Tag Archives: Tomb

A New Wave of Unannounced Archaeology Games Inspired by the Forgotten Tomb Raider

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The game I’m eagerly anticipating at the moment is Big Walk, the newest creation from House House, the developers behind the beautiful Untitled Goose Game. This cooperative multiplayer adventure invites players to explore an expansive world, and I’m excited to see what intense gameplay arises from it. Will Big Walk allow for a unique form of community archaeology with friends? I genuinely hope so.

From the placement of objects to audio recordings and graffiti, if the game effectively employs environmental storytelling, it encourages players to embody the role of archaeologists. Game designer Ben Esposito characterized environmental storytelling in 2016 as “the technique of placing a skull near a toilet.” – This might have been a critique directed at games like the Fallout series, but his quick remark illustrates how an archaeological narrative can unfold within a game. After all, the contrast between the skull and the toilet can provoke numerous questions and interpretations about the past within that game world, albeit a rather absurd one.

I have worked as an archaeologist in the tangible world, where I was involved in excavations, fieldwork, and site evaluations across the UK. Currently, I’m pursuing a PhD in Computer Science with a focus on video game archaeology. We are developing innovative methods to document gameplay experiences, including conducting in-game interviews with players and tracking in-game messages in Elden Ring.

Given my background, I often find myself contemplating the games where you play roles akin to an archaeologist, whether as a grave robber or an unknown entity, as well as those that simulate the tasks we perform in the field. Games like What Remains of Edith Finch encourage players to immerse themselves in the environment and contemplate what the objects scattered throughout signify. Dr. Melissa Kägen, an assistant professor of interactive media and game development at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, refers to this type of interpretive gameplay in Walking Simulators as “archive adventure.”




Ready to play the role… Outer Wilds: Archaeologist’s Edition. Photo: Nintendo Switch

However, it’s not limited to Sims; there are various puzzle games where one can take on the role of an archaeologist, piecing together remnants of the past from archived materials and clues. While some may label these games as “Metroidvanias,” I have a personal affinity for them. Essentially, “information games” (a term coined by developer Tom Francis) require players to formulate theories based on available information and utilize those theories to gain further insights. Heaven’s Vault stands out with its core mechanic of deciphering ancient languages, while other information games like Return of the Obra Dinn, Her Story, and Outer Wilds (which even has a dedicated “archaeologist edition”) encourage players to excavate clues related to their environments and histories.

In my research, I aim to explore how modern gaming can be documented as meticulously as ancient artifacts. I’ve noticed numerous parallels in the gaming landscape. The methods players use to document their experiences—such as screenshots, mapping, and journaling—mirror techniques employed by real-world archaeologists. Some games integrate these documentation methods as central mechanics. A prime example is Season: A Letter to the Future, where players capture the world’s essence just before a cataclysm through their diary entries. Games that prompt note-taking certainly enhance the recording of gameplay experiences, such as the anticipated 2025 puzzle sensation, Blue Prince.

If you’re interested in becoming a video game archaeologist rather than just Tomb Raider-ing, look for the skull next to the toilet. Better yet, document your findings. Future gaming archaeologists will be grateful!

What to Play




Obsessive and stylish… Shinobu: The Art of Vengeance. Photo: Sega

In today’s gaming scene, many classic ’80s arcade titles are being rediscovered, with Gradius Origins delighting shoot-’em-up aficionados and Bandai Namco’s Shadow Labyrinth offering a fresh take on Pac-Man.

Next up is Sega’s Shinobu: The Art of Vengeance, a stylish platformer adventure heavily inspired by classic ninja brawler aesthetics. Players navigate a richly hand-drawn cyberpunk world with an impressive array of combat abilities, weapons, and combos. The French developer LizardCube has masterfully blended captivating visual flair with the nostalgic immediacy and modern enhancements of the original title. Expect to relive fond memories while executing fierce moves to dispatch enemies in a visually stunning ballet of violence.

Available on: PC, PS4/5, Xbox
Estimated playtime: 15 hours

What to Read




Switch and Bait… I’m waiting outside my Nintendo store for the release of Nintendo Switch 2. Photo: Kylie Cooper/Reuters

  • Curious about Nintendo‘s game design philosophy? The upcoming book “Super Nintendo” by Keza McDonald is available for pre-order. This in-depth examination offers a behind-the-scenes look at the legendary game and console maker, featuring insights from key figures, including Miyamoto himself. A must-read!

