Tomb Raider III is a single-player action-adventure game where the player controls the protagonist, Lara Croft, from a third-person perspective through five locations: India, South Pacific, London, Nevada, and Antarctica.[1] Once the player completes the first location (India), the following three (South Pacific, London, and Nevada) can be played in any order before the final location (Antarctica) closes the game.[1] Each location features a series of enclosed levels that involve solving puzzles, jumping over obstacles, and defeating enemies.[1] Most puzzles involve rearranging items, manipulating switches, or pushing objects.[2] As Lara, the player can run, jump, climb, crawl, "monkey swing" across certain overhead frames, and swim and dive underwater for a limited period of time.[2] Lara can sprint to gain a temporary burst of greater speed while running, which is useful for escaping errant boulders and other immediate disasters.[1]
To defeat enemies, the player can use a variety of weapons, including dual pistols, dual Uzis, a Desert Eagle, a shotgun, an MP5 submachine gun, a grenade launcher, a rocket launcher, and a harpoon gun for underwater use.[3] The dual pistols have infinite ammunition and are Lara's default weapons, while the other weapons have finite ammunition and must be found in the levels.[3] At one point in the game, Lara will be stripped of all her weapons, leaving the player defenceless and forced to use stealth, before recovering her pistols later.[4] Lara has a certain amount of health that decreases if she falls from a great height or when she is attacked by enemies.[5] If Lara's health is fully depleted, the player must start the game again from a previous save point. Saving the player's progress on the PlayStation version of the game requires a memory card and consumes a Save Crystal from Lara's inventory. These can be found throughout each level and do not require the player to save the game at the pick-up spot.[6]
A significant portion of the game takes place underwater. Some pools are inhabited by piranhas that can kill Lara within seconds, while others have streams with currents that can pull her in a fixed direction, preventing the player from being able to swim back or grab onto a ledge. Furthermore, the water in the Antarctica levels is too cold for Lara to swim through for more than a few seconds.[4] The player can also wade through quicksand, but at the risk of drowning Lara.[5] Some levels require the player to use vehicles. For example, the kayak helps Lara fight her way down rapids in the Madubu Gorge level, while an underwater propeller unit allows her to explore deep water areas in the Lud's Gate level. Other vehicles include a quad bike, a boat, and minecarts.[7] Flares may be used to explore darkened areas.[2] Ammunition, flares, and health recovery items are dispersed among the levels to help players increase their resources.[7][3] The game features a tutorial level where the player can practice Lara's moves and combat abilities.[8]
