The Tomb Raider franchise celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, meaning 25 years of exploration, discovery, ancient tombs, exciting shootouts, mythical beasts and more. Lara Croft has been by the side of a generation of gamers, influencing the action-adventure genre and ensuring the list of video game protagonists wasn't wholly enveloped by a singular type of character.

To celebrate the franchise's legacy, let's take a look back at every major installment in the series and rank them according to how they fared against the scrutinizing eyes of critics, using Metacritic and GameRankings scores. GameBoy, iPhone, Android and spinoff games won't be included.

RELATED: Aged-Up Mario, Lara Croft & Robotnik Will Make You Feel as Old as They Are - Or Older

12. Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness - 52/100

Tomb-Raider-Angel-of-Darkness-Header

The most poorly-received game in the core series was the final installment in the original saga: Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness. With a litany of bugs and glitches, a focus on urban exploration rather than actual tomb raiding and a confusing plot, the game failed to inject life into developer Core Design's fading series. Angel of Darkness was ultimately rushed to release, resulting in a huge collection of cut content and unfinished levels around the game.

11. Tomb Raider Chronicles - 63/100

Tomb-Raider-Chronicles-Cover-Feature

Tomb Raider: Chronicles followed the events of The Last Revelation, which seemingly saw the end of Lara Croft. Eidos Interactive wished for the series to continue and so Core Design was forced to bring her back in Chronicles, through a series of stories told by old acquaintances. Chronicles was, as designer Andy Sandham said years later, created to earn the staff a living rather than the result of any true passion -- and that seemed to reflect in the game itself and its reception.

10. Shadow of the Tomb Raider - 75/100

Tomb Raider - Shadow of the Tomb Raider

The third and final installment of Square Enix's Tomb Raider reboot trilogy, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, followed a young Lara Croft in her fight against Trinity and the race to stop an apocalypse Croft herself unwittingly triggered. The game received mixed reviews for its plot and conclusion to Lara Croft's origin story, though gameplay was generally praised.

RELATED: Every Metal Gear Spinoff Ranked, According to Critics

9. Tomb Raider: Underworld - 75/100

Lara-Croft-Tomb-Raider-Underworld-Feature

Crystal Dynamics' Tomb Raider: Underworld was not particularly well-received by critics and gamers, who felt that the game's combat and camera marred the experience. Still, Underworld was praised for being visually stunning and emphasizing exploration and actual tomb raiding. It should be noted that early on, Eidos attempted to prevent less-than-stellar reviews from being appearing, which may have affected perception. Ultimately, Tomb Raider: Underworld went on to receive numerous awards.

8. Tomb Raider III - 76/100

Tomb-Raider-3-Lara-Croft

While noted as being innovative, Tomb Raider III was not as well-liked by critics as its predecessors. That's partly because of a few minor bugs, on top of a ridiculous level of difficulty and controls that did not appear to suit the more complex environments. Unfortunately, while it did bring an improvement in graphical quality to the franchise, critics agreed that it still seemed outdated in relation to other games released alongside it.

7. Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation - 79/100

Tomb-Raider-Last-Revelation-Lara-Feature

By 1999, the Core Design team had grown exhausted, having worked on the last three Tomb Raider games back-to-back. It had lost its appeal, so they attempted to kill off Lara Croft, to the apparent chagrin of Eidos Interactive. Critics called The Last Revelation a return to form for the franchise, despite its aging gameplay -- but it was not enough to revive the series. Despite its issues, Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation did go on to win numerous awards and become a best-seller.

RELATED: Can Your PC Run Deathloop?

6. Tomb Raider: Legend - 82/100

Tomb-Raider-Legend-Lara-Motorcycle-Feature

Crystal Dynamics rebooted the franchise with Tomb Raider: Legend in 2006. It took everything that fans loved about the franchise and injected more: more drama, acrobatics and, of course, tombs, alongside a memorable soundtrack. It's only weak points were its combat, short narrative and simplistic puzzles. Still, the reboot was released to generally positive reviews.

5. Tomb Raider: Anniversary - 83/100

Tomb-Raider-Anniversary-Lara-T-Rex-Feature

Crystal Dynamics marked the 10 year anniversary of Tomb Raider in 2007 with a remake of the first game.Tthe developer worked it into the story it was telling with Tomb Raider: Legend and its sequel, Underworld. Critics praised the remake as an homage to the original Tomb Raider, but criticized the game's puzzles and formulaic approach.

4. Tomb Raider II - 85/100

Tomb-Raider-II-Venice-Lara-Speedboat

After a successful debut, Core Design's Lara Croft became an increasingly popular video game heroine. Tomb Raider II introduced bigger and better puzzles and action sequences, as well as human opponents, vehicles and improved controls. It was criticized for being somewhat more challenging, but that wasn't necessarily seen as a bad thing by all. It may have not been seen as a better game, but it was still a welcome addition to the nascent franchise.

RELATED: Every Main Series Final Fantasy Ranked, According to Critics

3. Tomb Raider (2013) - 87/100

Lara-Croft-Tomb-Raider-2013-Feature

Developer Crystal Dynamics stayed on after Square Enix acquired Eidos Interactive and, rather than produce another installment in the Legend series, the developer opted to reboot the franchise again. This time, it took a grittier approach to Lara Croft, in order to tell a compelling origin story. 2013's Tomb Raider proved to be just what the franchise needed in order to --as Lara does -- survive.

2. Rise of the Tomb Raider - 88/100

Rise-of-the-Tomb-Raider-Lara-Croft-Feature

After 2013's Tomb Raider, it was up to Rise of the Tomb Raider to delve further into her backstory. It expanded on the Croft family legacy and properly introduced the paramilitary organization known as Trinity. Despite criticism aimed at its predictable plot, Rise of the Tomb Raider succeeding in winning critics over with its combat and stealth sections, expanded puzzles and tombs and memorable scenes.

1. Tomb Raider - 91/100

Tomb-Raider-1996-Feature

Nothing in the franchise has ever managed to beat the memories and sense of wonderment Core Design introduced in the original 1996 game, Tomb Raider. The sparsely located combat sections, focus on puzzles and exploration and story filled with mystery and intrigue cemented Tomb Raider's place as a revolutionary action-adventure video game. The game's success should serve as vindication for creator Toby Gard, who essentially prevented Eidos from going forward with what would have been an Indiana Jones ripoff and instead introduced players to one of the most iconic video game heroes.

KEEP READING: Forspoken: Release Date, Trailer, Plot & News to Know