  • Over 450 Diablo developers have voted to unionize, as reported by The Communications Workers of America. Nav Bhetti, a senior software engineer on Team 3, shared, “Throughout my development career, I’ve observed my colleagues paying the ‘passion tax’ to work in the industry we cherish.”

  • Have you heard of “friendsslop“? Nicole Carpenter explores emerging genres in social gaming, such as Peak, Fatal Company, and Content Warning. Find out what developers can glean from focusing on cooperative experimentation with peers.

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Question Block




Console Wars… Indiana Jones and the Big Circle. Photo: Game Press

This week’s question comes from Richard B. via email.

“Does the console war still exist?”

This is a topic currently under scrutiny throughout the industry. In February, Xbox Chief Phil Spencer told Xboxera that he’s no longer focused on attracting players from PlayStation or PC. Just three months later, previously exclusive titles like Indiana Jones and the Big Circle have been announced for PS5, alongside Gears of War: Reloaded being linked to Sony’s platform. In return, Sony will release Helldivers 2 on Xbox, with more collaborations likely to follow. A recent Sony job listing suggests they are indeed open to this.

Cross Play—features available in games like Fortnite and Apex Legends—allows players across different systems to compete. In an industry where mobile gaming is increasingly dominant, with NewZoo projecting a worth of $92.5 billion for mobile games in 2024, the competitive landscape is changing.

Still, gamers are inherently territorial in nature. Brand loyalty remains a significant facet of fandom (think Nikon vs. Canon, Nike vs. Reebok, or Android vs. iPhone). Technical specifications are merely one aspect of these rivalries, with style, image, and identity also playing vital roles. Thus, don’t anticipate Xbox and PlayStation to transform into mere apps across various platforms anytime soon. Some battles may come to a close, yet the war rages on.

If you have any questions or thoughts regarding the newsletter, please feel free to reply or email us at butingbuttons@theguardian.com.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Possible Underground Tomb Discovered Next to the Giza Pyramid

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Archaeologists have unearthed two unusual structures concealed beneath the ground adjacent to the renowned pyramids of Giza, Egypt.

Utilizing radar and electrical technologies, a collaborative team of Japanese and Egyptian scientists identified a perplexing 10m (33ft) L-shaped formation, positioned approximately 2m (6.5ft) underground, alongside a larger, deeper structure located about 5-10m (16-33ft) below the surface.

The purpose of these structures remains undetermined, but researchers propose that the L-shaped formation may signify an entrance to a larger object beneath, potentially a tomb entrance.

These findings were made in a vast empty area within the Western Cemetery, believed to date back four to five hundred years in Giza.

Previously overlooked during excavations due to the absence of visible structures above ground, this sandy region contrasts with surrounding cemeteries filled with numerous flat-roofed rectangular graves made from stone and mud, known as Mastabas.

This research, as published in Archaeological Research in early 2025, employed ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and a subsurface scanning method known as electrical resistance tomography (ERT).

GPR operates by sending radar waves into the ground. When these waves encounter a buried object, they are reflected back to the surface detector. By measuring the time taken for these waves to return, scientists can construct 3D representations of subterranean structures.

In a similar fashion, ERT involves sending electrical currents through the ground and assessing how easily electricity traverses different materials hidden below the surface.

Through these advanced techniques, archaeologists can detect variations in soil composition and pinpoint the shape and location of anomalies.

This is the entrance to the Mastabus in Giza, a rectangular tomb created for Sessmoufer IV. – Credit: DIY13 via Getty

However, Dr. Roland Enmarch, an Egyptian scholar from the University of Liverpool who was not involved in this study, told BBC Science Focus that the nature of these structures remains unclear.

“It’s difficult to say more until there’s an actual excavation at the site. [the L-shaped structure] but I wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out to be some form of grave,” he noted.

Regarding the deeper anomaly, Enmarch remarked:

Researchers suggest that this deeper structure might merely be a mix of sand and gravel or an air-filled void.

Enmarch expressed, “I’m genuinely eager to hear about the results of their excavations and verify my GPR findings.”

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About our experts

Dr. Roland Enmarch is an Egyptologist at the University of Liverpool in the UK, specializing in inscriptions of Egyptian literary laments and quarrying expeditions, particularly related to the Alabaster quarry in Hatnub.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Discovery of 12 human bones in a hidden tomb beneath Petra, Jordan

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The veil of mystery surrounding the Treasury Monument in Petra, Jordan has been lifted once again.

Beneath an ancient building carved out of rock, archaeologists discovered a hidden tomb containing 12 relatively well-preserved human bones and a vast array of grave offerings.

