Gunnar Optiks Tomb Raider Croft Gaming Glasses

As you can probably tell from the articles page on Gamereactor, I've reviewed a fair amount of Gunnar Optiks' gaming glasses now. Collaborations ranging from Cyberpunk to Fallout to brands like Alienware. Each of them came with their own charms, but with its Tomb Raider collaboration, it really feels like Gunnar has gone all-out to deliver a pair of shades that encapsulates one of gaming's most iconic characters. We are celebrating 30 years of Tomb Raider, after all.

While Amazon might be a bit behind with Legacy of Atlantis' remake and the new series, Gunnar is delivering with a pair of shades that feel like they've been taken off Croft herself. Usually, Gunnar doesn't go for the most obvious crossover with its gaming glasses. When it came to Cyberpunk 2077, for example, it gave us the Dex and Militech glasses instead of just going straight in on a pair that resembled Johnny Silverhand's classic look. This isn't the case with Tomb Raider. No teasing, just glasses that are inspired by the one and only Lara Croft.

Gunnar has been getting better and better with the collectible add-ons that come with the glasses. For the Tomb Raider Croft pair, you get a glasses case shaped like a thigh holster, that can actually be strapped to your clothing if you wish, or attached via a velcro strap. You also get a specially designed cloth, pouch for taking your glasses on the go, and a one-of-a-kind pin shaped like a tiny dagger. It's more suited for letter opening than it is a handy assistant if you want to go tomb raiding yourself, but all of this adds to make a complete package that again feels like Gunnar is just adding more bang for your buck with the glasses.

It's hard to make glasses refined and stylish while also showing exactly what they were inspired by. Avoiding ridiculous designs that scream "hey everyone, I freaking love games," Gunnar has always opted a more geek chic look, which I think is much more appreciated and means you won't fear going out in public wearing a pair of the company's glasses. At the same time, this allows the company to get creative with the nice-to-haves that come with a pair of Gunnar Optiks. I said it in the Militech glasses review and I'll say the same now, the more unique each pair becomes with its accessories, the more fans feel like they're getting a one-of-a-kind product.

Moving onto the glasses themselves, they're incredibly well-designed, as I've come to expect from Gunnar at this point. They're styled in the classic round shape, with stainless steel frames and a textured eye wire, wrapped in premium polymer. The lenses, as you'd expect, come with Gunnar's patented technology, blocking out harmful blue light and UV. We tried the sun lens variant, which means we weren't using them primarily as gaming glasses as other pairs we've reviewed. After comparing the sun lenses versus the amber lenses, I'm curious to try Gunnar's middle child, the Amber Max lens, to see if it combines the best of both worlds. Also, considering orange lenses would've felt particularly Lara, I can't help but think about how they might change the look.

The glasses I did receive are incredibly stylish. Thanks to flexible spring hinges they do fit on my head, but I will say they stretched a bit. I wouldn't go as far to say that these glasses are only fit for a female audience, but they suited my partner much better than they suited me. Even so, with classic round frames and a simple, trendy appearance, it's hard to find an issue with their look overall. If you've got a bigger head, though, perhaps you're someone who might want to give these a miss. The springs will move to fit a wider noggin, but I always fear I'm going to break glasses whenever they have to move around like that to fit my face.

Overall, Gunnar Optiks' Tomb Raider Croft glasses feel like they're the best yet from the eyewear company. The lenses are as technically sound as ever, but it's in the design where these shades shine the most. They're classy, timeless, and perfectly adapt Lara Croft to a product that might make you feel like throwing on a blue tank top, some short shorts, and delving deep into the ruins of lost civilisations.