Fans of the original Tomb Raider series have been hard at work putting together a remake of Tomb Raider 2 and now they're ready to share the results. Project creator Nicobass has published the first demo for Dagger of Xian, a remake of Tomb Raider 2 built in Unreal Engine 4. Nico has been working on this project for well over a year and a half, so to have a working demo as polished as what's been made available is extremely impressive.

The Dagger of Xian demo features the "Great Wall" level of Tomb Raider 2, which is the game's first level. But those who play the demo will immediately recognize that they are not quite the same. Nicobass is taking a full-on remake approach with Dagger of Xian, meaning he's creating what he believes would be Tomb Raider 2 if it was made in the modern era. He's not just remastering Tomb Raider 2 with HD graphics.

And the result really should speak for itself. Nicobass and a small team recreated all of the assets, animations, and content design from scratch using Tomb Raider 2 as a map. Just in the first cave of Dagger of Xian, players will see how impressive the game looks with lighting effects, water effects, reflections, fog, and of course HD visuals throughout. While it may not be Crystal Dynamics quality, it's very impressive for such a small team to accomplish.

Nicobass has even gone so far as to say that he has spoken with Crystal Dynamics so as not to cross any lines and be shut down. As such, he's mentioned that he will not be accepting any donations for the project. That freedom has enabled him to a ton of impressive work at his own schedule. Dagger of Xian may not be fully available for years yet, but when it does launch it will be exactly as Nicobass intended it to be, with tacit approval from Crystal Dynamics.

What comes next? According to Nicobass he will be starting on the end of the Great Wall level and Croft Manor, "if the demo will have some good feedback." Considering he's been working on this initial level for so long, completing the demo despite several delays, he's probably feeling weary about the scale of the project. But looking at how amazing the demo is and how excited folk seem to be for a Tomb Raider throwback, it'd be a shame if he stopped development.

The demo for Tomb Raider: Dagger of Xian is available now on PC. A full launch may not be in the cards, but if it is it's likely years away from completion.

Source: Dagger of Xian Demo Download