A similar tomb was discovered more than 20 years ago opposite the famous Treasury Building, also known as Al-Khazneh, one of the Seven Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Earlier this year, a team of researchers received permission from Jordanian authorities to conduct a week of remote sensing in and around the Treasury, a city center hand-carved into the walls of a desert canyon by the Nabatean people.

“There was always the idea that there might be more graves, but no one has yet been found,” Richard Bates, a geophysicist and professor at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, said in an email. “The hope was to find an intact grave.”

A joint Jordanian-American team, which also included the Jordanian Department of Antiquities and the Amman-based nonprofit American Research Center, used ground-penetrating radar to detect the cavity and pinpoint its location and depth. Instead of digging straight through, which would have cut through solid rock and damaged parts of the building, Bates said they carefully dug by hand into the cavity from the outside.

Richard Bates. Excavation at the Treasury.
Kindly provided by Professor Richard Bates, University of St Andrews

Inside, in the original burial site, are 12 human bones, one of which is clutching the top of a broken pitcher, most likely dating from the 1st century BC. Bates said the bodies likely included both men and women and ranged in age from children to adults. Although that is not confirmed yet.

“No complete burial has ever been found here before, so this discovery could potentially tell us more about the Nabataean kingdom,” Bates said.

The discovery could also provide new insights into the Treasury itself, whose purpose is still unknown.

“Despite its fame, the Treasury Department remains a mystery to us in many ways,” Pierce Paul Creesman, director of the Center for American Studies, said in an email. “Anything we can do to understand it more deeply is important.”

Visited by more than 1 million visitors a year, the Treasury is the most famous of Petra’s iconic monuments. In Steven Spielberg’s 1989 film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, it was featured as the resting place of the Holy Grail in the film.

The newly uncovered tomb excavation was featured in a two-part episode of the American reality television series Expedition Unknown, which aired on the Discovery Channel.

Bates said there are signs of other cavities in the area that could be graves.

“It’s very likely that more will be discovered, so we need to get the funding back and continue the research,” he said.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Oldest Wine in the World Found in Roman Tomb Dating Back 2,000 Years

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2,000-year-old wine discovered in Roman tomb in Carmona, Spain

Juan Manuel Roman/University of Cordoba

Chemical analysis has revealed that a reddish liquid discovered in a 2,000-year-old Roman mausoleum in Spain is the oldest known liquid wine.

“I was shocked and couldn’t believe my eyes,” he said. Jose Rafael Luis Arebola “It was inconceivable that the liquid could remain in this state for 2,000 years,” said a researcher from the University of Cordoba in Spain.

Until now, a sealed vessel found near Speyer, Germany, believed to be around 1,700 years old, was thought to have contained the oldest known wine, but it had never been opened.

Discovered by chance in 2019 in Carmona, near Seville, the Spanish tomb dates to the 1st century AD and belonged to a wealthy family. Eight burial niches were carved into the walls and contained six urns made of limestone, sandstone, and glass. Half contained the remains of a woman, the other half of a man. Two of the urns were inscribed with the names of the deceased: “Hispanae” and “Señicio.”

One of the glass jars, encased in a lead shell, contained the skeletal remains of a 45-year-old man, a gold ring engraved with an image of the two-faced Roman god Janus, and approximately five liters of liquid.

Luis Arrebola and his team studied the composition of the reddish liquid using various methods, including liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and found that it had a pH value of 7.5, which is much more alkaline than normal for wine and indicates severe spoilage.

Its mineral profile was similar to that of modern sherry and fino wines from Spain, and it contained seven types of polyphenols, natural antioxidant compounds found only in wine.

Entrance to the Mausoleum of Carmona, where wine was discovered

Juan Manuel Roman/University of Cordoba

The absence of syringic acid, a compound produced by the breakdown of the main pigment in red wine, confirmed that the wine was white, presumably intended for the dead to drink on their journey to the afterlife.

“The discovery of a 2,000-year-old liquid believed to be wine in a Roman jar is unusual and an important event, providing unique insights into Roman burial practices.” David Tanasi “This shows the continuity between ancient and modern wine production,” say researchers from the University of South Florida.

