He then reappears in Chronicles, in the level “Trajan’s Market” and again in Tomb Raider: Anniversary. Larson is easy to kill, but due to his very special charm is one of the most iconic and memorable Tomb Raider bosses of all time.

 

 

First place: Iconic Larson could not make it to the first place – so who else could be the most iconic enemy in Tomb Raider: Chronicles? Hint: He really can’t stand crowbars. In the level “The Submarine”, Lara has just escaped from her cell and finds herself facing the Submarine Chef in his kitchen without her weapons. Luckily, Croft pulls a crowbar out of her pocket, sneaks carefully up behind the Submarine Chef’s back and clocks him with the crowbar. And that’s why Submarine Chefs have an aversion to crowbars!

 

Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness

Third place: Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness is the last game in the Tomb Raider series developed by Core Design.
In the level “Hall of Seasons”, Brother Obscura’s tomb, Lara encounters the Spirit of Brother Obscura, protecting a painting Lara wants to steal. The enemy cannot be killed, due to it being a spirit. Lara has to find another way to pass him and grab the painting.

 

Second place: Again, the second place is shared between two bosses, Eckhardt and Karel. Both appear in “Eckhardt’s Lab”. Eckhardt is the boss version of Peter Van Eckhardt and needs to be killed before Karel. Karel is a mythical creature and the final boss in The Angel of Darkness and cannot be killed by bullets but with the help of Eckhardt’s Glove.

First place: Unforgettable is the boss Boaz, which has to be fought not by Lara but by Kurtis Trent. This is probably what makes Boaz so memorable. Boaz appears in the level “Bio Research Facility” where Eckhardt punishes Kristina Boaz for not following his orders. She is eaten by a mutant and comes back to life as such.

 

 

We hope you enjoyed the first part of the Memorable Moment Monday bosses and enemies feature and hope you agree on most of the choices presented above!
Part 2 will be published on the website next Monday, October 23rd.