Luis Arrebola plans to carry out further tests to identify any residues of microorganisms such as bacteria or yeast that may be present in the wine.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Review: Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered – A Fantastic Revival of Lara Croft’s Lost Ark | Gaming

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IWhile modern games are about sports cars, flashy, fast, expensive, and noisy, the original Tomb Raider is about shopping carts: clunky, slow, and not much to look at. It’s a pain to operate, especially if you’re used to automatic gears and navigation. It’s quiet apart from the odd wheel squeak. It’s really great at doing what it’s intended to do. And it can be yours for just £1.

Well, £24.99, that’s the asking price for Tomb Raider I-III Remastered. This product includes Lara Croft’s first three adventures and expansion packs from 1996 to 1998. Each game has received a complete graphical overhaul, with a fresh coat of paint rather than a complete re-plaster. Lara’s world still has a flat, polygonal appearance, full of sharp edges, origami enemies, and Toblerone boobs.

However, the lighting is now more natural, water effects have been greatly improved, and new high-resolution textures have added an impressive amount of detail. Vegetation looks more realistic and surfaces are smoother. Cracks in the grain of the marble walls of the Venetian Palazzo no longer look like they were built in Ceefax. These visuals would have been shocking back in 1996, when Tomb Raider was first released, but they don’t match modern gaming standards. The remaster makes him fall into the uncanny valley between the two. I think he was around 2005. But these graphics are a perfect fit for the dated gameplay, and are a clear improvement over the original version, which was so blocky and ugly that it would shatter the lenses of your rose-tinted glasses.




Harmful effects… The colonial stereotypes of the original version have been dispelled.
Photo: Aspyr Media

However, some of the series’ memorable moments are diluted. The appearance of the iconic Tyrannosaurus in the first game was quite frightening, as the dinosaur suddenly appeared in view from the endless pitch-black night. This was not an artistic choice, but a technical limitation that prevented me from drawing details in the sky and background. The showdown is currently taking place on a rainy afternoon, with the edges of the battlefield visible. As a result, the scene is still tense, but no less frightening. Just like in Jaws, it’s scarier when you can’t see the monster.

The good news for purists is that you can switch between the original and upgraded graphics at any time with the push of a button. You can also choose to play the entire game using the original tank controls, or use the new system that lets you run around with Lara like a modern-day action hero. This makes her movements more fluid and reduces those frustrating moments where the camera can’t keep up. However, accuracy is sacrificed when navigating grid-based environments. This is essential for completing the more complex platform sections. The solution is to keep switching between her two control systems via the pause menu, but this is difficult to use. Unfortunately, this also cannot be toggled with her single press of a button.

There’s no option to turn off problematic content that appeared in some of the original games, such as racist depictions of South American natives as dancing cannibals. Instead, the remaster includes a warning about these “extremely harmful and intolerable” stereotypes. The content remains unchanged “in the hope that we will recognize and learn from its harmful effects.” This seems like a reasonable argument. Recent Tomb Raider games have sought to move away from racial stereotypes, tackling issues surrounding colonialism and the theft of cultural artifacts. The remaster’s problematic scenes remind us why this is important.

There’s no doubt that the games in this collection feel outdated. When it comes to glossy graphics, intuitive controls, and fast-paced action, it can’t match today’s Uncharted or Assassin’s Creed. But they have something that many modern games lack: confidence.




It doesn’t look clear. Lara’s world is still flat and polygonal.
Photo: Aspyr Media

The original Tomb Raider never holds your hand. The environment is free of Tipp-Ex’s awesome doodles, highlighting where to go next. It’s not packed with random items to collect or boring letters to read. You don’t have to craft your own weapons, upgrade your armor, or choose an amulet to attach to your magical necklace to slightly increase the impact of your air kicks during melee combat.

You can’t climb everything you see. You can’t traverse an entire cliff face by just holding up the thumbstick and pressing the X button. Navigation requires precision, which means losing your life. There’s no strong soundtrack. In fact, there’s almost no soundtrack. There are no loud buddy calls in your ear, no maps, and no hints. Do what you like.

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This is what makes Tomb Raider so great. It’s a game that trusts the player. You’ll find that you keep moving forward, even through the frustrating and difficult sections, because the satisfaction of having achieved it is enough. There’s no need for constant gratification, and no promise of big prizes at the end, like big shiny swords or long cutscenes. New vistas and a few bars of sublimely beautiful strings are all you need. This is a game for adults.

So Tomb Raider Remastered isn’t really a shopping cart. It’s a classic car, well cared for and polished to a decent shine. Yes, the handbrake is sticky, the CD player is broken, and the butterscotch leather seats have cracks. But it’s still fun to take it for a spin. They won’t let them be like this anymore.

Source: www.theguardian.com